The Gathering of Greek Forces

• After Paris took Helen, Menelaus returned to Sparta and asked the Greek kings and princes to join him in a war against Troy.
• Before Helen married Menelaus, many Greek heroes wooed her.
• Helen's father made her suitors pledge to respect her choice of husband and help to right a wrong if she was stolen.
• To seek a peaceful solution, ambassadors were sent to Troy to demand that Paris return Helen and the stolen treasures.
• King Priam refused the demands of the ambassadors, so the kings and princes prepared for war.
• The Greeks assembled a force of more than a thousand ships to carry warriors to Troy.
• Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was reluctant to join the expedition.
• Odysseus was known for his valor and cleverness, and other Greek kings wanted him to join them.
• Menelaus and Agamemnon went to Ithaca to persuade Odysseus to join the expedition.
• Odysseus pretended to be insane to avoid going to war.
• Odysseus dressed in his best clothes, yoked an ox and mule to a plow, and plowed the beach, scattering salt instead of seed.
• Palamedes placed Odysseus' infant son, Telemachus, in the path of the animals, forcing Odysseus to reveal his sanity by turning them aside.
• Odysseus sailed to Troy with twelve ships and did not see his island again for twenty years.
• He spent ten years at the siege of Troy and ten on his homeward voyage.

Achilles and the Trojan War

• Achilles was the most renowned warrior of the Trojan War.
• Achilles was the son of Peleus and Thetis, whose marriage feast was disrupted by Eris and the apple of discord.
• Thetis dipped Achilles in the river Styx as an infant, but held him by the heel, leaving that spot vulnerable.
• Achilles was killed years later by a wound to his heel.
• Thetis wanted to prevent Achilles from going to the Trojan War because Zeus had said he would be killed.
• Thetis sent Achilles to the island of Scyros and disguised him as a young girl among the king's daughters.
• Greek leaders learned that Troy could not be taken without Achilles.
• Odysseus found Achilles on Scyros by disguising himself as a peddler and displaying jewelry to attract the women.
• Odysseus revealed a sword, and Achilles eagerly seized it, revealing his true identity.
• Achilles agreed to join the war against Troy, and sailed for Aulis with the Myrmidons and his friend Patroclus.

Other Greek Heroes

• Agamemnon, commander in chief of the Greek forces, sailed with a hundred ships from Mycenae.
• Menelaus sought vengeance on the Trojans and sailed with sixty ships and Spartan soldiers.
• Nestor, known for his eloquence and wisdom, also joined the expedition.
• Ajax Telamon, a man of giant strength, was one of the bravest of the Greeks.
• When the Greek kings and princes assembled at Aulis, the fleet consisted of more than 1,100 ships, carrying approximately 100,000 men.

The Trojan War Begins

• The Greek chiefs set sail with their large fleet, reached the coast of Troy after a difficult voyage.
• The Greek warriors fought against the Trojans.
• The Trojans were prepared because King Priam had armies from Troy and neighboring lands.
• Priam's son, Hector, defended Troy.
• The Greeks won the first battle.
• The Trojans retreated within the city's walls, leading to a long siege.
• The Greeks hauled their ships onto the beach and erected wooden supports.
• Many battles occurred on the plain between the Greek ships and the walls of Troy.
• The siege went on for more than nine years without a decisive victory.
• The Trojans were protected by their walls, which the Greeks were unable to break down.

How They Fought

• Success in the Trojan War depended on the skill, strategy, and bravery of the chiefs and soldiers.
• Greek and Trojan warriors fought with swords, axes, bows and arrows, and spears.
• Shields were used to protect the body.
• Warriors wore armor, including breastplates and greaves.
• Helmets were worn on the head for protection.
• Chiefs fought in chariots and hurled spears at the enemy.
• Chariots were pulled by two or three horses and carried two warriors.
• Warriors sometimes came down from their chariots and fought hand to hand.

Raids Allies

• The Greeks raided neighboring lands to get supplies during the siege of Troy.
• They captured treasures, food, wine, and people who were sold into slavery or kept in service
• The spoils were divided among the chiefs, with Agamemnon getting the first choice.
• During the tenth year of the war, a quarrel arose between Agamemnon and Achilles over two captured women which is the opening events of The Iliad.

The Invocation of the muse

• Homer asks a goddess to help him tell his story.
• In Greek mythology, the Muses were daughters of Zeus who inspired artists.
• Poets writing epics have begun their poems with an invocation of the muse, which is asking for help or support.
• Homer tells the story of the anger of Achilles.

The Wrath of Achilles

• The Greeks surrounded and attacked Troy for over nine years, but could not break through the walls.
• Raids were carried out to get supplies since they needed them badly.
• Because of two captured maidens, Chryseis and Briseis, which led to conflict.
• Chryseis had been given to Agamemnon, and Briseis to Achilles.
• Chryseis' father, Chryses, was a priest of Apollo,he offered gold to Agamemnon for her release.
• Many Greek chiefs were moved to pity except Agamemnon who refused.
• Chryses prayed to Apollo to punish the Greeks.
• Apollo sent a plague upon the Greek army.
• Achilles called an assembly to find out why Apollo was angry.
• Calchas, a soothsayer, said Apollo was angry because Agamemnon had dishonored Apollo’s priest, and the only way to appease the god was to return Chryseis with gifts.
• Agamemnon agreed to return Chryseis if Apollo would not kill his people any longer.
• Achilles responded, "You are too greedy, King Agamemnon. How can we give you a prize since all the spoils have already been divided? Be satisfied and let the maiden go. When we have taken the strong city of Troy, we will make it up to you many times over."
• Achilles became enraged, but at that moment the goddess Athena appeared behind him and caught him by his long yellow hair.
• Athena hated Troy, the city to which Paris belonged.

Athena Appeared

• “O goddess, have you come to see this villain die?"
• "No," said Athena. "I have come to calm your anger. You are dear to me, and to Queen Hera. Put away your sword. Say what you feel, but refrain from violence
• Then Achilles addressed Agamemnon bitter words: "Drunkard with the eyes of a dog and the heart of a deer, hear what I tell you now! One day, and soon, the Greeks will miss Achilles. When you see your people falling by the swords of the Trojans, you will be sorry that you have done this wrong to the bravest man in your army."
• Agammemmon said he would not be shamed and robbed
• "Go, then," said Agamemnon, "and take your ships and soldiers with you. I have other chiefs here who will honor me. But I will take the girl Briseis, who was given to you. If I have to, I will come and fetch her myself. For you must learn that I am in charge here."
• The anger of the god Apollo and the plague ended
• Thus began the quarrel that brought countless woes upon the Greeks, for Achilles vowed that he would no longer lead his Myrmidons to battle for a king who had so dishonored him.

After Helen was taken, Menelaus rallied the Greek kings for war against Troy. They assembled a large fleet, but Odysseus was reluctant to join. His cleverness was highly valued, so Menelaus and Agamemnon tried to persuade him, but Odysseus feigned insanity to avoid service.