t involved in the start and he states that what he knows of the start is "accurate as possible, Ulysses being my source." The story, as told by Dictys, goes that King Priam's son Alexander was staying as a guest with Menelaus, when he fell in love with Menelaus's wife, Helen. While Menelaus was away, Alexander took Helen away to Troy, along with all of her belongings. After Menelaus found out about what Alexander had done, he went to Sparta and called a meeting of all of the rulers of Greece. At the meeting it was decided to send envoys to Troy to request the return of Helen. The envoys actually reached Troy before Alexander, and although they tried to convince King Priam to see the folly of his son, he refused to here the condemnation of his son, who was not there to defend himself. The envoy waited until Alexander arrived and then they tried again to talk to the council of Troy, but this time Alexander burst in with Helen and asked them to allow her to choose. Helen chose to stay at Troy because she had left Menelaus willingly. Angered, the envoys left and both countries prepared for war. The only problem with this account, which could possibly be the best interpretation of what started the Trojan War, is the authenticity. The story of how it was found is actually in the preface to the surviving Latin texts, and the only piece of the Greek papyrus that still exists dates from 206 CE, and no longer do any of the linden tablets exist. So, some scholars believe that the story is a fake and that Dictys of Crete never existed. Once again it is still not entirely known as to what exactly started the Trojan war. Some probably do not care, but the Trojan War based on other legends could possibly be what later helped populate Rome. Supposedly, the survivors of Troy, after the city finally lost, found their way to where Rome began and started over. Also, great heroes, legends, and stories have developed because of the Trojan War. So, if the or...
