3200 years ago a hundred thousand men landed on the shores of Troy. Ships as far as the eyes could see as Homer said it. They had a single aim in mind and a single city in their faces. The resulting war would be remembered for millenia. 10 years of relentless fighting. The Trojan war, the inspiration for one of the greatest epics in history. The Illiad and Odyssey. Except well, they did not. It was closer to 5000 in reality. 5000 men not a 100,000. The original account an exagerration. It was after all impossible to sustain that many men in the field. Not with bronze age logistics. Small ships of wood and horse drawn chariots. The numbers simply don't add up. Who would feed them, clothe them and arm them? A hundred thousand men. Twice as many as Caesar's legions in Gaul which were more than a thousand years to come. The tale is as incredulous as it is fantastical. And therein lies it's charm.
It is after all of a tale of human perseverance and dedication. For the Greeks threw their last man at those walls. And yet they did not flinch. And after the dust had settled it was conceit and trickery that did the Trojan's in. Not blood and sweat. We could of course take the practical word for it and pare down those numbers. Turn the glorious battle of a 100,000 into a mere skirmish. But where is the beauty in that? There is more to be lost than to be gained in it. For history is as much the analysis of the perception of an event as of the event itself.
To the greeks it was a 100,000 men on that beach. That was how they saw it and it is gives us valuable insight to see it as they did. A cataclysmic clash of civilizations. With west meeting east. It was glorious. With gods flying in on thunderbolts. A tale of spears and javelins and swords and chariots. And of the men behind them. Rallying hard for their cause. That was what the greeks felt when they fought. It was their last drop of blood drained in bringing back their princess. The pride of Greece. So what do we do here at The Historiogram? We see events as they were meant to be seen. Glorious last stands and incredible blunders. Fantastical numbers and all. We percieve history in all it's glory. It will be 200,000 men that fought in Darius's army at Gaugamela and the Persian army did shake the earth as it marched. It will be 300 men that died at Thermopylae and 10,000 men breaking an army of 230,000 at Watling Street. Legend will be told and seen as they were meant to be. With a hint of colour and just a touch of propaganda. As they were written millenia ago. And when it is all said and done we will study them as the tales they were meant to be. With a pinch of salt and great amount of taste. For these tales were written by philosophers and poets. Artists and authours of another time. Here we study the philosophy behind history and how it adds up to our time. For man has lived and wondered for millenia. And very little has changed at his heart. Let us analyze history from a fresh perspective. Seeing it with it's causes and ends. Why did the spartans fall apart? What did the Greeks fight for at Troy? And how in the hell did 10,000 roman legionarries destroy 230,000 barbarians at Watling Street? And if you're patient you might just see the connection between the Romans and your good old neighbourhood Macdonalds.
But that is all yet to come. For now stay tuned for our weekly posts. Goodbye and welcome to the Historiogram. Home of the glorious and the grandiose and everything in between.
Ciao Ciao
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