Histories

Enough, then, of Homer and the Cyprian poems. But, when I asked the priests whether the Greek account of what happened at +Troy [26.2833,39.9167] (Perseus) Troy were idle or not, they gave me the following answer, saying that they had inquired and knew from Menelaus himself.

After the rape of Helen, a great force of Greeks came to the Trojan land on Menelaus' behalf. After disembarking and disposing their forces, they sent messengers to +Troy [26.25,39.95] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Ilion, one of whom was Menelaus himself.

When these were let inside the city walls, they demanded the restitution of Helen and of the property which Alexandrus had stolen from Menelaus and carried off, and they demanded reparation for the wrongs; but the Trojans gave the same testimony then and later, sworn and unsworn: that they did not have Helen or the property claimed, but all of that was in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, and they could not justly make reparation for what Proteus the Egyptian had.

But the Greeks, thinking that the Trojans were mocking them, laid siege to the city, until they took it; but there was no Helen there when they breached the wall, but they heard the same account as before; so, crediting the original testimony, they sent Menelaus himself to Proteus.