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The foundation of Western literature can be traced back to Ancient Greek epic. The Homeric works known as ''The Iliad'' and ''The Odyssey'' are among the most well known works of literature in the western canon. They tell the story of the Trojan War, a ten year siege of a city called Troy by the Greeks. The Illiad tell the story of how a beautiful wife of King Meneleus, called Helen, was kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris. To bring Helen back and punish the Trojans for Paris’s crime, Meneleus led a massive invasion of Troy by Achean troops. For ten years the Greeks laid siege to the city of Troy until finally it fell and was ransacked and destroyed.

Three thousand years later the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann uncovered a site, known as Hisarlik, which many experts believe is the fabled city of Troy. The city was clearly destroyed sometime in the late Bronze Age. However, the question of whether or not that destruction was the work of a Greek army is unanswered. Archaeologists have long studied the site and still disagree on the likelihood that such an event took place. Sources are limited and experts are still divided over whether the story in the Illiad represents an actual war.

Due to a great lack of evidence even to prove that Hisarlik is the real Troy, the question of whether or not the Trojan War really took place remains unanswered. However, given that The Iliad is a work of fiction that was passed down orally for centuries before it was written down, archaeologists are hesitant to conclude that such an event took place. However, most agree that there is a high degree of likelihood that The Iliad and The Odyssey were at the very least inspired by a large scale military excursion that occurred some time in the late Bronze Age.

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[[Category:Wikis]]

[[Category:Ancient History]] [[Category:Greek History]]

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