Mythology
The entire story of Troy is called “The Iliad,” which was an epic written by Homer. The war was caused by Helen, the princess of Sparta and the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father made all the kings of Greece support Menelaus of Sparta, who was her husband. Zeus, the king of the gods, held a banquet in which the goddess Eris wasn’t invited to. Eris, upon discovering this, threw a golden apple into the ceremony, that had the words “to the fairest” inscribed on it. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite claimed the apple thinking they were the fairest. Zeus appointed Paris of Troy, who he knew was an impartial judge, to decide which goddess was the fairest. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each bribed Paris with different gifts depending on which of them he chose. Hera assured him he would become a great and famous king. Athena promised him that he would be very wise, even wiser than some of the gods. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. In the end Paris chose Aphrodite and was guaranteed Helen of Sparta to be his wife. The Trojan king Priam sent some men, along with Paris, to Greece in order to bargain for the return of a captured Trojan princess. Paris met Helen there and they ran away to Troy and married. This inevitably led to the conflict between Greece and Troy and the Trojan War.