Ilus and the Founding of Ilium
Ilus, son of Tros, becomes the traditional founder of Ilium, the city that later generations know as Troy.
The Story
Tros gave his name to the Trojans and the wider land associated with Troy.
His son Ilus became connected with the foundation of the city itself.
In later mythological genealogy, Ilus established Ilium, the settlement whose name survives in the title of Homer's Iliad.
The distinction is important.
Tros belonged to the ancestral line that gave the Trojan people their name, while Ilus became associated with the foundation of the great city that would eventually be ruled by Laomedon and Priam.
The royal house therefore developed across generations.
Dardanus stood near the beginning of the dynasty.
His descendants included Erichthonius and Tros.
From Tros came several important branches, including Ilus and Assaracus.
Ilus continued the royal line that led eventually to Laomedon and Priam.
The Assaracus branch would later produce Anchises and Aeneas.
Ilium was therefore not simply the setting for the Trojan War.
Greek mythology gave the city a long legendary history before Helen, Paris, Hector or Achilles were born.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The story of Ilus gives Troy a mythological history before the Trojan War and explains the relationship between the names Troy, Trojans and Ilium. It also establishes the royal line leading from Tros to Laomedon and Priam.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient genealogies of the Trojan royal house vary in detail, and traditions about the precise foundation of Ilium developed across different authors. Ilus is nevertheless consistently associated with the city and with the line of Tros.