Trojan War

Homer

Homer, a Greek poet, wrote two of the earliest

surviving examples of Greek literature: The Iliad

and The Odyssey.

Homer passed his poems on by word of mouth.

Later, scholars and poets wrote them down.

Cause of the Trojan War

During a royal wedding in Troy, uninvited Eris, the

goddess of discord, brought an apple.

The apple had the inscription “To the fairest.”

Paris, the king’s son, had to choose between the

three most powerful goddesses: Athena (wisdom),

Aphrodite (love & beauty), and Hera (Queen of the

Gods).

The Judgment of Paris

Hera offered all the power in the world.

Athena offered wisdom.

Aphrodite offered the most beautiful woman in the world.

The face that launched a 1,000 ships

Helen of Sparta was the fairest of all,

however, she was married to King Menelaus.

Paris stole Helen and took her to Troy.

King Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon,

King of Mycenae, raised an army.

They set out to conquer and reclaim Helen.

Achilles and Hector

Achilles, a Greek hero, pulled out of the battle over an argument with Agamemnon.

Patroclus, a friend, took Achilles' armor and went into battle.

Hector, a Trojan warrior, thinking he was Achilles', killed him.

Revenge and a Truce Achilles returned to the battlefield and killed Hector.

He dragged Hector’s body behind his chariot

around the city walls of Troy.

Hector’s father paid a ransom for the return of the

body to the family.

Achilles feeling remorse called a truce for the

twelve days during Hector’s funeral.

Odysseus’s Plan

After ten long years of battling, Odysseus, a Greek hero and

King of Ithaca, came up with an unusual plan:

They would build a giant wooden horse.

Soldiers would hide in the belly of the horse.

They would leave the horse outside the walls of Troy.

The Trojans, believing it was a gift, would bring it into the city.

The Greek soldiers would attack within the city walls at night.

The Trojan Horse A Trojan priest ordered the horse to be burnt.

Hera and Athena interfered by sending a huge

serpent to kill the priest and his sons.

The Trojans feared this as an omen and took the

horse into the city.

After the Trojans had celebrated by dancing and

drinking, the Greek soldiers crept out of the horse.

The War Ends

The Greeks killed all who challenged them.

Helen was rescued and returned to Sparta.

The Greeks set Troy on fire.

Did the city of Troy really exist?

Until the late 19th century, most historians believed that Troy did not exist.

Heinrich Schliemann excavated an ancient city in Turkey and discovered it was Troy.

Nine cities have been found at the site, one on top of the other.

Schliemann identified Troy's location through clues he found in the Iliad.

Troy I 2920 - 2450 BC

Troy II 2600 - 2450 BC

Troy IV 2200 - 2000 BC

Troy V 2000 - 1870 BC

Troy VI 1700 - 1250 BC

Troy VII 1250 - 1020 BC

Troy VIII 800 - 85 BC

Troy IX 85 - AD 500

The Nine Cities of Troy

Ancient Map of the Aegean World

Troy Today

Inside A Trojan House