By the time the field of archaeology began to take shape in the 19th century, many were skeptical, considering the epic to be pure fiction, a founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era.
Saat keilmuan arkeologi mulai terbentuk pada abad ke-19, banyak orang ragu, menganggap epos tersebut murni fiksi, mitos temuan yang berimajinasi akan era heroik masa lalu.