The Trojan War is the legendary conflict between the Greeks, whom Homer calls Achaeans, Danaans or Argives, and the city of Troy, or Ilion, on the coast of Asia Minor, in today's Turkey. Tradition says it lasted ten years. It is told in the Iliad, which covers a few days of the tenth year, the lost poems of the epic cycle and, from the Trojan side, Virgil's Aeneid.
The causes: the apple of discord
All the gods were invited to the wedding of the hero Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, future parents of Achilles, except Eris, Strife. Offended, Eris threw among the guests a golden apple inscribed "To the fairest". Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed it, and Zeus left the judgement to Paris, prince of Troy, who was a shepherd on Mount Ida. Hera promised him power, Athena wisdom and victory in war, Aphrodite the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite.
The abduction of Helen
The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris, a guest at Sparta, took her back with him to Troy. When Helen chose her husband, all the Greek princes had sworn to defend him: so Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, raised a great expedition.
The fleet sets sail
A thousand ships gathered at the port of Aulis, but the winds would not blow: Agamemnon had offended Artemis. To appease the goddess he had to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Before leaving, the Greeks had to persuade Odysseus, who was feigning madness, and Achilles, hidden by his mother among the daughters of the king of Skyros, to join them.
Ten years of siege
Troy was protected by mighty walls built by Poseidon and Apollo. For nine years the Greeks plundered the nearby towns. The events of the Iliad take place in the tenth year: the wrath of Achilles, insulted by Agamemnon, who withdraws from battle; the death of his friend Patroclus at the hands of Hector, bravest of the Trojans; Achilles's revenge, killing Hector and dragging his body around the walls; and finally old King Priam going by night to Achilles's tent to beg for his son's body.
The gods divided
| With the Greeks | With the Trojans |
|---|---|
| Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus | Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Leto |
Zeus tried to stay neutral but stepped in to keep the balance fate required.
The Trojan Horse
After the death of Achilles, killed by an arrow from Paris guided by Apollo, it was Odysseus's cunning that won the war. The Greeks built a huge wooden horse, hid their best warriors inside and pretended to sail away. Despite warnings from the priest Laocoön and the prophetess Cassandra, the Trojans brought the horse into the city. At night the Greeks climbed out, opened the gates to the returning army, and Troy was destroyed. Only a few escaped, among them Aeneas, who according to legend reached Italy.
- Wedding of Peleus and ThetisEris throws the apple of discord.
- The judgementParis chooses Aphrodite and carries off Helen.
- AulisSacrifice of Iphigenia and departure of the fleet.
- Years 1-9Siege and plunder of the nearby towns.
- Year 10The wrath of Achilles, the deaths of Patroclus and Hector (Iliad).
- The end of AchillesParis strikes him in the heel.
- The fallThe wooden horse and the destruction of Troy.
- The returnsOdysseus wanders for ten years (Odyssey); Agamemnon is murdered at Mycenae.
Myth and history
In the 19th century the German businessman Heinrich Schliemann, following Homer's clues, excavated the mound of Hisarlik, in Turkey, and found the remains of a very ancient city, rebuilt many times. Archaeologists today think one of its layers, destroyed around 1200 BC, may preserve the memory of a real conflict. Schliemann then also excavated Mycenae, Agamemnon's city.