The Trojan War

Achilles and Ajax

Credit: Beazley Archive, <http://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/>

Museum: Vatican City Size: 61cm. (amphora, signed by Exekias as both maker and painter)Function: storage and displayTechnique: black-figureStyle: Mature black-figureSubject/s: Ajax and Achilles, seated on low stools, lean forward playing a board game that the helmeted Achilles is winning: tesara (four) is written beside his head, tri (three) by Ajax's.Date: later 6th c. B.C.

The Trojan War

• Paris awards the golden apple to Aphrodite, who promised him the most beautiful woman

• Paris is reunited with his royal parents• Paris visits Sparta and elopes with Helen• Menelaus seeks help from his brother King

Agamemnon to gather the Greek armies to get Helen back

Achilles•Son of Peleus and Thetis•Mightiest of the Greeks in the Trojan War

Reading packet: p. 280 – Achilles in disguise

Briseis is led from Achilles’ tent to Agamemnon’s

Reading packet: 281-82

Ajax

After Achilles, Ajax son of Telamon was the mightiest of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. Ajax was a huge man, head and shoulders larger than the other Greeks, enormously strong but somewhat slow of speech. Credit: Encyclopedia Mythica, <pantheon.org>

Reading packet: p. 287 – Hector vs. Ajax

Reading packet: p. 288-290: Embassy to Achilles

Reading packet: p. 291-292: Achilles vs. Hector

Vase: Achilles slays the queen of the Amazons, Penthesilea

Reading packet: p. 293: Death of Achilles

Reading packet: p. 294: Death of Ajax