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Elizabeth A.Sackler Center for Feminist Art

Helen of Troy

Mythic, known in ancient Greece, according to mythology, b. circa 1225 B.C.E.; d. circa 1154 B.C.E.

The daughter of Zeus, ruler of Mount Olympus, and Leda, a mortal woman and queen of Sparta, Helen was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta, but later seduced and abducted by Paris, a prince of Troy. It was this event that ignited the Trojan War. After Paris was killed in battle, Helen returned to Menelaus.