The Trojan War, immortalized in Homer’s Iliad, is a cornerstone of Greek mythology. It tells of a massive conflict sparked by the abduction of Helen, leading to a decade-long siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek states.
While elements of the story are clearly mythological—gods interfering, Achilles' invulnerability, and the Trojan Horse—archaeological evidence suggests a kernel of truth. Excavations at Hisarlik in modern Turkey have uncovered the ruins of a city that experienced multiple destructions, one of which may date to around 1200 BCE.
This timeline aligns with the collapse of the Mycenaean world and hints at a historical conflict between Aegean Greeks and a powerful Anatolian city. Thus, the Trojan War likely reflects a real event, later mythologized and elaborated upon in oral tradition and epic poetry.
