1. The Trojan War and Homer’s Iliad

2. Homer The Iliad The Odyssey Epic Poet (c. 700 B.C.)
An epic about the Trojan War
An epic poem about Odysseus’ long voyage home from Troy
Homer?
Oral traditions from the Mycenaean period, finally written down (hundreds of years later)

3. A WEDDING
All of the gods were invited to the wedding of Achilles’ parents, Thetis and Peleus…
EXCEPT FOR ONE.

4. Eris
Image Credit:

5. Eris Goddess of DISCORD
Photo Credit:

6. Eris, Goddess of Discord
Angry because she was not invited to the wedding of the Sea Goddess Thetis to King Peleus, Eris tossed the Golden Apple marked “To the Fairest” into the banquet.

7. καλλίστῃ

8. The Fairest Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena wanted the apple
Zeus would not choose, he did not want the goddesses angry with him
Paris was asked to make the decision

9. The Decision Hera offered to make Paris ruler of Europe and Asia
Athena offered to let him lead Sparta in a victory over the Trojans
Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world

10. Paris Chooses Aphrodite
The most beautiful woman in the world is Helen, the wife of King Menelaus
Aphrodite helps Paris seduce and kidnap Helen

11. The Judgment of Paris Paris Athena Aphrodite Hera Watch on YouTube
The Judgment of Paris, Peter Paul Rubens, ca 1636 (National Gallery, London)

12. Source: http://www.bookdrum.com/images/books/50602_m.jpg

13. Helen of Troy X 1000 “The face that launched a thousand ships”
Helen of Troy by Evelyn de Morgan (1898, London)

14. The Beginning of War
King Menelaus called on all those who were loyal to him.
They gathered a huge army, and built a thousand ships to carry the army to Troy
Helen of Sparta was now called “Helen of Troy”
She was “The face that launched a thousand ships”

15. The Trojan War The battle raged for 10 years
Many great heroes lost their lives
A prophet predicted that Troy could be captured only with the help of Achilles.

16. The Trojan War Helen NEED TO KNOW Trojans Priam Achaeans Agamemnon
(13th c. BC?)
Trojans
Priam
King of Troy
Hector
Paris
Helen
Queen of Sparta
Princess of Troy
Achaeans
Agamemnon
King of Mycenae
Menelaus
King of Sparta
Agamemnon’s Brother
Achilles
Odysseus
NEED TO KNOW
SUITOR

17. Achilles
The Protagonist of the Iliad
“Sing, Goddess, of the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, the accursed rage that brought great suffering to the Achaeans.”
-- Opening lines of The Iliad
Brad Pitt as Achilles

18. Thetis dips baby Achilles into the River Styx
The Legend of Achilles
Post-Homeric legends portrayed Achilles as invincible, except for his heel.
Thetis dips baby Achilles into the River Styx

19. Achilles Tendon “Achilles Heel” A Person’s Weakness Picture Credit:
Picture Credit:
Oxford Medicine

20. The Climactic Confrontation of the Iliad
Achilles vs. Hector
The Climactic Confrontation of the Iliad
Triumphant Achilles dragging Hector's lifeless body in front of the Gates of Troy (from a panoramic fresco on the upper level of the main hall of the Achilleion).

21. Ecclesiastes 6:3
A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

22. Hades Lord of the Underworld
Ancient Greeks believed that the dead went to the Hades, the underworld named for the Lord of the Dead.
Hades, pictured with Cerberus

23. Charon’s Obol
The ancient Greeks placed a coin in the mouth of the deceased to pay the boatman for passage across the river Styx to Hades.

24. John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, Charon and Psyche (1883)

25. Respect for the Dead
Homer’s Iliad ends when Achilles gives Hector’s body to Priam to receive the proper funeral ceremonies.
Bertel Thorvaldsen, Priam Pleads with Achilles for Hector's Body ( )

26. “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts…”
The Trojan Horse
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts…”

27. The Trojan Horse
Odysseus tells them they will build a huge horse of wood.
Some would climb inside and hide.
The rest would sail around the tip of the island, where they could not be seen.
One would stay behind and tell the Trojans that he had been abandoned by the Greeks, and that the horse was an offering to Athena.

28. The Fall of Troy The Trojans believed the trick.
They had a huge banquet to celebrate the end of the war.
At night the men from inside the horse came out and unlocked the gates to the city.

29. The Burning of Troy The city is invaded by the army.
The Trojans are drunk and spent from their night of revelry, unable to fight back.
The Spartans destroy and burn the city.
Aphrodite saves Helen from the destruction.

30. The Great Roman Epic
The story of the Trojan Horse appears in Virgil’s Aeneid, not in Homer’s works.

31. The Odyssey

32. What is an Epic?
Epics are long, narrative poems that tell the adventures of heroes who in some way embody the values of their civilization.

33. What types of epics are the Iliad and the Odyssey?
Iliad – War Epic
Odyssey – Journey

34. Modern Day Epics Star Wars Forrest Gump Hobbit Lord of the Rings
Wizard of Oz

35. Heinrich Schliemann Excavated Troy(?) 19th c.
Schliemann believed that the events in Homer’s Iliad were based on actual, historical events.

36. The Ruins of Troy?
Photo Credit: Hillarie

37. The Ruins of Troy?
Photo Credit: Cherryx

38. The Ruins of Troy?
Photo Credit: Cherryx

39. The Walls of Troy?
Photo Credit: Cherryx

40. Troy: Myth or Reality?
Heinrich Schliemann (19th cent.) uncovered nine successive cities on the same site in modern-day Turkey.
Schliemann declared the second level Priam’s Troy (aka Ilium), a burnt city.
Greeks may have wanted control of the Hellespont Strait (Dardanelles) for access to the Black Sea.
The archaeological dig is still active but inconclusive.

41. Archaeological Site: Troy II