The Trojan War is so vividly described in Homer’s Iliad that it is considered by many to be historical fact and not simply the subject of an epic poem. Troy, an ancient, wealthy city in Asia Minor was ruled by King Priam whose son Paris was invited to judge which of the goddesses—Aphrodite, Hera, or Athena—was entitled to be called the most beautiful. Aphrodite promised Paris to grant him the most beautiful woman in the world, who was Helen, wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Paris stole Helen, and they eloped to Troy. To recover Helen, the Greeks launched...