Trojan War

circa 1000 B.C.
Mycenaean Greeks — versus — Trojans

HECTOR BIDS FAREWELL TO ANDROMACHE

From the Mortals' point of view, the Trojan War began when a beautiful Greek Princess named Helen was kidnapped by Paris, a Trojan Prince. In order to honor a previously agreed upon pact, all of the Kings of Greece form an alliance to go to war with Troy and win her return. From the point of view of the Gods however, the Trojan War is the result of some bickering between jealous Goddesses on Mount Olympus, with Aphrodite and her lover Ares favoring the cause of Troy, but Athena, Hera and their allies, on the side of the Greeks.

Most of the action of the Iliad takes place in the last year of the war, when the two Greek leaders Achilles and Agamemnon argue over a slave girl, and Achilles, who is considered the Greek’s greatest warrior, lays down his weapons and refuses to fight. Achilles sulks and sits out the battle until his best friend Patroclus is killed. At that point his desire for revenge overtakes his self-pity and he leads the Greeks to a great victory before being killed himself.

Commander	Short Biography
Agamemnon	Leader of Greeks in the Trojan War. Killed by his wife upon his return home.
menelaus
Achilles	Greatest Warrior on the Greek side in the Trojan War. Invincible except for his heel.
Odysseus	Greek hero of the Trojan war, famous for his wiles and craft. Central character of Homer's Odyssey.
Hector	Hero of Troy. Son of King Priam.
Aeneas	Hero of Virgil's Aeneid. Prince of Troy who escaped from the burning city and after a long voyage, settled in Italy and became the ancestor of Romulus.
paris

Story Links	Book Links
Destruction of Troy in	Romulus  by  Jacob Abbott
Fall of Troy  in	Thirty More Famous Stories Retold  by  James Baldwin
Wrath of Achilles  in	The Story of the Greeks  by  H. A. Guerber
Escape from the Burning City  in	The Story of the Romans  by  H. A. Guerber
Agamemnon  in	Famous Men of Greece  by  John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland
Achilles  in	Famous Men of Greece  by  John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland
Adventures of Ulysses  in	Famous Men of Greece  by  John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland
Achilles and the War about Troy  in	Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men  by  Caroline H. and Samuel B. Harding
Hector and Andromache  in	The Story of Greece  by  Mary Macgregor
Horses of Achilles  in	The Story of Greece  by  Mary Macgregor
How Troy was Taken  in	Historical Tales: Greek  by  Charles Morris
The Trojan War  in	Stories of the Ancient Greeks  by  Charles D. Shaw
Siege of Troy  in	On the Shores of the Great Sea  by  M. B. Synge

BookLinkStart

Book Links
Stories from the Iliad Told to the Children  by  Jeanie Lang
Iliad for Boys and Girls  by  Alfred J. Church

Image Links
The Tortoise  in Romulus	Helen  in Romulus	Lacoon and his sons  in Thirty More Famous Stories Retold
Follow me, my men!'  in Thirty More Famous Stories Retold	Hector's Farewell  in Greatest Nations - Greece	Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector  in Greatest Nations - Greece
Laocoon and the Horse of Troy  in Greatest Nations - Greece	Many were the heroes who sailed away from Greece.  in The Iliad	The point of the spear flew over the left shoulder of Patroclus.  in The Iliad
Often she would stand upon the walls of Troy.  in The Story of Greece	The Trojan War  in The Story of the Greek People