The Iliad

(Troy Story)
•
The Iliad
• Homer
• Epic Poem
• c. 750 BC (written - debated)
• Greek
• Mainly focuses on the events
of the Trojan War and the
events surrounding the heroes
of that war.
 Map of the Trojan War

outube.com/wat
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outube.com/wat
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About the Author
• Who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey?
• Who is Homer?
• Are the Iliad and the Odyssey of a
multiple or single authorship?
• By whom, when, where, and under
what circumstances were the poems
composed?
• How reliable is the tradition
embodied in the Homeric poems?
• How old are the oldest elements in
Homeric poetry which can be dated
with certainty?
Homer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e7gy3fsJa8
 TRILOGY

Story Author Type of Date Language Content

Story
The Iliad Homer Epic Poem c. 750 Greek Mainly focuses on the
BC events of the Trojan War
and the events surrounding
(written -
the heroes of that war.
debated)

The Homer Epic Poem c. 750 Greek Odysseus’s ten-year return

Odyssey BC home and his efforts to
take back his home from
(written -
suitors.
debated)
The Virgil Epic Poem 29-19 BC Latin The end of the Trojan war,
Aeneid (also the journey of Aeneas and
spelled the surviving Trojans to
“Vergil”) Italy, and their war upon
the Latin people.
 Troy: Was it Real?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQbZX9JEQsQ
 Team Greece
• Achilles - Achilles is the main character and
the greatest warrior in the world. He leads
the Myrmidons against the Trojans.
• Agamemnon - Agamemnon is the general
of the Greek armies. He and Achilles fight on
the same side, but they do not get along.
• Menelaus - Menelaus is King of Sparta. The
Greeks go to war with Troy after a Trojan
named Paris takes his wife Helen who is
considered to be the most beautiful woman
in the world.
• Helen - The most beautiful woman in the
world, Helen is married to King Menelaus.
She is taken by the Trojans and is the cause
for the Trojan War.
• Odysseus - A Greek hero noted for his
intelligence. He is also king of Ithaca.
• Aias (Ajax) the Great - Aias is the second
greatest Greek warrior after Achilles. He is
called Ajax by the Romans.
Team Troy
• Priam - Priam is the King of Troy
during the Iliad.
• Hecuba - Queen of Troy.
• Hector - The greatest of all the
Trojan warriors, Hector is King
Priam's son. He is killed by Achilles
on the battlefield.
• Andromache - Hector's wife.
• Paris - Paris was the Trojan who
took Helen from King Menelaus.
• Aeneas - One of the greatest
Trojan warriors after Hector.
General Plot
• When the story opens, the Trojan War has been raging for
nearly 10 years. The Greeks are camped outside the walls
of Troy.
Agamemnon and Achilles Argue
• Agamemnon is holding captive a woman named Chryseis.
Her father offers to pay Agamemnon to release her, but he
refuses. Then her father prays to Apollo to help him. Soon
Apollo is attacking the Greeks. Eventually, the Greek
leaders, led by Achilles, force Agamemnon to release
Chryseis. However, in order to get back at Achilles,
Agamemnon seized a lady named Briseis from Achilles.
Achilles Refuses to Fight
• Achilles becomes very angry with Agamemnon. He refuses
to fight any longer. He even asks his mother, Thetis, to
pray to Zeus to help the Trojans. Although Zeus has
remained neutral so far during the war, he decides to help
the Trojans.
The Fight Continues
• The fight between the Trojans and the Greeks continues.
The gods get even more involved. When Hector is hit by a
giant rock thrown by Aias, Apollo heals Hector, making him
even stronger and faster than he was before. With Hector
leading them, the Trojans push the Greeks back toward
the shore.
Patroclus is Killed
• Just as it looks like the Greeks are
going to lose the war, Achilles' best
friend Patroclus begs Achilles to
fight. Achilles once again refused.
Patroclus then put on Achilles armor
and entered the battle. He was
fighting well and the Greeks were
gaining ground until he ran into
Hector. Hector killed Patroclus and
took his armor.
Achilles Enters the Battle
• Grief stricken over losing his friend,
Achilles vows to avenge his death.
He has the Greek god Hephaestus
forge him new armor and rejoins the
battle. Soon the Greeks have
pushed the Trojans back to the city
of Troy. Achilles and Hector finally
face off in battle. After a long fight,
Achilles kills Hector.
 Return of
Achilles
Achilles Dies
• Achilles had one
weakness, his heel.
When his mother dipped
him into the River Styx,
she held him by the heel.
It was the only place he
was vulnerable. The god
Apollo knew about his
weakness. When Paris
released an arrow at
Achilles, Apollo guided
the arrow to strike
Achilles on the heel.
Achilles quickly died from
the wound.
Trojan Horse • Odysseus came up with an idea as to how the Greeks
could get behind the walls of Troy. They built a large
wooden horse. Some of the soldiers hid inside the horse
while the rest of the Greek army got into their ships and
sailed away. The Trojans thought that they had won the
battle and that the horse was a gift. They rolled the horse
into the city and began to celebrate their victory.
• During the night, the Greek ships returned. Odysseus and
his men snuck out of the horse, killed the guards, and
opened the gates. The Greek army entered the gates and
destroyed the Trojans. The Greeks had finally won the
war.
 Interesting Facts about the Iliad
• It is estimated that the Iliad was written around the 8th
century BC.
• The Iliad has 15,693 lines.
• At one point Paris agreed to fight King Menelaus in single
combat. Menelaus was winning until Aphrodite swooped
down and saved Paris taking him away and healing him.
• It had been foretold that Achilles would die in a battle
between the Greeks and Trojans.
• The Greeks set sail for Troy on 1,000 ships. After this it was
said that Helen of Troy had a "face that could launch a
thousand ships".
• It was Aphrodite who cast a spell on Helen of Troy to make
her fall in love with Paris. She did this as a reward when
Paris picked her as the most beautiful goddess.

Test time:
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/610acb77911b
30001b0f67db
 Bonus Links
• Reading:
• https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_
greece/iliad.php
• Quick Reading:
• https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ancie
nt-greece/iliad/
• BBC Radio/Music of the Trojan War:
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-
radio/music-ks2-heroes-of-troy-
index/zn4d8xs
• Funny old video:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RYGQ
Q_qybY
• Short Reading:
• https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/cassa
ndra.html
• https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/helen
oftroy.html
• Trojan War Audiobooks
• https://www.storynory.com/category/greek-
myths/
 Everyone Paris takes Helen 10 Years later, the 10 Years later, the
from Sparta (Greece), war is still going on war is still going on
happy - causing Menelaus to and the Greeks and the Greeks
Greece and ask Agamemnon to cannot get into Troy cannot get into Troy
join in a war against to win the war to win the war
Troy (about to Troy. (God kind of because of the city’s because of the city’s
have peace) caused this…) high walls. high walls.

Agamemnon had taken The Trojans march out

Agamemnon takes Achilles rejoins the war
Chryseis for his slave and attack the Greek
for revenge. He catches
lover, but her dad asked Achilles’ lover – camp, but Patroclus
Hector and kills him,
Apollo to help get her Briseis, which causes (Achilles’ friend)
dragging his body
back. Apollo cursed the him not to pretends to be Achilles
behind his chariot
Greeks and so Achilles participate in the war by wearing his armor.
(mutilating it), but King
and other demanded Hector slays Patroclus,
and to hope the Priam persuades him to
Agamemnon give back thinking that was
Trojans win. return the body.
Chryseis. Achilles.

Odysseus thinks of the

The Greek soldiers
Later, in another battle, idea to create a Trojan The leaders head home to different fates.
sneak out of the horse
Achilles is shot by an Horse, and then sneak Odysseus will be lost at sea for 10 years
at night and open the
arrow from Paris into Troy inside it. The more. Agamemnon’s wife will murder him.
gates. The Greeks enter
(guided by Apollo). This Trojans think the Helen and Menelaus will reconcile. Aeneas
Troy and SACK (destroy
hits Achilles’ Heel and Greeks have left this as (of Troy) escapes and will eventually move to
and take everything
kills him eventually. a gift to Poseidon and Rome.
they want) it.
bring it inside.
The Wanderings of
Odysseus (The Odyssey)
Pre-WSC and Debate
 •
The Odyssey
• Homer
• Epic Poem
• c. 750 BC (written - debated)
• Greek
• Odysseus’s ten-year return
home and his efforts to take
back his home from suitors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-3rHQ70Pag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS4jk5kavy4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7i9AmmZE2o
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/everything-you-need-to-know-to-read-homer-s-
odyssey-jill-dash
The Odyssey • The Odyssey is an epic poem written by the
Greek poet Homer. It tells of the many
adventures of the hero Odysseus. Homer
wrote the poem in the 8th century BC.
Plot Summary
• The Odyssey begins with Odysseus telling the
story of his adventures. He has been trying to
get home for ten years.
 Odysseus began his journey after the end of the Trojan War. He and his
men had been fighting for 10 years. With the end of the war they could
finally head home. They set out for their home of Ithaca. However, Zeus
was angry with the Greeks and a huge storm pushed Odysseus and his
men off course. They had many adventures while trying to find their way
home.

Adventures
Heading On the following pages, we will explore some of the adventures
Home encountered by Odysseus and his men.
 Adventures

Lotus-Eaters
• The first adventure Odysseus had was on
the island of the Lotus-eaters. These
people ate only plants. They gave some of
his men a plant that made them forget
about home and want to stay with the
Lotus-eaters. Odysseus had to drag his
men to the ships and chain them so they
would continue on the journey.
Cyclopes
• Odysseus and his men next landed on an
island inhabited by one-eyed giants called
Cyclopes. They were captured in a cave by
one of the Cyclops named Polyphemus. In
order to get away they clung to the bottom
of his sheep as they went out to graze.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTYSrjeuQUk
 Adventures
(Continued)
Aeolus
• At one point Odysseus arrived at the island of Aeolus,
the god of winds. Aeolus agreed to help Odysseus get
home. He gave him a bag containing the energies of
the winds, then he sent a strong wind to carry their
ships to Ithaca. The men were nearly home, in fact
they could see the island of Ithaca, when one of them
decided to open the sack to see what was in it. He let
the winds out of the bag and they blew them all the
way back to Aeolus.
Scylla and Charybdis
• While continuing to sail home, the crew had to pass
through a dangerous straight. There they encountered
a monster named Scylla. Scylla had six heads and 12
tentacles. With her six heads she grabbed six of
Odysseus' men. This allowed the ship to get away.
However, the ship soon encountered the terrifying
whirlpool named Charybdis. They narrowly escaped
being pulled into the depths of the sea.
Calypso

• Eventually all of Odysseus' men died

during the adventures and his ships
were destroyed. Only Odysseus was
left and he floated in the ocean
clinging to a piece of wood for nine
days. Finally, he landed on an island
ruled by the nymph Calypso. Calypso
fell in love with Odysseus. She
wanted him to stay with her forever.
She kept him captive for seven
years. The goddess Athena began to
feel sorry for Odysseus. She asked
Zeus to make Calypso set Odysseus
free.
 • Check out the tour:
Map of the Odyssey
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appi
(whole journey here) d=4966f41a90c84a199a19057160322ee4
 Finally Home
• After twenty years,
Odysseus finally returned
home. He disguised
himself at first. There were
many men at his house
trying to convince his wife
Penelope to marry them.
They were sure that
Odysseus was dead.
Odysseus wife had set up
a contest. Any man that
could shoot an arrow
through 12 axe heads
would win her hand in
marriage. Odysseus,
disguised as a beggar,
was the only one to make
the shot. He then killed all
of the men and revealed
himself to his wife.
Penelope
The Science Behind
the Myth (Ted-Ed)

What parts of the

Odyssey might real?
Do you think all stories
have some non-fiction
in them?
How much of the
Odyssey might be true?
• https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-behind-the-myth-homer-s-odyssey-matt-kaplan
 Interesting Facts about the
Odyssey
• The saying "between Scylla and Charybdis" is
often used to mean that you are stuck between
two dangers.
• It was Odysseus who came up with the idea for
the Trojan horse that helped the Greeks defeat
the Trojans in the Trojan War.
• Odysseus' dog Argos recognized him even
though he was in disguise and it had been 20
years.
• Odysseus is called Ulysses by the Romans.
• Many of the stories in the Odyssey were passed
down for hundreds of years orally before Homer
wrote them down (if he is even real).

Test time:
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/610fd4e726b5
23001b82ead4
 • Reread and research about the journey of Odysseus
(his Odyssey)
Assignment:
Recreate the Map • Chart out the course on a map
of the Odyssey
• Present the map to the class