It is interesting that when Herodotus writes of Theseus he tells us that the boat in which Theseus traveled from Crete to Athens after the whole Minotaur thing was on display in Athens when he (Herodotus) was alive. This tells me that the Greeks of Pericles' day did actually believe that all these stories were true. Since they were closer to the event than we are it gives one pause. Especially since some of the major families could trace their lineages back to Theseus - Pericles' father's family, for instance, claimed descent from one of the sons of Theseus. I think it was a very real thing to them. I, for one, vote that Troy did exist.