WORLD HISTORY READERS Level 3-⑩ The Trojan War
What We Know Who fought in the Trojan War? How long ago was the war? The Greeks fought against the Trojans. About 3,000 years ago. Where does our information about the Trojan War come from? Do we know everything about the Trojan War? Most of our information comes from stories passed on by storytellers. No. There are many things that could be either fact or fiction.
Troy Where was Troy located? Troy was part of the Greek Empire in a land that used to be called Asia Minor. Now it is known as Turkey. The city of Troy was built in the northwest part of Turkey.
The Greek Gods How were the Greek gods different from humans? They did not grow old or die. Yes, some gods helped the Greeks, and some other gods helped the Trojans. Did the gods fight in the Trojan War? The Greeks believed almost all of their gods lived at the top of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. They also believed that their gods felt emotions like humans and sometimes fell in love with ordinary men and women.
Who are the main characters in the story? Helen Paris Menelaus Agamemnon a beautiful princess the daughter of Zeus a prince from Troy fell in love with Helen took Helen back to Troy the king of Sparta Helen’s husband got an army together and sailed after Helen Menelaus’s brother the greatest Greek king helped Menelaus fight against the Trojans
They got a great army together and sailed across the sea. The Start of the War What happened? Paris took Helen back to Troy. Maybe he kidnapped her. Maybe she chose to go with him. There are many stories! Helen’s husband, Menelaus, was very angry and asked his brother Agamemnon for help. Other kings also helped them. They got a great army together and sailed across the sea.
How long did the war continue like that? The One-on-One Fight The Trojans were inside the walls, and the Greeks could not get in. While the Trojans would come out to fight with the Greeks, the Greeks never got inside the walls. How long did the war continue like that? Ten years! What happened then? Paris and Menelaus got tired of fighting and agreed to a one-on-one fight to decide the war. However, nothing was decided by the fight.
How was he killed by Paris? Achilles He was the son of a Greek king and the goddess Thetis. He was a brave Greek warrior who fought and killed many Trojans. Who was Achilles? What was his weak spot? When he was a baby, his mother Thetis held him by his ankle and dipped him in a magical river. So only his ankle was not protected by magic. How was he killed by Paris? Paris found out about Achilles’s weak spot, so he shot him in the ankle with an arrow. The god Apollo helped him to aim his shot.
Menelaus took her back to Sparta. The End of the Story How did the war end? The Greeks built a giant wooden horse and left it outside the city gates. There were some Greek soldiers hiding inside. The Trojans brought the wooden horse inside the city, and that night the Greek soldiers attacked. They burned the city. What happened to Helen? Menelaus took her back to Sparta.
Fact or Fiction? Who was Henry Schliemann? An archaeologist. What did he find? The ruins of Troy. What evidence have archaeologists found in Troy to support the Trojan War? There is evidence of some fighting and of a fire at about the right time.
Vocabulary dip v. invent v. to put something into a liquid for a short time invent v. to create as a product of one's own ingenuity
Vocabulary goddess n. ankle n. a female god the part of your leg that is just above your foot
Vocabulary burn v. arrow n. to be on fire a sharp pointed stick fired from a bow
Vocabulary kidnap v. archaeologist n. to take someone away using force a person who studies people from long ago by looking at things such as their buildings and tools