The Trojan War
The Trojan War is perhaps the most famous war in Grecian history. There is an eternal debate surrounding the validity of the events and their hybrid real and mythic identity. The story is littered with bits of myth and bits of concrete history, ultimately forming a narrative that still serves to mold the identity that contemporary Greece embraces today. It started like this:
The Trojan War was a very large conflict that began with a very small riff over the Apple of Discord. When Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (a sea goddess), she stormed the wedding with a golden apple that she declared "belonged to the fairest." The friction began when Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all reached for the apple. To resolve the issue, Zeus appointed Paris, thought to be the most beautiful man, as the judge of the situation. Hera promised him power, Athena wealth, and Aphrodite promised to give him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen—the wife of King Menelaus. Tempted by the woman, Paris chose Aphrodite. See here for the detailed story of the Judgment of Paris.
Capture
Paris set off to Sparta immediately to capture Helen. In Menelaus' kingdom, he was treated as a royal guest, but in the king's absence he abducted Helen and married her in Troy. Outraged, Menelaus assembled all of Helen's former suitors to defend her honor, including Odysseus—who feigned madness to evade the commission— and Achilles, who was recruited because the soothsayer Calchas predicted that Troy could not be defeated without him. The Greek fleet set off under the command of King Agamemnon.
Negotiations
Once in Troy, Odysseus and Menelaus were sent to King Priam, but upon the king's refusal to return Helen or Menelaus' treasure, war was declared.
War
In the first nine years of the war, both the Trojans and the Greeks won a number of battles but lost a good deal of key players. Major fatalities include the Trojan hero Hector, Achilles' best friend Patroclus, and Achilles himself was killed by Paris. In order to advance to the next stage of the war, the Greeks approached the seer Helenus, from whom they learned that Troy would only fall if the following were obeyed:
- Achilles son, Pyrrhus must fight in the war.
- The Greeks must use Hercules' bow and arrows.
- The remains of Pelops, a famous Eleian hero, were brought to Troy.
- The statue of Athena, the Palladium was stolen from Troy.
All of these mandates were completed, and the Greeks continued with what is perhaps the most famous stage of the war, the Trojan Horse.
The Trojan Horse
Odysseus, cleverly strategizing an entrance into Troy's walls, commissioned a giant wooden and hollow horse to be built. Once finished, the Greeks climbed inside the horse and sent their ships sailing away to deceive the Trojans. Understanding the horse to be a victory gift, the Trojans brought it inside the city walls and rejoiced. That night, asleep or wallowing drunk in the city, the Trojans were caught by surprise massacre as the Greeks descended from the horse and slaughtered the city. Priam and his wife Cassandra were killed as well.
Post-War
After the war, the sons of Hector and the daughter of Priam were both sacrificed as a symbolic end to the war. Menelaus, formerly determined to kill Helen, was soon overtaken again by her seductive beauty and allowed her to live. Aeneas, a Trojan prince, escaped the burning of Troy and his flight became the subject of Homer's epic poem, The Aeneid. The Greeks set sail for home stocked with Trojan plunder, a journey that in itself became an prodigious saga of trials sometimes greater than the war had been.
More Information About the Trojan War
In-Depth Stories From the Trojan War:
Stories Written After the War:
Art inspired by or cataloguing the events surrounding the Trojan War.
A good reference for anything related to Ancient Greek culture.