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Trojan War
The Trojan War was a 10 year conflict between
the Achaeans, of mainland Greece, and the
people of Troy. The Trojan prince Paris had run
away with Helen, who was the wife of Menelaus,
the Achaean king of Sparta. The story of the
Trojan War is told in Homer’s Iliad.
The Trojan prince Aeneas escapes Troy after the
Achaeans finally destroy the city and flees to
Italy. According to legend, the descendants of
Aeneas will found Rome. Aeneas’ journey is told
in Virgil's Aeneid, which we will read.
Go to timeline
Timeline – Before the War
Marriage of
Thetis and
Peleus
Apple of
Discord
Judgment
of Paris
Paris arrives
in Sparta and
falls in love
with Helen
Oath of Tyndareus
& the marriage of
Helen to Menelaus
Helen and
Paris go
to Troy
Timeline – During the War
Agamemnon
chosen as leader
– sacrifices
Iphigenia to gain
favorable winds
For 9 years the
Achaeans fight
the Trojans
with no result
Briseis and
Chryseis incident
– Achilles refuses
to fight
Hector kills Patroclus,
enraging Achilles and
drawing him back to
battle
Achilles kills
Hector
signaling the
end for Troy
Trojan Horse
is devised by
Odysseus –
Troy is
sacked
Timeline – After the War
Aeneas flees Troy
with the Trojan
gods – journeys to
Italy
Agamemnon
returns home to
find his family in
a shambles
Odysseus
journeys for 10
years trying to
get home
500 years after
Aeneas flees, his
descendant
Romulus founds
Rome
Menelaus and Helen
live happily ever
after
Aeneid
Virgil’s Aeneid tells the story of the night of Troy’s
destruction, Aeneas’ long journey to Italy, and his
struggle to establish a new city there.
Virgil begins:
Arma virumque cano, Trojae qui primus ab oris
Italiam fato profugus Lavinaque venit
litora. . .
(Aeneid 1. 1-3a)
Timeline
Achaeans
The key characters fighting the Trojans in the war include:
Mortals
Gods
Agamemnon
Hera
Achilles
Athena
Menelaus
Poseidon
Odysseus
Thetis
Patroclus
Timeline
Trojans
The key characters fighting the Achaeans in the war include:
Mortals
Gods
Trojan Royal Family
Aphrodite
Laocoon
Ares
Timeline
Trojan Royal Family
King Priam
Prince Hector
Queen Hecuba
Prince Paris
Prince Aeneas
(nephew of the king)
Timeline
Princess Cassandra
Laocoon
A Trojan serving as the yearly
priest of Poseidon. Laocoon
believes that the Trojan Horse is
trouble. Laocoon’s warning is
famous: “Quidquid id est, timeo
Danaos et dona ferentes.” (Aeneid
2, 49)
Two snakes emerge from an
island, sacred to Poseidon, and
drag off Laocoon and his sons.
The Trojans interpret this as a
sign from Poseidon that Laocoon
was incorrect and they have won
the war.
Timeline
Laocoon, unknown, Vatican Museum
Prince Hector
The Trojan Prince Hector is the eldest son of Priam and
Hecuba and the leader of the Trojan army. Hector
realizes that the Trojans will likely lose the war, but
believes that he is honor-bound to defend his brother,
his city, his family, and his people.
The only Achaean who can match Hector in battle is
the semi-divine Achilles.
Hector kills Achilles’ closest friend, Patroclus, thereby
enraging Achilles and drawing him back into the battle.
Achilles eventually kills Hector (signaling the end for
Troy) and desecrates his body.
Timeline
Prince Paris
Before his birth, the prophets of Troy foretold that
Prince Paris would cause the destruction of the city.
Consequently, his parents decided to have him left on a
mountainside and let the gods determine his fate. Paris
was found by shepherd and raised as his son.
Paris settles the divine argument over The Apple of
Discord, in what is known as The Judgment of Paris.
Eventually, Paris returns to Troy where he is
miraculously recognized by Queen Hecuba as her long –
lost son. The king and queen restore Paris to his
birthright. In his first official duty as a Trojan Prince,
Paris travels to Sparta to negotiate a treaty with King
Menelaus. In Sparta, Paris meets and falls in love with
Helen.
Timeline
Judgment of Paris
As the adopted son of a
shepherd, Paris is tending
flocks one day when a
golden apple falls at his
feet. Three goddess then
appear: Hera, Athena, and
Aphrodite. Each goddess
promises a unique gift if he
will declare her the most
beautiful. Aphrodite’s
promise of the most
beautiful in the world sways
Paris to choose her.
Judgment of Paris, red-figure vase, unknown, British Museum
Timeline
Apple of Discord
The goddess Discord was unhappy at being the only
divinity who was not invited to the wedding of Thetis and
Peleus. As revenge, she plucks a golden apple from the
Garden of the Hesperides and attaches a tag to the apple
which reads: for the fairest. Discord then tosses the apple
into the wedding reception and waits to watch the results.
Three goddesses step forward to claim the apple: Hera,
Athena, and Aphrodite. They cannot decide among
themselves who is fairest, so they take their cases to Zeus.
Zeus, husband of Hera and father of Athena and Aphrodite,
refuses to intervene. He tosses the apple over his shoulder.
The apple bounces to earth and lands at the feet of Paris.
Timeline
Princess Cassandra
The Trojan princess Cassandra was granted the gift of
prophecy by Apollo due to her beauty. Cassandra,
however, did not return the god’s love. Unable to
revoke his gift, but enraged at his rejection, Apollo
cursed Cassandra to see the future, but not to be
believed.
Cassandra is one of several Trojans who prophesied
that Prince Paris would cause the destruction of Troy.
After the Trojans are defeated, Cassandra is taken as
a war-prize by Agamemnon, whose death she also
correctly prophesies.
Timeline
King Priam
Priam is king of the city-state of Troy, husband of Hecuba,
and father of Hector, Paris, and Cassandra.
Priam feels guilty about abandoning Paris as a child, thus,
when Paris reappears he reinstates him as a Prince of Troy.
Likewise, when Paris returns from Sparta with Helen, Priam
indulges his son and allows Helen to stay, though he may
lose his life and his city.
After the death and
desecration of Hector,
Priam goes into the
Achaean camp late one
night to beg Achilles to
return the body.
Timeline
Priam ransoms Hector,, red-figure vase, unknown, Louvre
Helen of Troy/ Helen of Sparta
Simply, Helen is the cause of the Trojan War.
Lawfully, Helen is married to the Achaean Menelaus,
king of Sparta. Throughout the Trojan War, however,
she resides in Troy as the wife of Prince Paris. (Ancient
sources are ambiguous about Helen’s willingness to go
to Troy.) Menelaus (and the other Achaeans) are bound
by oath to fight for Helen, and war ensues.
Helen, the daughter of Zeus, is noteworthy for her
otherworldly beauty, which drives men to do amazing
things.
Timeline
Aeneas
Aeneas, known as the pater patriae
to the Romans, was a Trojan prince,
second in line to the throne (after
Hector). The goddess Aphrodite is
Aeneas’ mother; his father was
Anchises, brother to King Priam.
Aeneas fights bravely throughout
the war. During the destruction of
Troy, the ghost of Hector appears to
Aeneas and tells him to take the
gods of Troy and his family and flee
to Italy where he is to establish a
new Troy.
Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius, Bernini, Galleria Borghese
Timeline
Aphrodite – goddess of love
Aphrodite is the mother of the
Trojan prince Aeneas, and fights
for the Trojans during the war.
She also won the Apple of Discord
from Paris by promising him the
most beautiful woman in the
world as his wife. Aphrodite
neglects to mention to Paris that
this woman, Helen, is already
married to Menelaus.
Venus de Milo, Louvre
Timeline
Ares – god of war
Ares is a rash and
unpredictable god, who enjoys
war for the sake of war. He
fights for the Trojans during
the war because he is in love
with Aphrodite and he
appreciates that Paris could
cause a war so wide-spread.
Timeline
Ares, red-figure vase, Leagros Group, British Museum
Agamemnon
Agamemnon is the brother of Menelaus
and the leader of the Achaeans during the
Trojan War.
Death Mask of Agamemnon, bronze, unknown,
National Archeological Museum, Athens
In order to gain favorable winds to sail to
Troy, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter
Iphigenia to Artemis.
Excessively proud of his role as first
among equals, Agamemnon angers
Achilles, causing Achilles to withdraw
from the fighting.
After the war, Agamemnon takes the
Trojan princess Cassandra as his warprize and takes her home to meet his wife,
who is not pleased.
Timeline
Agamemnon’s Family Life
Agamemnon was ambitious.
He dreamed of the power and
prestige that awaited him as
the conqueror of the great
city of Troy. However, the
goddess Artemis refused to
allow the winds to blow so
the Achaeans could sail to
Troy. The troops began to get
restless and complained to
Agamemnon. A prophet told
Agamemnon that he could
regain the winds by
sacrificing his daughter,
Iphigenia. So he did.
Sacrifice of Iphigenia, red-figure krater, unknown, Metropolitan Museum
Timeline
Agamemnon’s Family Life
Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra,
was upset that her daughter had
been sacrificed for the war. For the
10 years that Agamemnon was at
Troy, she plotted her revenge. The
night Agamemnon returned home,
with the Trojan princess
Cassandra as his mistress,
Clytemnestra killed them both in
the bath, fulfilling Cassandra’s
prophecy.
Clytemnestra kills Cassandra, red-figure vase, unknown, Louvrre
Timeline
Agamemnon’s Family Life
Agamemnon’s only
son, Orestes, knew
that the honor code of
Greece demanded that
he avenge the murder
of his father. Orestes,
however, did not want
to kill his mother.
Eventually, the guilt of
allowing his father to
die un-avenged
overcame Orestes and
he killed Clytemnestra.
Orestes pursues Clytemnestra, red-figure vase, attributed to Nestoris, Louvrre
Timeline
Menelaus
Menelaus is the King of Sparta
and the lawful husband of Helen.
Menelaus was chosen for Helen
by her mortal father, Tyndareus,
after all her suitors had sworn
The Oath of Tyndareus.
Menelaus, and Helen’s other
suitors, are honor-bound to
regain Helen from the Trojans.
Menelaus is the brother of
Agamemnon.
Menelaus, unknown, private collection
Timeline
Oath of Tyndareus
As the father of the beautiful Helen, Tyndareus had many
suitors at his door as she approached a marriageable age.
In fact, every eligible young man in Greece wanted to
marry her. As time wore on and Tyndareus could not
select a suitor, the suitors began to fight among
themselves. Tyndareus feared the worst.
Then, the wily Odysseus made a suggestion: let every
suitor swear that he would defend Helen and her future
husband from any man who tried to separate them as long
as any of them should live. Each suitor agreed. Tyndareus
then choose lots and Menelaus won.
The Oath of Tyndareus was sworn, and all the men who
had been Helen’s suitors were honor-bound to recover her
for Menelaus when she went to Troy with Paris.
Timeline
Achilles
Achilles is the only son of Thetis and Peleus. After Achilles
was born, Thetis dipped him by the heel in the River Styx
which encircles Hades. This unusual baptism provided
protection to Achilles from all weapons. His heel, however,
which Thetis was holding, was not protected.
Homer’s Iliad focuses on the wrath of Achilles. Achilles is
first angry that Agamemnon insults him before the other
Achaeans by taking his war-prize. The death of his close
friend Patroclus further incites
Achilles, convincing him to return
to the war to avenge his friend.
Achilles kills the Trojan Hector.
Paris (with the aid of Apollo) kills
Achilles by shooting Achilles in
his unprotected heel.
Achilles kills Hector, red-figure vase, unknown, Louvrre
Timeline
Marriage of Thetis & Peleus
The king of the gods, Zeus, received a prophecy which
stated that any child he had with the sea-nymph Thetis
would cause his death. To prevent this he arranged her
marriage to the human Peleus.
The wedding was a huge event. All the gods were
invited: major gods and nymphs, dryads, satyrs, and
not a few mortals; all the gods except the goddess,
Discord. Discord got her revenge through a unique gift
which sent reverberations throughout the world.
Thetis and Peleus had a happy marriage and produced
one son: Achilles.
Timeline
Patroclus
Patroclus was brought into the house of Peleus and
raised alongside Peleus’ son Achilles. The two became
the closest of friends.
Once Achilles withdraws from the war in anger, the
Trojans gain an advantage. Patroclus realizes this and
begs Achilles to return to the battle. Achilles refuses to
go himself but allows Patroclus to go in his distinctive
armor to raise the morale of the Achaean fighters.
Hector kills Patroclus. In a rage over his friend’s death,
Achilles returns to the war to hunt and kill Hector.
Timeline
Briseis & Chryseis
Briseis and Chryseis were women taken as slaves during
an Achaean raid on a town near Troy. Briseis was given as
a war-prize to Achilles, while Chryseis was given to
Agamemnon. The father of Chryseis was a priest of
Apollo. When the Achaeans refused to return his daughter,
he asked Apollo for help. Apollo sent a plague on the
Achaeans. Agamemnon finally agreed to return Chryseis,
if he was compensated with another woman. He chose
Briseis. The appropriation of his war-prize angered
Achilles and he refused to continue fighting without an
acknowledgement of his contribution to the war.
Many Achaeans try to get Achilles to return, but only the
death of his friend Patroclus convinces him.
Timeline
Odysseus
Odysseus is an intelligent and tricky
character in mythology. He helps
Tyndareus by devising the oath sworn
by Helen’s suitors, and gained one of
Helen’s sisters as his own wife. He was
the mediator in the dispute between
Agamemnon and Achilles. Odysseus
also devised the Trojan Horse and the
plot to infiltrate and destroy Troy.
Odysseus’ famous 10-year journey
home is chronicled in The Odyssey.
Timeline
Odysseus, red-figure vase, unknown, Louvrre
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse was planned by Odysseus to infiltrate Troy
and end the war. The Achaeans built a massive wooden
horse and hid a contingent inside of it. They left one of their
own, Sinon, behind to tell the Trojans that is was a gift to
Poseidon to ensure their safe passage home. The Trojans
take the horse into their city in hopes of gaining the favor of
Poseidon.
The Trojans threw a
grand party. After the
Trojans had gone to
sleep, the Achaeans
slipped out of the
horse and opened the
gates of Troy to the
rest of their army.
Trojan Horse, clipart. COM
Timeline
Poseidon – god of the seas
Poseidon is one of the gods who takes
human form and fights alongside the
Achaeans during the Trojan War.
Poseidon battles against the Trojans
because when Troy was founded the
first king, Laomedon, promised to
reward the god for building the city’s
wall. Laomedon refused to pay after the
walls were complete and Poseidon
carried a grudge.
Poseidon’s priest, Laocoon, realizes that
the Trojan Horse is dangerous and so
Poseidon sends massive sea-snakes to
carry off Laocoon and his sons.
Poseidon, Oceanus, Thetis, mosaic, unknown, Louvre
Timeline
Hera – queen of the gods
Even before the Judgment of
Paris, Hera hated the Trojans. Her
hatred stemmed from Zeus’ choice
of the Trojan boy Ganymede as his
cup-bearer, casting aside Hera’s
own divine son, Hephaestus.
Hera fights for the Achaeans
during the Trojan War.
After Troy is destroyed, Hera
continues her quest to annihilate
the Trojans by attempting to
shipwreck Aeneas.
Hera, unknown, Capitoline Museum
Timeline
Athena – goddess of wisdom
Athena fights on the side of the
Achaeans during the Trojan War
for two reasons: She did not
win the golden apple at the
Judgment of Paris and she is
the patron goddess of the
Achaean hero Odysseus. As the
goddess of wisdom, Athena
appreciates Odysseus’ crafty
approach to problems and his
unique solutions such as the
Oath of Tyndareus and the
Trojan Horse.
Timeline
Athena, unknown, Capitoline Museum
TEKS
§114.23. Levels III and IV - Intermediate Progress
Checkpoint
(c) Knowledge and skills
(2) Cultures. The student gains knowledge and
understanding of other cultures. The student is expected
to:
(A) demonstrate an understanding of the practices (what
people do) and how they are related to the perspectives
(how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.