In this episode we travel from Troy to the remains of the palace of Pylos in Southern Greece, and on to Egypt, to investigate the aftermath of the Trojan War, and start to unpack events that signalled not just the fall of Troy – but of the whole Bronze Age world.
Homer’s Odyssey, over 12,000 lines of verse, tells of a hero making his way home from the war, who spends years wandering, losing all his plunder, his ships and his followers along the way. When he finally reaches home he has a bloody fight on his hands to reclaim his wife, his house and his status as lord of Ithaca and the surrounding islands. According to Greek legends, many of the victorious Achaeans suffered disaster and setback on
their way home – or found only tragedy and disaster awaiting them. But there is also a sense in which all of them have arrived at the end of an era. This last generation of heroes will soon be all but lost to history. The Age of Iron is coming…
