Trojan War
conceptThe Trojan War was the central event of Greek mythology — a ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek coalition, sparked by the abduction of Helen and ended by the stratagem of the Wooden Horse.
The Myth
The war's causes traced back to the Judgement of Paris and the Apple of Discord. Agamemnon assembled a fleet of over a thousand ships. Key events: Achilles' withdrawal and return, Patroclus's death, Hector's fall, Ajax's suicide, the death of Achilles, the stratagem of the Wooden Horse, and Troy's destruction. The Iliad covers only fifty-one days of the tenth year; the full cycle (Epic Cycle) encompassed dozens of now-lost poems. The war was the foundational narrative of Greek civilisation — every city, family, and institution traced connections to it.
Symbols
Fun Fact
A "Trojan horse" in computing — malware disguised as legitimate software — preserves the stratagem that ended the war 3,200 years ago.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Agamemnon
heroAgamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife...
Hector
heroHector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Paris
heroParis was the Trojan prince whose judgement of three goddesses and abduction of Helen ignited the...
Patroclus
heroPatroclus was Achilles' closest companion whose death in borrowed armour at Hector's hands was the...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...