The Iliad by Homer

1200 B.C

The Beginnings of The Trojan War

It starts w/a wedding
and a beauty contest
The Wedding was for
Thetis and Peleus
Thetis: a sea
nymph
Peleus: a mortal

the couple purposefully

did not invite Eris, the
goddess of discord,

Upon her arrival, Eris

tossed a golden apple
onto a banquet table
and stated that it would
belong to the fairest
person in attendance.

Three goddesses in attendance

reached for the apple at once!

They were

Athena

He swallowed her
pregnant
mother,
Metis; however, she
was later born as a
full-grown and fully
armed
woman
(from his head).

Aphrodite

The Judgement of Paris

The golden apple
sparked a vanity-fueled
dispute between Hera,
Athena, and Aphrodite
who appealed to Zeus.
Paris, a prince of Troy,
brother of Hector

The
Judgement
of Paris

Hera power, king of many

nations
Athena wisdom, skill at
war
Aphrodite offered the
worlds most beautiful
woman
Whom do you suppose he
chose?

But Helen, the most beautiful

mortal woman is already married
to Menelaus of Sparta

EVERYONE wants to

marry Helen, and one

of these admirers was
Odysseus, but he asked
for her gentle cousins
(Penelopes) hand in
marriage instead

 King Tyndareus solved the

problem of the hundreds of
suitors with Odysseus help:
asked all the suitors to accept
the one he chose for Helens
husband and swear to stand
by and help to win her back
should anyone try to steal or
otherwise harm her.
they all took the oath

The Theft
When he arrived, he announced
himself as an ambassador from Troy
and was treated with great
hospitality by King Menelaus.

Shortly after receiving his visitor,

the king had to attend a funeral
in another land. Paris kidnapped
Helen, along with a great deal of
the countrys wealth.

More Paris Abducting Helenstories

vary on how this actually happened,
is she a willing captive?

Thus Began The Trojan War

Was this the face

that launch'd a
thousand ships,
And burnt the
topless towers of
Ilium?
~Christopher Marlowe

Some important beginning details you

need
to
know
After collecting a massive army, Menelaus chose
Agamemnon to be the commanding general.

All seemed to be well until one of the men killed a

stag in the forest of the goddess, Artemis
Highly angered and blaming Agamemnon, she vowed
that she would not let the wind blow until a sacrifice
was made.

 A seer named Calchas proclaimed that he must

sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to calm the fury of
the goddess.
Seeing that this was the only way to launch his
ships, he agreed; the young girl was executed, and
as her blood trickled on the altar, the wind began to
blow. Back home, Clytemnestra has a major
reason to be irate.

The gods are going to choose sides.

Remember, their pride is hurt because
they didnt get chosen

Siege of Troy - lasts 10 years

Troy

high and thick walls,

surrounded by plain of Troy

Aphrodite- sides with the

Trojans

Athena and Hera -

side with

Achilles kills Hector, Prince

of Troy defiles body by dragging it
behind his chariot

Paris takes revenge for

brother shoots Achilles in heel,
killing him

the Greeks

Greeks created a plan

Zeus- remains impartial

- Odysseus known

for strategy
- Athenas favorite warrior

The Iliad does not include this,

unfortunately

Or this

Or even this

Itll begin
with the
Rage of
Achilles

And, near the end, well have