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Troy

In the ancient world it was the almost uniform belief
that the Trojan War was an historical event...But then,
as now, everyone knew there was no primary source
for the war; equally they knew that it had happened!

Michael Wood
In Search of the Trojan War
(pages 26-27)

In the Late Bronze Age, so the story goes, Helen of Sparta became Helen of Troy when she left her husband Menelaus (either by force or by agreement) for a prince of Troy named Paris. Her cuckolded husband, furious and humiliated, sought the help of his brother, Agamemnon, to raise a huge Greek army to avenge his loss. It was approximately 1250 B.C.

Already looking for any excuse to conquer Troy, Agamemnon (king of Myceanae) agreed. Ten years of conflict, and many interesting stories, followed.

The question is: Are the stories true? Homer, the blind ancient poet who appears to be the original source for the Trojan War, thought so. Many historians (from the ancient world to now) agree - at least regarding some of the facts.

Let’s take a trip back in time - 450 years before Homer first recited the Iliad - to the Late Bronze Age. After you learn the story, from Homer’s perspective, you can decide whether the tale is fact or fiction.

Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.

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