Archaeologists at the site of Ajax excavated a 3200-year-old palace site near Athens, Greece. With the excavation of various relics, the kingdom of Ajax, a Greek warrior in the Trojan War, gradually appeared in front of people, and the authenticity of the history recorded in Homer's epic was once again proved.

Lin Zhong ancient temple

"This used to be the capital of Ajax," the Greek archaeologist Yanis Lolos said in an interview with the Associated Press on the 29th.

Just like the story told in the movie Troy, the Greek army cleverly designed a siege plan in order to recapture Helen, a beautiful woman kidnapped by Prince Troy. In addition to Brad Pitt's Achilles, known as the first warrior in Greece, Ajax, known as the second warrior in Greece, also played a vital role in that battle.

According to the Trojan War described in Homer's epic Iliad, the hero with a huge shield committed suicide after an argument with other Greek leaders.

1999, Lolos, a professor of archaeology at the Greek University of Aninat, accidentally discovered that there might be a relic of the kingdom ruled by Ajax on a wooded mountain on the southwest coast of Salamis Island.

Later, Lolos led archaeologists to start a six-year excavation, and the Ajax kingdom began to show its true colors.

Offshore kingdom

Lolos is convinced that the archaeological team has found the location of Salamis Island, an offshore kingdom ruled by Ajax, which was once the center of trade, war and piracy. The Associated Press quoted historical data as saying that as early as 3000 BC, Ka Neziah, the seat of Ajax Kingdom, began to be inhabited. From BC13rd century, it gradually flourished there. During the same period, Mycenae and the kingdom of Pilars in southern Greece also rose. But about 100 years later, with the death of the ruler and patron saint Ajax, the kingdom was abandoned.

According to reports, the newly excavated palace site is located near the village of Kanakia on Salamis Island, a few kilometers from the west coast of Athens. It covers an area of about 0.05 square kilometers and is at least four stories high. It is divided into residential area, workshop area and storage area. This palace was built in the ancient Greek style, just like the huge Acropolis in Mycenae, an ancient city in the south. The site covers an area of about 750 square meters and has more than 30 rooms, including two royal rooms. The beds are similar to benches, "reminiscent of Homer's description of King Pilars sleeping in the backyard of the house."

In addition, the archaeological team also found some palace utensils, such as pottery, stone tools and bronzes. To Lolos' surprise, they also found an armor coat with the name of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II printed on it. Ramses II reigned from 1279 BC to 12 13 BC. "This (armor) is a unique discovery. It may belong to a Mycenae mercenary who fought for the Egyptians," he said. "This (armor) may be a souvenir, a symbol of honor, or even some kind of reward."

Immigration theory

According to Homer's epic, this Mycenae cultural site is located right where the Trojan War fleet set sail. In BC 1 180, almost at the same time as the fall of Troy, the palace was abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair.

Lolos also found evidence in the archaeological process. After Ajax's death, some residents of the kingdom fled to Cyprus due to external threats, and established a new town there, which was named after their kingdom. "There is no other way to explain the origin of Salamis, a small town in Cyprus," Lolos said. "We believe that a group of people fled from Salamis Island and arrived in Nkomi, a pre-built center."

Lolos speculated that in BC 1 100, just four kilometers away from Nkomi, those immigrants established a new town, Salamis. This immigration theory can explain why no high-value cultural relics were found on the Greek island of Salamis, and no signs of destruction or invasion were found there.

Lolos believes that archaeological evidence unearthed from the ruins of Ajax kingdom can further prove the historical authenticity of Greek mythology in the Trojan War. According to Xinhua News Agency

Greece in Homer's time

The so-called "Homeric Age" in Greece refers to the period from 12 century BC to the 8th century BC. Due to the lack of historical materials in this period, most of them rely on Homer's epic to speculate on the situation at that time, so it is called "Homer's era". Because epic describes the story of "hero", it is also called "heroic age".

People in Homer's time lived in clans and tribal organizations in the stage of military democracy. The Greek civilization of this era was severely weakened after the Trojan War. Through the current archaeological excavations, we can see that dynasties changed frequently and wars continued. Dorians in the northern mountainous areas took the opportunity to invade Greece, and many towns in the Peloponnesus and central Greece were destroyed. Business travel was cut off and culture declined. In the next two or three hundred years, the construction of palace battlements and the circulation of gold, silver and jewelry were never seen again, and the use of words disappeared. Therefore, Homer's era is also called the Dark Age.

From the overall situation of Greece, in the "Homer era" of Greece, cities with declining output and sparse population were still isolated points, but the role of iron in agricultural production was from point to point, which made the agricultural economy more common throughout Greece. By the late Homer era, economic development and population growth were on the rise, and the speed was accelerated; By the end of Homer's time, Greece had been able to establish classical city-states everywhere. & lt/P & lt； & gt