Was the Trojan War a real war?

The story of the Trojan War comes from Greek mythology and literature but it may be based on real conflicts between Mycenaeans and Hittites during the Bronze Age.

How did the Trojan War start?

The Trojan War started because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, wife of Menelaos, the king of Sparta. Menelaus persuaded his brother Agamemnon to form an alliance of Greek cities to sail to Troy and retrieve Helen.

Who fought in the Trojan War?

Many heroes fought in the Trojan War. On the Greek side were Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus and Ajax. The Trojans had Paris and Hector. The Olympian gods also participated, some on each side.

Who won the Trojan War?

The alliance of Greek cities won the Trojan War by eventually entering the city of Troy and looting it of its treasures.

How did the Greeks win the Trojan War?

The Greeks won the Trojan War by pretending to leave Troy but leaving behind a giant wooden horse. The Trojans thought this was a gift to the gods and so brought the horse inside the city. The horse contained many Greek heroes who climbed out and opened the city gates to let the Greek army in and destroy the city.

Trojan War Timeline

Definition

The Trojan War was fought between Greeks and the defenders of the city of Troy in Anatolia sometime in the late Bronze Age. The story has grabbed the imagination for millennia but a conflict between Mycenaeans and Hittites may well have occurred, even if its representation in epic literature such as Homer's Iliad is almost certainly more myth than reality.

More about: Trojan War

Timeline

1750 BCE - 1300 BCE
Troy VI - probable Troy of Homer's Iliad. City at its zenith.
1334 BCE
Trojan War, according to Duris of Samos.
c. 1250 BCE
Trojan War, according to Herodotus.
1184 BCE
Trojan War, according to Eratosthenes.
c. 800 BCE - c. 700 BCE
Homer of Greece writes his Iliad and Odyssey.

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