Greek mythology
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External Websites
- Mythology.net - Trojan War
- University of Pennsylvania - Department of Classical Studies - The Trojan War
- GlobalSecurity.org - Trojan War - 1192-1183 BC
- Livius - The Trojan War (1)
- BBC Culture - Did the Trojan War actually happen?
- Old Dominion University - The Gods of the Trojan War
- Academia - The Trojan War
- World History Encyclopedia - Trojan War
- Ancient Origins - Was there ever a Trojan War?
- Humanities LibreTexts - The Trojan War Part 1
- Pressbooks - It’s All Greek to Me! - The Trojan War
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Trojan War - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Trojan War - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Mythology.net - Trojan War
- University of Pennsylvania - Department of Classical Studies - The Trojan War
- GlobalSecurity.org - Trojan War - 1192-1183 BC
- Livius - The Trojan War (1)
- BBC Culture - Did the Trojan War actually happen?
- Old Dominion University - The Gods of the Trojan War
- Academia - The Trojan War
- World History Encyclopedia - Trojan War
- Ancient Origins - Was there ever a Trojan War?
- Humanities LibreTexts - The Trojan War Part 1
- Pressbooks - It’s All Greek to Me! - The Trojan War
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Trojan War - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Trojan War - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
Tiepolo, Giovanni Domenico:
See all media
- Date:
- c. 1299 BCE - c. 1100
- Participants:
- Achaean
- Troy
- Major Events:
- Siege of Troy
See all related content →
Top Questions
What started the Trojan War?
What started the Trojan War?
According to the ancient Greek epic poet Homer, the Trojan War was caused by Paris, son of the Trojan king, and Helen, wife of the Greek king Menelaus, when they went off together to Troy. To get her back, Menelaus sought help from his brother Agamemnon, who assembled a Greek army to defeat Troy.
Another myth attributes the origin of the Trojan War to a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera over who among them was the fairest. After Paris chose Aphrodite, Athena and Hera plotted against Troy.
Was the Trojan War real?
Was the Trojan War real?
There has been much debate over historical evidence of the Trojan War. Archaeological finds in Turkey suggest that the city of Troy did exist but that a conflict on the immense scale of a 10-year siege may not have actually occurred. There is also contention over whether the ruins in Turkey represent the same Troy as the one Homer and others described in Greek mythology.
Who won the Trojan War?
Who won the Trojan War?
The Greeks won the Trojan War. According to the Roman epic poet Virgil, the Trojans were defeated after the Greeks left behind a large wooden horse and pretended to sail for home. Unbeknown to the Trojans, the wooden horse was filled with Greek warriors. They sacked Troy after the Trojans brought the horse inside the city walls.
What happened to Achilles in the Trojan War?
What happened to Achilles in the Trojan War?
The death of Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior of the Trojan War, is not described in Homeric works. In Arctinus’s Aethiopis, Achilles is said to have been killed by Paris of Troy.
Trojan War, legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy in western Anatolia, dated by later Greek authors to the 12th or 13th century bce. The war stirred the imagination of the ancient Greeks more than any other event in their history and was celebrated in the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, as well as a number of other early works now lost, and frequently provided material for the great dramatists of the Classical Age. It also figures in the literature of the Romans (e.g., Virgil’s Aeneid) and of later peoples down to modern times.
In the traditional accounts, Paris, son of the Trojan king, ran off with Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta, whose brother Agamemnon then led a Greek expedition against Troy. The ensuing war lasted 10 years, finally ending when the Greeks pretended to withdraw, leaving behind them a large wooden horse with a raiding party concealed inside. When the Trojans brought the horse into their city, the hidden Greeks opened the gates to their comrades, who then sacked Troy, massacred its men, and carried off its women. This version was recorded centuries later; the extent to which it reflects actual historical events is not known.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.