Troy was a city in ancient Greece, located in northwestern Anatolia in what is now Turkey. The city was famous for its large, high walls built by the Trojans to defend them against enemies. Troy was founded by the Trojan prince Paris, who abandoned his lover Helen of Sparta, Queen of Sparta and wife of King Menelaus, to live with his new love, the goddess Aphrodite.
The name “Troy” comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “to flow” or “to run” (similar to water). This is likely a reference to how much water there was in this area during ancient times.
In Homer’s Iliad, written around 800 BC, there were two cities named Troy: Ilium (or Ilion) and Dardania (or Dardanus). These two cities were located near each other and they were both ruled by King Priam. The two cities were separated by Mount Ida (or Idaean Mountain), which served as a natural border between them.
The Greeks attacked Troy many times during the Trojan War, but failed to take it until Odysseus came up with a plan involving the wooden horse. After Troy fell, Agamemnon returned home with his share of the spoils and became king of Mycenae (or Mecyene), where he married Clytemnestra and had four children: Electra, Iphigenia (also spelled Iphigeneia or Iphianassa), Orestes and Chrysothemis.
