Trojan War

Trojan War, conflict between Greece and Troy, made famous by Homer's Iliad. Paris, son of Priam of Troy, carried off Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta, and took her to Troy. The Greeks, led by Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Achilles, and other heroes, swore to take revenge. They besieged Troy for 10 years; in seeming defeat they pretended to sail away, leaving a huge wooden horse outside the city, with Greek soldiers concealed in its belly. The Trojans took it into the city, and that night the soldiers opened the city gates to the Greek army. Most of the Trojans were killed, the city was burnt, and Helen reclaimed. The legend is thought to have been based on an actual conflict of 1250 B.C.

See also: Greece, Ancient.