Achilles kills the Amazon queen Penthesilea, c.530 BC, Athenian amphora, ARTUK

The Trojan War is the central myth of Greek tradition. It has influenced art and literature down the ages. This lecture asks what do we know about Troy? When was the city of Troy identified by archaeologists? Was there really a Trojan War fought over a kidnapped Greek Queen? How has the city of Troy been depicted in art and literature ever since?

Lecturer James Renshaw studied Classics at Oxford University before becoming a teacher with particular interests in ancient Greece and Rome, and has published a number of texts on the subjects. Additionally he is a General Editor with Bloomsbury Classics as well as a freelance lecturer for the V&A Museum and became an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society in 2022.