Difference between revisions of "Trojan War"
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The '''Trojan War''' was a mythical (or semi-mythical) war that took place between the [[Greek]]s and the [[Troy|Trojan]]s in Asia Minor (modern-day [[Turkey]]). The war provides the basis for three of the most famous [[Greek]] and [[Latin]] epic poems: [[Homer]]'s [[Iliad]] recounts some of the events that brought the war to its close, and both Homer's [[Odyssey]] and [[Virgil]]'s [[Aeniad]] tell the stories of various characters in the war's aftermath. | The '''Trojan War''' was a mythical (or semi-mythical) war that took place between the [[Greek]]s and the [[Troy|Trojan]]s in Asia Minor (modern-day [[Turkey]]). The war provides the basis for three of the most famous [[Greek]] and [[Latin]] epic poems: [[Homer]]'s [[Iliad]] recounts some of the events that brought the war to its close, and both Homer's [[Odyssey]] and [[Virgil]]'s [[Aeniad]] tell the stories of various characters in the war's aftermath. | ||
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| + | ==Outbreak== | ||
| + | According to the myth, the war started when Paris, a prince of Troy, abducted Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus (Menelaus was not the king of all of Greece, as the country did not exist at the time; rather, he was king of one the Greek city-states). Paris had been promised Helen by the goddess [[Aphrodite]], in return for choosing her as the fairest in a competition between three goddesses. | ||
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| + | The Greeks were incensed by this affront, and Menelaus and his brother Agammemnon, the most powerful of all the Greek kings, declared war on Troy. Following this, all the other kings of Greece had to join the war as well because of agreements they had with each other (similar to the outbreak of the [[First World War]]). | ||
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| + | The Greeks amassed a mighty fleet and set sail for Troy. Initially they did battle with the Trojans and their allies in various parts of Asia Minor, but eventually the war reached a stalemate with the Greeks in control of most of the land and the Trojans besieged inside their city, which seemed impregnable. It is this siege scenario that provides the setting for most of the stories about the Trojan War. | ||
Revision as of 14:52, October 15, 2008
The Trojan War was a mythical (or semi-mythical) war that took place between the Greeks and the Trojans in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The war provides the basis for three of the most famous Greek and Latin epic poems: Homer's Iliad recounts some of the events that brought the war to its close, and both Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeniad tell the stories of various characters in the war's aftermath.
Outbreak
According to the myth, the war started when Paris, a prince of Troy, abducted Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus (Menelaus was not the king of all of Greece, as the country did not exist at the time; rather, he was king of one the Greek city-states). Paris had been promised Helen by the goddess Aphrodite, in return for choosing her as the fairest in a competition between three goddesses.
The Greeks were incensed by this affront, and Menelaus and his brother Agammemnon, the most powerful of all the Greek kings, declared war on Troy. Following this, all the other kings of Greece had to join the war as well because of agreements they had with each other (similar to the outbreak of the First World War).
The Greeks amassed a mighty fleet and set sail for Troy. Initially they did battle with the Trojans and their allies in various parts of Asia Minor, but eventually the war reached a stalemate with the Greeks in control of most of the land and the Trojans besieged inside their city, which seemed impregnable. It is this siege scenario that provides the setting for most of the stories about the Trojan War.