Lecture - The Trojan War: from myth to history

“Goddess, sing of the cataclysmic wrath of great Achilles, son of Peleus.” This is the opening line of The Iliad, the famous epic poem attributed to Homer that tells of the Trojan War, a ten-year conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. But did this war really take place? Beyond the heroic battles, interventions from the gods, and spectacular tales perhaps lies the distant memory of a real conflict that happened over 3,000 years ago at the end of the Bronze Age.

This lecture will explore ancient sources, archaeological digs at the site of Troy, and debates among modern historians to separate myth from memory and history.

With Raphaël Weyland, Historian for Ubisoft Montréal (Assassin’s Creed Mirage, For Honor). Raphaël Weyland holds a doctorate from Université de Montréal and Kiel University (CAU), with a specialization in the history of the ancient Middle East. He regularly contributes to the Les Belles Heures lecture series at Université de Montréal and appears as a guest on Radio-Canada. His book Le Moyen-Orient: des Croisades aux Ottomans on the history of the Middle East from the Crusades to the Ottoman era was published by Septentrion in 2021.