The Historical Interpretation

Historians believe that the abduction of Helen of Troy is legend and that the real Trojan War was caused by economic conflict. Troy was located at the mouth of the Hellespont (Dardanelles), where it could exact toll from any ship passing to the Black Sea. The Greeks who attacked Troy were seafaring traders who probably resented the Trojan tolls. (These Greeks were called Achaeans by the Trojans; they are also known by historians as the Mycenaeans, after the city of Mycenae.) The date of the Trojan War has not been definitely established, but many historians believe the conflict took place early in the 12th century B.C., and the dates 11941184 are widely used.

It was not until the 1870's, when Heinrich Schliemann used Homer's text to locate the ruins of Troy and excavated the site of Mycenae, that scholars realized that the Trojan War had actually taken place. In the 1930's C. W. Blegen, also using Homer as guide, located Nestor's palace at Pylos, further confirming the historical basis for Homer's works.