History Mystery: Was Cassandra raped?

According to Homer’s Iliad Alexandra (Cassandra) was the offspring of King Priam the ruler of Troy. Cassandra was an attractive young girl who was blessed with the bequest of prophecy by the Apollo. Apollo was smitten on her but Cassandra avoided him so Apollo got angry and soiled his blessings to Cassandra according to that she was destined to tell the reality but never believed. According to Robert Graves Cassandra means “The girl who entangles men”. This was an irony since, even though she was a beauty queen her fore told prophesies about their death kept the men far from her. Cassandra was always been misunderstood and treated as a mad woman and a raving lunatic. Cassandra was an immense beautiful brilliant woman but sadly cursed by the gods because she refused to be a puppet in their hands. Hence she is not a mad woman but she is a heartrending lady.

In Greek mythology more stories of gods lusting and falling in love with the young beautiful girls are there. Since Cassandra is a beautiful young woman she is no exception. There are two versions how Cassandra got the gift of Prophecy from Apollo the most beautiful young god. One day Cassandra was sleeping in the temple of Apollo and her beauty aroused Apollo, he promised her to teach the art of prophecy in turn he expected the sexual favor from her. She agreed to the bargain and learnt the prophecy and later she denied him to keep up the promise. Her activity outraged Apollo and he cursed her according to that curse though she would always speak the truth no one would ever believe her words. One of her most famous prophecies is her prediction of the Greek siege behind the Trojan horse. She foretold their fate but nobody believed her prophecy. Hence the great mass destruction of Troy began and the bedlam infected Trojan and the Trojan girls were at the mercy of the bloody Greeks and outburst the uncontrolled violence on the Troy. The Greek men were pacified only after the sexual aggression and harassment on the Troy women. Helen supplicated Menalaus by showing her bare breast and Cassandra was raped by Ajax.

Vergil gives an elaborate account about the rape of Cassandra. Cassandra escaped to the temple of Athena and she was followed by Ajax. Since Cassandra hold the wooden image of the goddess tightly he could not dragged her away from the statue and so he had taken both of them. Most of the narratives of this story differ here. Very interesting difference is whether Cassandra was actually raped by Ajax or not. Another version of the story elaborates the Athena’s anger at the sacrilege of the temple. Little Ajax grabbed Cassandra who is the head priest of the Goddess Athena and pulled her away by the hair and sanity of the temple. The Alter; where sacrifices to be made are a sacred place. There the pretty girl was humiliated and raped (According to Herodotus 2.64 Greeks were very strictly prohibited from having intercourse in a sanctuary). What happened after the rape (supposed) of Cassandra is enthralling. Agamemnon claimed to Odysseus, Cassandra as a reward for him but Odysseus told him about the rape which was vehemently denied and opposed by Ajax and Ajax escaped and hide himself in the temple of Athena. He finally apologized for displacing Athena’s image from the temple he worked there for his offence. In total Cassandra was the reason of the misery of Greeks in a way here prophetic curse avenged her city came true. If Cassandra had not been humiliated or raped at the altar of the temple of Athena there would have been no odyssey. The people who analyzed the typical paintings of Cassandra and Ajax clearly pointed out no sexual intercourse were suggested in the paintings. Let us analyze the pottery “The Fall of Troy “by Kleophrades in 480.

Cassandra is depicted as nude and a shawl is tied around her shoulders. Her thighs were extended and one of her legs is clamped on the ground and she is knelt the other leg. One of her hand is holding the statue of Athena tightly and the other hand is stretched toward Ajax. Ajax holds her hair tightly with one hand and spread out his sword with the other hand. Ajax’s sword is projected horizontally towards her in a phallic shape. And Cassandra is in an erotic position with her legs wide open and breasts were bare and bulged by the knot of her shawl. Her hand is stretched as signaling Ajax to approach while her palm is facing up and arm is outstretched, this gesture could not be ascertain her acceptance toward Ajax or her fear. There is no actual sign of going to be raped is in this painting and The warrior Ajax looks that he is going to capture here but there is no hint of rape in his body line. She is exceedingly in a submissive sexual position and he is in a dominant position. Cassandra’s life was a tragic one from her initial encounter with Apollo to the last untimely death of her in the hands of Clytemnestra.

Was the Trojan War really took place?

Iliad Homer’s epic story of Trojan War is one of the most famous works in the ancient literature. The tragic story of the terrible war between the Greeks and the Trojan is filled with the unforgettable events and beautiful characters like Queen Helen and Prince Paris etc.

The queen Helen, whose love with Trojan prince is the root cause of the 10year old war. The Greek king Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus together with their great army fought to win back Menelaus wife Helen. The brave warrior Achilles and his Trojan counterpart Hector, Trojan king Priam and his daughter Seer Casandra area the some more important characters in it. Cassandra fore saw the terrible tragedy that will engulf the city Troy but nobody was believed her words and the great wise warrior Odysseus’s skillful tactics balanced the war in favour of Greeks.

For the people of classical antiquity, the people had really lived and the Trojan War had taken place. Even Romans attached great importance to warrior Aeneas, who is the decent from Trojan who settled in Italy after his fight from burning Troy. Romulus the founder of the city Rome was the descendent of Aeneas. But over the time the popularity of Troy faded all the remained was the mystic place, consigned with realm of fairy tales.

But a century ago a German business man Heinrich Schliemann strongly believed that the war was taken place in the 800BC. He was already traveled through out the world and he wished to study the classical antiquity and search the site of Troy. Unlike other archeologists he strongly believed that the Troy was a hilled Hisarlic situated near the coast of Aegean Sea in Turkey.

He started his excavation in 1870 the most sensational finding was the so called Treasure of Priam, a hoard of gold dating from about the 2400BC. But he judged it as that of era of Homer.

Today more items like metal tools plant seeds broken pottery represent the real treasure. But with humble objects the archeologists derived astonishing conclusions. And a clear picture of ancient Troy.

A total of ten settlements of densities have been identified by archaeologists at Hisarlik site. The oldest level walled village called Troy I is dated 2900-2600 BC. Homers Troy was hidden in the fourth layer (1700-1250BC) and it was about ten times larger than previously guessed. Next to the Citadel with its palaces there exists a large sub city.

Manfeed Kenfmann head of the excavation team believes the following: Long before the war Troy was a rich and powerful city therefore often targeted for raiders. Instead of Trojan War it likely that many violent clashers for control of the trading centre took place from the Bronze Age onwards. The reason for its sudden fall around 1250 BC may be a strong earth quake.

A bronze seal bearing Hittite hieroglyphics not of a Greek letters suggests that the city of Troy might not have been Greek at all, But part of the Hittite culture of central Anatolia. The implication is that among the many Hittite documents found in Antolia. There could soon emerge. Some hints regarding the fate of Troy and perhaps proof of Homer’s Trojan War.

Until than please wait!!!!!!!!!