Death of the Trojan prince before he reached an age of score
Razing of the Phrygian Gates, near the tomb of King Laomedon of lore
Stealth from the city of the Palladium or was it something more?
Some say it was for the part of Achilles son in the war
For the capture of the starving Rhesean steed
For the use of bow and arrows of Hercules by far
For the long lost remains of Pelops indeed
Could any of this be the reason for the fall or was it a more simple reason in reality?
A wooden horse hiding warriors carrying swords and spears;
Death of a valiant commander prince sworn to fealty -
Abduction of sweet Helen and a siege lasting ten years...
In an era lost in time, seers and oracles were in abundance. The city of Troy was said to be invincible, its walls built by Gods - Zeus and Poseidon. But it was also said the city would fall if certain conditions were met.
ReplyDeleteHellenus, King Priam's son after defecting to the Greeks informed them that Troy would fall if:
1. Pyrrhus, Achilles' son, fought in the war. Neoptolemos was convinced by Odysseus to fight the battle after the death of Achilles
2. The bow and arrows of Hercules were used by the Greeks against the Trojans. Calchas, a Greek seer also predicted to the Achaeans (Greeks) they needed the bow and arrows of Hercules (which were in possesion of Philoctetes) to defeat the Trojans. Philoctetes, left abandoned on the island of Lemnos joined the Greeks on the request of Odysseus and Diomedes. He killed Paris by the bow and arrows.
3. The remains of Pelops, the famous Eleian hero, were brought to Troy. Pelops remains were contained in a chest near the sanctuary of Artemis Kordax, though in earlier times a gigantic shoulder blade was used. This was brought by Greeks to Troy.
4. The Palladium, a statue of Athena, was stolen from Troy. The Trojan Palladium was said to be a wooden image of Pallas (Athena) and to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Ilus, the founder of Troy. Odysseus and Diomedes stole from the citadel of Troy and which was later taken to the future site of Rome by Aeneas.
Plautus, on his part states three conditions which should be met before Troy will fall.
1. Death of Troilus before the age of reaching Troy. If he were to live beyond the age of twenty, Troy would be invincible.
2. He too mentions the stealing of the Palladium.
2. Upper lintel of the Phrygian Gates should be demolished. It was near King Priam's father Laomedon's tomb.
Rheseus of Thrace was an ally of Troy. It was believed that if his horses were captured before they could tasted the pastures of Troy or drink from the waters of Xanthus, then Troy could be defeated. It could be an analogy for the warriors of Rhesus not being able to reach Troy, but being captured mid-way by the Greeks. Once Agamemnon realized that Troy was getting help from its allies, he started attacking the neighboring kingdoms to stop this help. Rhesus reached Troy too late and by the time he did reach, his horses were stolen by Odysseus and Diomedes.
In all these stories, Odysseus and Diomedes played a major role in achieving all the prophecies for Troy's defeat.
Apart from these, there could be some obvious reasons for the downfall of Troy.
Hector, the most able of Trojan warriors was killed at the hand of Achilles. This could have brought down the morale of the Trojans as well as the lack of an able commander to guide the Trojans after Hector's death.
The Trojan Horse, a supposed offering by the Greeks to Poseidon, was given entry to Troy by the Trojans thereby enabling the Greek warriors who ransacked the city in the night.
Or maybe it was as simple as the abduction of Helen, which led to egos clashing and warriors dying leading to destruction of an entire city.
Moreover the war was fought for ten long years. Such a siege can weaken the resources of any kingdom, even one as invincible as Troy. Or as they say, it was 'Fatisque Repulsi'.