- Helen of Troy was a leading character of Greek Mythology, described in the Iliad by Homer.
- She was the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta and also known as Helen of Sparta. Her abduction by Prince Paris of Troy caused the Trojan War.
The Trojan War
- She had the reputation of being the most beautiful woman in the world.
- When she was abducted by Prince Paris of Troy, it caused the Trojan War.
- In Goethe’s Faust, Faustus described her as ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’.
The Iliad
- Homer wrote the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War in the Iliad.
- In the Iliad Homer describes the last few weeks of the ten year siege of Troy, and all the characters on both sides of the war.
The Roman Grand Tour
- The ancient Greeks and the ancient Romans were all brought up on the Iliad and the story of the Trojan War.
- The Roman upper classes travelled to visit the Graves of the fallen heroes on the site of Troy, during the Roman Grand Tour.
Troy