Why did menelaus go to war

All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: Folklore and Mythology. Enter your search terms:. Trojan War, in Greek mythology, war between the Greeks and the people of Troy. When Menelaus demanded her return, the Trojans refused.

Menelaus then persuaded his brother Agamemnon to lead an army against Troy. After his death, some sources say she was exiled to the island of Rhodes, where a vengeful war widow had her hanged. Little is known about the historical Homer. Both began within the oral tradition, and were first transcribed decades or centuries after their composition. In the first century B. It follows a group of Trojans led by the hero Aeneas who leave their destroyed city to travel to Carthage before founding the city of Rome.

Many portions of the Trojan War epics are difficult to read historically. Several of the main characters are direct offspring of the Greek gods Helen was fathered by Zeus, who disguised himself as a swan and raped her mother Leda , and much of the action is guided or interfered with by the various competing gods. Lengthy sieges were recorded in the era, but the strongest cities could only hold out for a few months, not 10 full years.

Major excavations at the site of Troy in under the direction of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann revealed a small citadel mound and layers of debris 25 meters deep. Recent excavations have shown an inhabited area 10 times the size of the citadel, making Troy a significant Bronze Age city.

Layer VIIa of the excavations, dated to about B. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from to B.

The Peloponnesian War marked a significant power shift in ancient Greece, favoring Sparta, and also ushered in a period of regional decline that signaled the By the time the First Punic War broke out, Rome had become the dominant power throughout the Italian The term Ancient, or Archaic, Greece refers to the years B. The fictional king of Troy who fought against the Greeks in the Trojan War. The fictional king who led the ancient Greeks in the Trojan War.

A poet and storyteller from the Mycenaean Age. A soldier in the ancient Greek army during the Trojan War. A poet and storyteller from the Archaic Era. He leads the ancient Greek forces across the Aegean Sea and attacks the city of Troy. The Mycenaean civilization collapsed shortly after the Trojan War. Whether Helen was kidnapped or willingly went with Paris, is not clear. Historically, the cause of the war also remains unclear.

The war is notable for the tale of the Trojan horse that enabled the Mycenaean Greek army to defeat Troy. Historians have questioned the validity of the Trojan War based on what seems to be a legend of love lost and regained. However, excavations by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, in the s, have proven that the war did take place. He found archaeological proof of the existence of the city of Troy.

His excavations uncovered a domed citadel in western Turkey matching historical records of the ancient city of Troy.

Recent historians and archaeologists also confirm that a war did occur at this time. Helen returned to Greece to rule with Menelaus until his death when, according to the legend, she was exiled to the island of Rhodes.

Also, according to legend, the Greek sailors and soldiers slowly returned to Greece engaging in various adventures as they returned to their homeland. The Trojan War, although confirmed as an actual event and referred to in ancient Greek writing, is clouded with skepticism as legend. What is a logical reason for this lack of clarity?

Archeological evidence shows that ancient cities could withstand a siege of only ten months not ten years. The main characters of the Trojan War Epics were Greek gods and goddesses and the events of the war are loosely based on the sagas of the gods and goddesses.

The Trojan War is wrapped in mystery and legend. The finding of a domed citadel by Schliemann, that could have been seen by Homer in his time, proved that Troy did exist and appeared to have been destroyed in battle. The Trojan War Epics written by ancient writers, including Homer, in the first century BCE are based on oral tradition and the heroics and escapades of the Greek gods and goddesses. Virgil wrote the Aeneid to give the Roman Empire a sense of dynasty through its hero Aeneas, a Trojan soldier, who led his soldiers to Carthage before arriving in Rome to establish the Roman Empire.

But it has no bearing on the Greek civilizations.