The Iliad

Homer’s Iliad
Homer is said to be
the first teller of
adventures of all
times.
He was a blind
Prophet whose date of
birth is around800BC
 Eris, Goddess of Discord
Responsible for Trojan War
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.
 The Fairest
Aphrodite, (goddess of love and beauty)
Hera (Zeus wife) , and Athena (goddess of
wisdom, knowledge and skill in battle)
ALL wanted the apple.
Zeus would not choose. He did not want
the goddesses angry with him.
Paris was asked to make
the decision.
The Decision
Hera offered to make
Paris ruler of Europe
and Asia.
Athena offered to let
him lead Troy in a
victory over the
Spartans.
Aphrodite offered him
the love of the most
beautiful woman in the
world.
Paris Chooses Aphrodite
The most beautiful woman
in the world is Helen, the
wife of King Menelaus.
Aphrodite helps Paris
seduce and kidnap Helen.
 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.”
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.
The Hero Achilles
He was known as one of the great
warriors of the Greek army.
His invulnerability can be traced back to
the time when his mother dipped him into
the River Styx when he was an infant.
However, his most vulnerable spot was
his heel.
 Achilles
Achilles agreed to allow his friend Patroclus to wear his armor.
The next day Patroclus was killed and stripped of the armor by
the Trojan hero Hector, who mistook him for Achilles.

Achilles was overwhelmed with grief for his friend and rage at
Hector.

Achilles kills Hector. He desecrated the body,

dragging it behind his chariot around the walls of Troy.

Finally Paris, aided by Apollo,

wounded Achilles in the heel
with an arrow; Achilles died of the wound.
 10 Years of War
The Gods grew tired of watching men kill each
other and decided to help end the war. Athena
whispered an idea in the Spartan hero Odysseus’
ear.
Gods and goddesses take sides
For Troy
Aphrodite
Ares
Apollo
Artemis
For the Greeks
Hera
Athena
Poseidon
 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.
 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.
 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.
The War Ends
King Menelaus
accepts Helen back.
The warriors can now
return home.
Odysseus leaves for
home, his wife, and
son.