Trojan War
Era: Mycenaean Greece & Dark Ages
Period: Ancient Greece
Type: Battles & Wars
Year: 1184 BC
Date: Traditionally c. 1184 BC
Location: Troy (Hisarlik), northwest Turkey
Key Figures: Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector, Priam (legendary)
Outcome:
Key Facts
Legendary Greek victory; its historical basis is debated
Trojan War: What Happened
The Trojan War is the most famous conflict in Greek legend. According to myth, it began when the Trojan prince Paris carried off Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led a great Greek army across the Aegean to besiege Troy for ten years. Heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus and Ajax fought Trojans such as Hector, and the war finally ended when the Greeks hid inside the Wooden Horse and took the city. Ancient Greeks traditionally dated the fall of Troy to around 1184 BC. Whether the war really happened remains one of history's great debates. The site of Troy at Hisarlik in northwest Turkey is real, and it shows layers of destruction around the late Bronze Age. Hittite texts also mention a place called Wilusa, likely Troy, and a people called the Ahhiyawa, likely Mycenaean Greeks. Many historians believe the legend grew from real Bronze Age conflicts. The story, told in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, became the foundation of Greek identity and Western literature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the Trojan War real?
Historians still debate it. The city of Troy was real, located at Hisarlik in northwest Turkey, and it shows signs of destruction in the late Bronze Age. Many believe the legend grew from real conflicts, but the story itself is myth.
What started the Trojan War?
According to Greek myth, the war began when the Trojan prince Paris carried off Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon then led a Greek army to Troy to bring her back.
How did the Greeks win the Trojan War?
In the legend, after ten years of siege, the Greeks built a giant wooden horse and hid soldiers inside. The Trojans pulled it into the city, and at night the soldiers opened the gates for the Greek army.
When did the Trojan War happen?
Ancient Greeks traditionally dated the fall of Troy to around 1184 BC. If the legend is based on real events, historians place them in the late Bronze Age, roughly the 13th or early 12th century BC.
Where can you read about the Trojan War?
The war is described in Homer's Iliad, which covers part of its final year, and the Odyssey, which follows Odysseus's journey home. Other episodes appear in later Greek plays and Virgil's Aeneid.
