Once upon a time, a wedding party was arranged. Peleus, married the sea-nymph Thetis, mother of future hero Achilles. Many gods were invited, except Eris – the goddess of discord and strife. Angry Eris left a golden apple of Hesperides at the party and inscribed it: “To the fairest”. The goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena started the argument as all believed it belonged to them. Zeus, expecting the trouble delegated the decision-making to Paris of Troy, the most beautiful man on Earth. Hermes helped the judgment of Paris, who was bribed by all the contestants. Hera promised to make him the mortal king of everything. Athena promised him knowledge of war. Aphrodite, the goddess of love though, promised him the most beautiful woman on Earth – Helen of Sparta, the wife of Menelaus. So Aphrodite got the apple, Paris got the wife of the Spartan king and Achaeans got angry.

This is Mycenae, the birthplace of Menelaus and Agamemnon, the leaders of Achaeans who started the War of Troy. It happened 400 years before Homer started to sing the stories of Ilias.