In Search of Troy : One man's quest for Homer's fabled city

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Summary: Actually, this book is more an attempt to recreate Troy
Review: "In Search of Troy" introduces young readers to the story of Heinrich Schliemann's determined quest to find the fabled city immortalized in Homer's "Iliad". In the late 19th-century Troy was assumed to be a mythic place, but Schliemann, armed with a copy of the epic poem explored the Troas region of Turkey until he determined that the ruins at Hissarlik were indeed Homer's Troy. Of course Schliemann's discovery remains a hot topic of debate among archeologists and his reputation has taken a few blows, although even if he did not find the "real" Troy he certainly deserves credit for inspiring generations of archeologists to take to the hills.

Giovanni Caselli's book devotes the first several chapters to Schliemann's quest, but most of "In Search of Troy" is actually an attempt to reconstruct the city he found. Some of what we find in this book is based on specific discoveries by Schliemann, such as the foundation of the great tower by the "Scaean gate" of which Homer wrote, and the pedestals in front of it which suggest the presence of idols. Like Schliemann, Caselli references Homer to help recreate the Trojan society (e.g., the reference to helmets made out of rows of boar's tusks). The book is filled with colored pictures recreating the buildings and society of Troy, along with color photographs of some of the choice treasures discovered by Schliemann and labeled "Priam's treasure," which went on display at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow in 1996 a half-century after it disappeared from Berlin at the end of World War II.

Obviously the title of this book is something of a misnomer, since Caselli devotes considerably more time to recreating the ancient city of Troy based on what Schliemann found than on the actual discovery. This is too bad, because whether he was right or wrong, Schliemann's story is a fascinating tale, the first archeological mystery story of the modern era. However, I am sure students and teachers can find that information elsewhere.