The real-life event that inspired the two great epic poems, the Odyssey and the Iliad, is the Trojan War. The Trojan War was a legendary ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek forces, which took place in the late Bronze Age (approximately 1200 BCE). The war was sparked by the abduction of Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, by Paris, a prince of Troy.
The Iliad focuses on a few weeks of the Trojan War, particularly the rage of the Greek hero Achilles and his eventual reconciliation with the Greek leader Agamemnon. The Odyssey, on the other hand, recounts the long journey of the Greek hero Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the war, facing numerous obstacles and adventures along the way.
Although the historical reality of the Trojan War is debated by scholars, the story of the war and its heroes has captured the imagination of people for thousands of years and continues to be retold in various forms of literature and media.