Heracles Sacks Troy
A generation before the famous Trojan War, Heracles attacks and captures Troy after Laomedon refuses to honour his promised reward for saving Hesione.
The Story
The famous Trojan War was not the first time Troy fell to a Greek hero.
Heracles returned to the city after Laomedon broke the promise made for the rescue of Hesione.
He came with a small force of allies.
Among the most important was Telamon.
Heracles attacked Troy.
The great city was captured.
Laomedon was killed along with many members of his family.
But one son survived.
He had originally been called Podarces.
Hesione was permitted to ransom her brother, and in later tradition his name became Priam.
Heracles gave Hesione to Telamon.
Priam remained to continue the Trojan royal line.
The destruction therefore did not end Troy.
The city recovered.
Priam eventually became its king.
Under him Troy would again become rich and powerful.
But another war was waiting in the future.
The later expedition led by Agamemnon and fought by Achilles, Ajax and Odysseus would become far more famous.
That can obscure the remarkable mythological fact that Troy had already been captured once before.
Heracles had sacked the city a generation before the Trojan War.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Heracles' sack of Troy connects the Heracles cycle directly with the Trojan royal house and explains how Priam succeeds Laomedon. It also shows that the famous Trojan War was mythologically Troy's second major destruction.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient accounts differ over the size and composition of Heracles' force, the details of the assault and the fate of individual members of Laomedon's family. Telamon is an important companion in several surviving traditions, and Priam's survival is closely linked with his sister Hesione.