The Lost ShangriLa - Le ciel bleu profond - Keep Walking, Traveler25

The Trojan War

The Trojan War, though it occured thousands of years ago, is one of the most famous wars of all time. The images of this war have been clearly etched on people's minds for centuries: images of the beautiful Helen of Troy, of the magnificent Trojan horse, of the violent burning of the city of Troy . But do these images come from myth or from reality? Was the Trojan War just a wonderful stroy, set down by the imaginative Greek poet Homer in the 9th century B.C.?Or did it really happen?

There is evidence that this heroic battle did take place. Archeologists discovered the city of Troy in 1871, and found in the course of their diggings that the city had been destroyed by a fire in 1250 B.C., the time of the Tojan War. This discovery led people to believe that the events Homer described were based on actual history, although the writer certainly gave these events a myth-like quality that continues to hold our imaginations so many centuries later.

Now, with the help of Homer's epic poem, let's imagine what the ancient Greeks and Trojans might have thought and said and experienced at the time of Trojan War.


The Story of the Trojan War


Agamemnon had never before seen his brother, Menelaus, so angry. Menelaus now stood at the foot of Agamemnon's throne, his eyes blazing with fury.

    "She's gone," said Menelaus.
    "Who's gone?" asked Agamemnon.
    "Helen," Menelaus reponded through clenched teeth. "Helen is gone, and I believe she is now withParis, the Prince of Troy."

At these words, Agamemnon's face lit up. An evil smile slowly spread across his features.

    "So Paris has stolen your precious wife?" He has stolen the wife of the king of Sparta ?" Agamemnon asked with a deep growl.
    "Yes, brother," replied Menelaus, "and I prepared to go to war to ger her back. I have come to ask for yor help."

Agamemnon laughed. As a king himself, of the Greek city-state of Mycenae , he had long hoped for a reason to wage a war against the city of Troy . He had long wished to be the one man who could take such a city, as rich and beautiful and strong as it was. No one had ever been able to get beyond its huge, soaring stone walls. Kings and armies had tried, but none had succedded. If Agamemnon could succeed, he would become the most powerful of all kings.

    "Of courese, Memelaus," Agamemnon said after a brief silence. " I will help you."

Within a week, Agamemnon had gathered a huge army, and they set sail for Troy in a fleet of ine thousand ships.This would be a war that would never be forgotten.

Priam, the king of Troy , looked at his son in anger and disappointment.
    " Paris , what have you done?" he demanded. " You have stolen the wife of Menelaus, Agamemnon's brother! Do you realize what this means?"

Of course Paris realized. He and Priam both knew that Agamemnon was their enemy.
    "At this very moment," Priam said, "Agamemnon is preparing an army. He will sail for Troy without delay. Our city could be destroyed."
Paris was silent.

    "Speak ! Waht do you have to say for yourself?"

Paris could only smile weakly. He looked up at his farther.

    "Farther, I am in love."

The King sighed and turned to look out the window of his palace. He looked down at his city, and then gazed out at the ocean - the ocean that would carry Agamemnon's army to his kingdom. Priam loved Troy .

He turned his face back toward Paris . He also loved his son. He spoke again. This time the harshness was gone from his voice.

    "Helen is indeed the most beautiful woman in the world. I can understand that you should fall in love with her. The walls of Troy are tall 
     and  strong. No army has ever conquered us. I can only hope these walls will agoan protect us.When Agamemnon arrives, we will fight.
     Maythe gods help us."

Paris bowed his head. " Thank you, farther."

The war against Troy went on for ten years. Agamemnon and his army attacked relentlessly, but the walls of the city were too strong. Finally, Agamemnon realized that the only way he could conquer Troy was to find another way to get inside the city.

    " We will deceive them," Agamemnon told his army.

His plan was this: The Greek army would retreat, as if they had given up, and pretend to be sailing home. They would hide their ships somewhere nearby. Then, secretly, they would take a gaint wooden horse to the gates of the city. The Trojans woulld see the horse and think it was a tribute from the losing army. They would think that they had won the war and would gaily bring this amazing gift into the city. Perhaps they would dance around it to celebrate their victory. And that night, for the first time in a decade, they would sleep soundly.

Agamemnon's plan worked perfectly. King Priam himself gave the order to push the wooden horse withing the city walls. He wished his citizens to enjoy this trophy of victory. And after agreat celebration, the people of Troy did sleep soundly, just ad Agamemnon had hoped.

But as they slept, in the dark quiet of the night, there emerged from inside the horse a group of stealthy Greek warriors. They quickly made their way to the entrance of the city and opened the huge gates. The rest of the army was waiting outside. The Trojan people did not have a chance. The Greek warriors killed every man in Troy . They took the women and children as slaves. They stole all of the valuables they could fine, and then set the city on fire. Agamemnon widhed for not one trace to be left of the grandeur that was once Troy . As for Menelaus, the betrayal he had suffered was now revenged. As the ships sailed home, they returned carring the beautiful Helen. She had been recaptured, and was being taken back to her home in Sparta .

In Helen, however, the Trojans perhaps gained one small victory. They would be immortalized by this woman who brought their city to ruin. She would never again known as Helen, the queen of Sparta . Instead, she would go down in histroy as Helen of Troy.