Expert: Tom Horne - 5/12/2009

Question
Where can it be found that the Trojan war was waged because Paris seduced Helen?

Answer
Hi Pete,
The story of Helen and Paris is very ancient and goes back to ancient times long BEFORE Homer wrote about this in the Iliad.  It was a story handed down from verbal traditions, without a clear-cut definitive answer about where it all started (kind of like who invented Hercules or Zeus, etc.).  We may never know unfortunately.
However, Herodotus is considered to be the first writer to discuss Helen and Paris, any many scholars feel he may well be the first person to discuss the seduction in writing.  Please note that there is no solid "proof" that Herodotus created this myth, just speculation.   I hope this helps.  Tom