The epic poem the "The Iliad," attributed to the poet Homer, is perhaps the best known story about the Trojan War. Although he composed the poem in the 8th century B.C., it is thought he drew on stories from as early as the 12th century B.C. when Greece was dominated by the Mycenaeans. Named for Mycenae, their chief city, the Mycenaeans came to dominate the region around the Aegean Sea after the destruction of the Minoans. It is in this period that the Trojan War may have taken place.
Troy is in Turkey's Canakkale Province. Once considered merely legendary, its ruins were discovered by Charles McLaren in 1822 and later excavated by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann between 1870 and 1890. Schliemann's excavation, known as Troy II by archaeologists, was one of at least nine cities located on the site, the oldest dating to the Neolithic age. However, Troy II was not the city of Homer's poem. Evidence dating from the 12th century suggests that either Troy VI or VII was destroyed by warfare. Although this doesn't necessarily prove that "The Iliad" was a true story, archaeologist Manfred Korfmann said he feels that Homer's poem is at least inspired by real armed conflicts centering on Troy.
The ruins of Mycenae are in the Greek prefecture of Argolis about an hour and a half away from Athens. Mycenae was a regional power center in the late Bronze Age between 1,600 and 1,100 B.C. According to "The Iliad," the Mycenaean King Agamemnon was one of the leaders of the coalition that attacked Troy. Today Mycenae is a major tourist destination noted for important monuments such as the earliest known monumental sculpture in Europe called the Lion Gate, six royal tombs and the so-called Treasury of Atreus.
Ithaca is one of seven Greek islands that form the Ionian chain. According to legend, the Greek hero Odysseus was king of Ithaca. About 2 miles from Ithaca's capital Vathy is the village of Stavros. Although Stavros only dates from the 16th century, near the edge of the village archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of city associated with Odysseus including roads, parapets and buildings.
The ruins of Sparta are near the modern Greek town of Sparti. Sparta is best known for its militaristic society that developed during the Greek Classical Age and led the Greeks in their wars with the Persians. However, in the legend of the Trojan War, Sparta is home to King Menelaus and his beautiful wife Helen. In the legend, it is Helen's kidnapping that sparks the 10-year Trojan War.
