Product Description

For thousands of years, we have been enthralled by tales of Troy and its heroes. Achilles and Hector, Paris and the famed beauty Helen remain some of the most enduring figures in art and literature. But, did these titanic characters really walk the earth? Was there ever an actual siege of Troy? In this extensively revised edition, historian Michael Wood takes account of the latest dramatic developments in the search for Troy. His wide-ranging study of the complex archaeological, literary and historical records has been brought up-to-date. Detailing the rediscovery in Moscow of the so-called jewels of Helen and the re-excavation of the site of Troy begun in 1988, which continues to yield new evidence about the historical city, "In Search of the Trojan War" takes a fresh look at some of the most excited discoveries in archaeology. "A dazzling and exhaustive analysis." - "Washington Post". "This beautifully illustrated book...vividly evokes themes that are central to our civilization's quest for its past." - "The New York Times Book Review".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124752 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Michael Wood is a highly acclaimed, best-selling author and TV presenter, as well as a regular contributor to BBC History magazine. The BBC have published Michael's previous TV tie-in titles: In Search of the Dark Ages, Legacy, Domesday, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, Conquistadors and In Search of Shakespeare. Michael Wood was born in Manchester and was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Oriel College, Oxford, where he went on to do post-graduate research in Anglo-Saxon history. He has worked as a journalist, broadcaster and film-maker with over fifty documentary films to his name, the most recent of which is the acclaimed BBC television series Conquistadors and In Search of Shakespeare. Other recent films by Michael include Legacy and Saddam's Killing Fields, an account of the destruction of the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq.

Customer Reviews

An Exciting, Comprehensive and Compelling Read!
It took me years to track this book down having seen the BBC documentary as a child - I was not disapointed. I'm a complete newcomer to Greek History and found the size of the subject daunting. However, Michael Wood's book on the Trojan War conveys his enthusiasm, which is contagious, and couldn't be any clearer in setting out the arguments regarding the siting and dating of the Trojan War and the questions raised by Homer's 'Iliad' (eg. is it a literal account? Is the poem the work of one man or a several poets over a period of time?)

The unravelling of such a mystery should be exciting and he conveys this easily. The results of the original excavations by Schlieman in the late 1800's and the implications for later generations of archaeoligist's in the way he worked are explained and the story is brought right up-to-date with more recent digs by Manfred Korfman and also the discovery of the so-called 'Jewels of Helen' which disappeared in the Second World War.

It's a huge subject and he clearly explains how it also links into Arthur Evans' work in Crete with the Palace of Knossos and the search by others for the Palace of Agamemnon at Mycenae (One of the key-players in the Trojan War).The book also dispelled my initial worry that I would not be able to follow the arguements relating the dating of the finds and different civilisations. Simple diagrams and tables are included for easy reference.

It has formed an excellent platform for me to explore further in this field of history. I have gone on to read Homer's 'Iliad', Leonard Cottrell's 'Bull of Knossos' and 'The Lion Gate' alongwith Schliemann's 'Troy and It's Remains' and Susan Heuck Allen's 'Finding the Walls of Troy'.

Best of all these though, is still my loveworn copy of this particular book. Thank-you Michael Wood for bringing this subject to life!

Imaginative, lucid and vivid.
Michael Wood is brave enough to take the necessary leap of imagination to bring all the mythical elements together and make real sense of them. Throughly researched, he provides common sense reasons for the cause of the Trojan war but at the same time the book is totally compelling and moving. It is also very well produced and illustrated.

Compulsory reading for history buffs
Michael Wood tackles this complicated subject with his usual panache. The book is excellent for the fascinated amateur but is sufficiently scholarly for the academic. It traces the subject matter and sources of the Trojan myth and possible implications for factual history. Named sites and individuals are investigated minutely. Mr Wood follows a carefully thought out route to his conclusions. An excellent read.