How many years did the Trojan War last?

The story behind the answer

10. In Greek mythology, the Achaeans besieged Troy for a full decade before finally taking the city with the ruse of the Trojan Horse. Homer’s Iliad focuses on just a few weeks late in that tenth year, while other epic traditions (the Epic Cycle) fill in the broader timeline.

A handy memory hook: “Ten to take Troy, ten to get home.” Odysseus spends another ten years wandering after the war in the Odyssey, mirroring the war’s length and reinforcing the decade motif. This symmetrical storytelling made “ten years” the canonical duration in ancient tradition.