Greek tradition says that the Trojan War took place in the 12th century B.C., and archaeological and linguistic evidence supports the claim.

The Greeks: Homer refers to them at different times as Argives or Achaians or Danaans — were an alliance of small kingdoms, each with its own rulers, powerful clans, and legends. In the Trojan War, a federation of these Greek kingdoms mounted a great political expedition across the Aegean Sea. They sailed to Troy, on the west coast of Asia Minor, also known as Ilion (that’s where the name Iliad comes from).

The Iliad, for all its historical accuracies, is above all a work of poetry — we must take into account the legend of Helen of Troy and move into the world of myth that surrounds the Argive warriors.