Knowra Trojan War Trojan War The Trojan War is a legendary ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek coalition, known chiefly through ancient Greek epic and associated with heroes such as Achilles and Hector.
Judgment of Paris : A mythic contest in which Paris awards Aphrodite a prize, prompting her promise of Helen. The choice supplies a divine cause for the conflict in later accounts.
Iliad : An ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer, centered on Achilles’ anger during a brief episode of the Trojan War. It is the best-known ancient narrative of the war, though it does not recount its entire course.
Troy : An ancient city in northwestern Anatolia, identified with the archaeological site of Hisarlik in modern Turkey. The legendary siege is set at this city, whose archaeological layers span the Bronze Age.
Odysseus : A Greek hero and king of Ithaca, famed in epic for his cunning and for his long journey home after Troy. His reputation for strategy links him to the war’s coalition and its final stratagem.
Historicization of the Iliad : The study of whether and how the Iliad preserves memories of historical people, places, or events. It asks whether the epic’s siege reflects any real conflict at Troy.
Abduction of Helen : The mythic taking of Helen from Sparta by Paris, which provokes the Greek expedition against Troy. Her departure is the immediate grievance that unites the Greek coalition.
Odyssey : An ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer about Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War. It follows a Greek survivor and supplies part of the war’s mythic aftermath.
Hisarlik : An archaeological mound in northwestern Turkey containing the remains of ancient Troy and other settlements. Its excavated layers anchor the legendary city to a real site.
Agamemnon : A Greek king who leads the expedition against Troy in ancient epic and is brother to Menelaus. His authority and quarrel with Achilles drive the Iliad’s central conflict.
Troy VIIa : A Late Bronze Age settlement layer at Hisarlik, often discussed as a possible historical counterpart to Homeric Troy. Its destruction has been compared with the legendary city’s fall, without proving the identification.
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