Trojan War

The Greeks ultimately won the Trojan War through clever strategy rather than sheer force. They constructed the famous Trojan Horse, a large wooden statue that hid Greek soldiers inside. The Trojans, believing it to be a gift and a sign of their victory, brought the horse into their city. At night, the hidden soldiers emerged, opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, and captured Troy, leading to the city's downfall.

Odysseus.

It is a story sung by the strolling bards for over 400 years before it was written down. It had many variants - each bard had his own version and indeed several verionsof his own so his audience wouldn't be bored. So what was written down in the 8th Century BCE is one version of many.

The best guess from the existing material is that the Greeks went on a 10 year looting expedition into Asia Minor, and after an initial failed attempt, came back at the end for another go at the richest city of them all - Troy.

The Sea Peoples moved through the Eastern Mediterranean and the Mycenaean Greek civilisation collapsed, replaced by the Ionians and Dorian peoples who dominated Greece as it moved from this Dark Age into developing civilisation led by Ionian Athens and Dorian Sparta respectively.
The Achaean Greeks returned home with their loot, and were faced with their own invaders - the Sea Peoples and the Dorian Greeks.

The literary basis for The Trojan War comes from two epic poems by Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey.

That is just what it was - a traditional story, thought to be true. What actually went on we don't know, but it seems that there was an extended Greek looting expedition in Asia Minor, and that Troy was one of the targets.

Ulysses or Odysseus came up with the plan to trick the Trojans in the Trojan war

He was in a hissy fit because his commander King Agamemnon had taken over his girlfriend Briseis.

As part of the bardic story to explain the capture of the impregnable city of Troy by the Greek plundering expedition over 3,000 years ago.

Because the Trojan prince Paris had seduced Helen, wife of king Menelaus of Sparta, and abducted her to Troy. Before Helen married Menelaus, a great number of royal suitors had tried to marry her. When she finally had chosen one, the others swore a solemn oath to come to the aid of the bridegroom if anyone picked a quarrel with him. That was the reason that so many Greek kings and heroes and their warriors participated in the Trojan war.

The Iliad covered the last few weeks in the Greek looting expedition to Asia Minor. The Odyssey makes references to aspects of the War but is principally about Odysseus' return trip home.

The story was that Helen ran off with Paris to Troy, stealing the treasure of Sparta to take with her, and the Spartan king, her husband, organised an expedition of the Greek cities to go to loot Troy and the other cities in Asia Minor in reprisal.

The 10 year looting expedition included two attempts on Troy itself - one in Year 1, the second in Year 10. When the second one failed, the Greeks resorted to a ruse, appearing to abandon the attack and leave, but leaving behind a wooden horse full of soldiers - the Trojans thought it was a god, brought it inside their walls, and the soldiers opened the gates to the returning Greek ships while the Trojans were partying on about their apparent success in seeing off the Greeks..

The history of mankind is littered with looting expeditions.

Greed is good, killing is good. Good life lessons?

The Greeks had carried out their object of looting western Asia Minor, and were turning back for second crack at the richest part of all - Troy.

A consortium of Greek city-states looting the rich cities of Asia Minor.

Agamemnon, Menelaus, Achilles, Odysseus.

His relative and boyfriend Patroclus.

The strolling bards sag their versions of the story as they moved around. In a pre-television age, it was a much anticipated entertainment, and to avoid repetitiveness each bard invented several versions to deliver on subsequent turns around the circuit.

During the 12 Century BCE - the year is unknown.

The images we have do not depict animals, and are too late to be authentic representations.

It was the source of revenue for strolling bards singing their versions of the story, and it provided great entertainment for people in an era before movies and electronic entertainment.

King Agamemnon did win the Trojan War. The Greeks were able to break into the walls of Troy by building the famous Trojan Horse. Greeks opened the gates in the middle of the night and were able to storm the city.

Hera was the Roman goddess Juno, and also the patron goddess of Carthage under another name (Tanit). (Greeks and Romans considered that the gods were the same everywhere, but different cities worshiped them under different names).

She was also patron of the city-states of Argos and Mycenae (and many other places).

As Tanit / Juno - Hera attempted to impede Aeneas' escape from Troy to Italy;- knowing that Aeneas' descendants would found Rome, which would in time destroy her holy city of Carthage.

The Aeneid has Juno as a major character, acting mainly as Aeneas' antagonist.