Final answer:
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between Troy and Mycenaean Greeks, traditionally dated to the 12th or 13th century BCE. It was instigated by the elopement of Helen of Sparta with Paris of Troy. The Iliad recounts a story that, while mythological, may be rooted in historical events at the archaeological site of Hisarlik.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Trojan War
The Trojan War is one of the most legendary conflicts in ancient history, nestled in both historical facts and mythological narratives. The war is traditionally dated to have taken place in the 12th or 13th century BCE, and it was fought between the city of Troy (located in what is now western Turkey) and the Achaeans (Mycenaean Greeks or Hellenes). It is famously recounted in the epic poem The Iliad, attributed to Homer.
According to the myth, the war began because of a quarrel among the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, prince of Troy, was chosen to determine the fairest among them, and he awarded the prize to Aphrodite because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta, who was already married to King Menelaus. Enraged by her abduction, Menelaus and his brother King Agamemnon of Mycenae launched a military expedition to retrieve Helen, resulting in the ten-year war.
Archaeological evidence has uncovered a Bronze Age city at Hisarlik, in western Turkey, which is thought to be the historical site of Troy, suggesting that the epic might have been based on real events. The downfall of Troy ended with the famous ruse of the Trojan Horse, where Greek soldiers hid inside a giant wooden horse presented as a gift to the Trojans, only to emerge at night and open the city gates to the Greek army, which led to Troy's destruction.