Homeric Truth (Homer vs Dickinson)

Citing a paper at Academia:

Another result of the decipherment of Linear B texts was the totalloss in the academic world of the belief in the “historicity” of the Greeklegends. Oliver Dickinson in his handbook “The Aegean Bronze Age”made the following comment:

The belief in the warlike propensities of Mycenaean society in this period seems in fact to derive largely from the belief that this society is accurately mirrored in the Homeric epics and other legendary material. But the world of Homer’s heroes, in which wealth is essentially represented by livestock and movable treasures, and to acquire these by raiding is not thought at all reprehensible, seems completely at odds with the world of orderly taxation of territories’ produce reflected in the Linear B texts.

The Kingdom of Mycenae
by Jorrit M. Kelder
https://www.academia.edu/218696/The_Kingdom_of_Mycenae

One Jean-Claude Poursat refused the historicity of the Iliad on another ground: Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns had their palaces destroyed before Troy VIIa.

The glorious and rich city Homer describes was believed to be Troy VI by many twentieth century authors, destroyed in 1275 BC, probably by an earthquake. Its follower Troy VIIa, destroyed by fire at some point during the 1180s BC, was long considered a poorer city, but since the excavation campaign of 1988 it has risen to the most likely candidate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_War#Dates_of_the_Trojan_War

Perhaps even before Troy VI.

Let's check the cities. Below I am quoting the wikis I link to:

Tiryns

The first Greek inhabitants—the creators of the Middle Helladic civilization and the Mycenaean civilization after that—settled Tiryns at the beginning of the Middle period (2000–1600 BC), though the city underwent its greatest growth during the Mycenaean period. The Acropolis was constructed in three phases, the first at the end of the Late Helladic II period (1500–1400 BC), the second in Late Helladic III (1400–1300 BC), and the third at the end of the Late Helladic III B (1300–1200 BC). The surviving ruins of the Mycenaean citadel date to the end of the third period. The city proper surrounded the acropolis on the plain below.

Mycenae

By 1200 BC, the power of Mycenae was declining; finally, during the 12th century BC, Mycenaean dominance collapsed entirely. The eventual destruction of Mycenae formed part of the general Bronze Age collapse in the Greek mainland and beyond. Within a short time around 1200 BC, all the palace complexes of southern Greece were burned, including that at Mycenae.

Pylos

The Mycenaean state of Pylos (1600–1100 BC) covered an area of 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi) and had a minimum population of 50,000 according to the Linear B tablets discovered there, or even perhaps as large as 80,000–120,000.[14][15] It included the important regional capital of Iklaina (c. 1600–1100 BC).

Specifically Palace of Nestor

The settlement had been long occupied with most artifacts discovered dating from 1300 BC. The palace complex was destroyed by fire around 1200 BC.

Argos

Après les « siècles obscurs », elle supplanta Mycènes. [But doesn't tell if dark centuries began with a fire.]

Troy itself, Troy VIIa

The city of the archaeological layer known as Troy VIIa, which has been dated on the basis of pottery styles to the mid- to late-13th century BC, lasted for about a century, with a destruction layer at c. 1190 BC. It is the most often-cited candidate for the Troy of Homer and is believed to correspond to Wilusa, known from Hittite sources dating to the period of roughly 1300–1250 BC.

So, Troy VIIa was burned in carbon dated 1190.

Most cities in South Greece had been burned in carbon dated 1200.

Jean-Claude Poursat : Homer can't be right, since Achaeans had lost their power base before the Trojan War.

Dickinson (as cited) : Homer can't be right, since Achaeans in power were not cattle raiding Highlanders.

Me : Homer can be right in the main, losing palaces did not necessarily mean losing the power to strike back (if Troy was the destroyer back in 1200 BC). However, the palaces are inserted in his story by anachronism.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Nanterre UL
St Victorian
23.III.2019

In Africa sanctorum Martyrum Victoriani, Proconsulis Carthaginis, et duorum germanorum, Aquisregensium; item Frumentii et alterius Frumentii, mercatorum. Hi omnes, in persecutione Wandalica (ut scribit Victor, Africanus Episcopus), sub Ariano Rege Hunnerico, pro constantia catholicae confessionis, immanissimis suppliciis cruciati, egregie coronati sunt.