The Peloponnese, rich in myth and history, is named for the hero Pelops (who wins a chariot race and a kingdom in the bargain). In the epic poem, The Iliad, Paris steals Helen from Menelaus, king of Sparta, starting the Trojan War. Ancient sites abound - Mycenae, heart of Mycenean civilization, Olympia, home of the Olympic Games, and Corinth, an ancient Greek and Roman city.