DOCSLIB.ORG

Heroes of the Bronze Age

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Heroes of the Bronze Age ARCH 0412 From Gilgamesh to Hektor: Heroes of the Bronze Age April 22, 2016: The Lingering Bronze Age Heroes Timeline of the Eastern Mediterranean • Royal Tombs of Ur • Egyptian Old Kingdom • Sumerian cities (c.4100-2000 BCE) HOMERIC EPICS Composed Written Modified • Alaca Hoyuk burials Battle of Kadesh Early Bronze Age Middle Bronze Age Late Bronze Age Proto-Geometric Geometric Archaic Classic (3000-2000 BCE) (2000-1700 BCE) (1700-1100 BCE) (1100-900 BCE) (900-700 BCE) (700-480 BCE) (480-323 BCE) • Gilgamesh written down for the first time • Palace of Knossos Lefkandi Heroon • Egyptian Middle Kingdom • Hittite archives Placing offerings in Mycenaean and settlements tombs start in late 8th century BCE • Mycenaean sites • Egyptian New Kingdom A Connected Eastern Mediterranean: Transmission of Myths, Epics, People Cosmogony: Any model explaining the origins of the universe (cosmos) Babylonian Cosmogony Hittite Cosmogony Greek Cosmogony (Enûma Eliš) (The Song of Kumarbi) (Theogony) At first, the waters of primeval Apsu and First there was Chaos Tiamat were mingled together. Through the union of Apsu and Tiamat, the In primeval years, Alalu was king in From Chaos, Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (depths gods were called into being, one by one. heaven. of the earth) and Eros (love). From them, And they reside in Tiamat’s body. the first generation of gods were created. These new gods were loud and restless. In the ninth year, Anu fought against Alalu Uranus (Sky) mated with Gaia (Earth) and Apsu was disturbed by them and decided and became the king of heaven. created twelve Titans. He was disgusted to kill them. with them and hid them in the earth. Tiamat warned Ea, the most powerful of In the ninth year of Anu’s kingship, Anu Gaia is angered by Uranus’s actions, and the gods, of Apsu’s intentions to protect her decides to wage war on his son Kumarbi. asks her children to punish their father. children. One of the children, Chronos, agrees. Ea kills Apsu and becomes the chief god. Kumarbi defeats Anu and bites Anu’s Chronos castrates Uranus and becomes the ‘manhood’. chief god. Ea’s son Marduk is even stronger than him. Anu’s manhood impregnates Kumarbi with Chronos marries Rhea, one of his sisters. To stop Ea and Marduk becoming too the Storm God. Kumarbi wants to swallow Since there is a prophecy that one of his strong, the other gods fetch a plan and Teshub (The Storm God) upon his birth to children will overthrow him, he starts convince Tiamat to avenge Apsu’s death. eliminate the threat swallowing his children. Ea gives Kumarbi a piece of basalt to Rhea gives Chronos a stone to swallow swallow instead of Teshub. instead of Zeus, and sends Zeus away. Marduk defeats Tiamat and the 11 Teshub defeats Kumarbi in battle and After he is strong enough, Zeus fights monsters she created, and becomes the became the chief god. against Chronos and the Titans, overthrows chief god. him and becomes the chief god. The Ahhiyawa Question The Alaksandu Treaty (early 13th century BCE) Between Muwatalli II and Alaksandu “Formerly, when my forefather Labarna had conquered all the lands of Arzawa and the land of Wilusa, thereafter the land of Arzawa began war, and the land of Wilusa deflected from Hatti – but because the matter is long past, I do not know from which king. (…) And as I, My Majesty, protected you, Alaksandu, in good will because of the word of your father, and came to your aid, and killed your enemy for you, later in the future my sons and my grandsons will certainly protect your descendant for you. ” The Tawagalawa Letter (mid-13th century BCE) Hittite king (very likely Hattusili III) asking a king of Ahhiyawa to get in touch with Piyamaradu, who is causing trouble around CTH 76 The treaty between the Hittite borders, and tell him: Muwatalli II of Hatti and Alaksandu of Wilusa Fragment Bo 402 “The king of Hatti and I – in that matter of Wilusa over which we were at enmity, he has converted me in that matter, and we have made peace; … a war would not be right for us.” Near Eastern – Greek Interactions • Hurrian and Hittite SIR3 “Song” performances and Homeric poems • Debate and assembly scenes present in Hittite myths, Gilgamesh and the Iliad • Debate used to contrast characters (Agamemnon vs. Achilles & Meki vs. Zazalla, Gilgamesh vs. Town Elders • Detention and captives (Song of Release, Helen, Chryses) • Iliad funerals and Hittite royal funerals • Queen’s intervention and assembly – Trojan Hekabe in the Iliad, Hittite Puduhepa in the Hittite ritual texts, Panathenaic Games in Classical Athens • Many other Hittite-Mycenaean interactions between the 15th-12th centuries BCE • Overall, many Hittite burial practices, prayers, hymns, oaths, curses preserved in Greek ritual. “Within the corpus of Bronze Age texts detailing campaigns, cease-fires, embassies and overtures, prayers and curses, lie events that later Greek poets turned into epic encounters and episodes of the Trojan War” (Morris 2013: 161) 6th century BCE 18th century AD 2004 MEMORY Mental maps and memory • Scale • Orientation • Location • What is remembered and forgotten • …. ARE ALL SUBJECTIVE … But we still remember with places and things. • “Country of the past” and the “country of the present” • Place names describing the landscapes and the events that happened there. E.g. “Water flows inward under a cottonwood tree” • Dynamic landscapes and dynamic names Mycenae Individual vs collective memory Places and landmarks Uruk Hattusa Thebes ….As long as we remember things, they continue to evolve and change King Tut Gilgamesh and Enkidu Funerary pyre Achilles and Hektor Next (and Final) Week: Bronze Age Heroes in Modern Imagination Monday (4/25): NO CLASS Wednesday (4/27): Heroes & Video Games (Lecture by Dr. Willis Monroe) ‘Bring a video game’: Think about a game in which Bronze Age heroes or civilizations are used. Friday (4/29): Heroes & Hollywood Watch a movie and be prepared to discuss: How are Bronze Age civilizations and heroes portrayed? How taking this class changed your view of these portrayals?.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General Introduction Hesiod and His Poems
    General Introduction Hesiod and His Poems The Theogony is one of the most important mythical texts to survive from antiquity, and I devote the first section of this translation to it. It tells of the creation of the present world order under the rule of almighty Zeus. The Works and Days, in the second section, describes a bitter dispute between Hesiod and his brother over the disposition of their father’s property, a theme that allows Hesiod to range widely over issues of right and wrong. The Shield of Herakles, whose centerpiece is a long description of a work of art, is not by Hesiod, at least most of it, but it was always attributed to him in antiquity. It is Hesiodic in style and has always formed part of the Hesiodic corpus. It makes up the third section of this book. The influence of Homer’s poems on Greek and later culture is inestima- ble, but Homer never tells us who he is; he stands behind his poems, invisi- ble, all-knowing. His probable contemporary Hesiod, by contrast, is the first self-conscious author in Western literature. Hesiod tells us something about himself in his poetry. His name seems to mean “he who takes pleasure in a journey” (for what it is worth) but in the Works and Days he may play with the meaning of “he who sends forth song.” As with all names—for example, Homer, meaning “hostage,” or Herodotus, meaning “a warrior’s gift”—the name of a poet may have nothing to do with his actual career.
    [Show full text]
  • Separating Fact from Fiction in the Aiolian Migration
    hesperia yy (2008) SEPARATING FACT Pages399-430 FROM FICTION IN THE AIOLIAN MIGRATION ABSTRACT Iron Age settlementsin the northeastAegean are usuallyattributed to Aioliancolonists who journeyed across the Aegean from mainland Greece. This articlereviews the literary accounts of the migration and presentsthe relevantarchaeological evidence, with a focuson newmaterial from Troy. No onearea played a dominantrole in colonizing Aiolis, nor is sucha widespread colonizationsupported by the archaeologicalrecord. But the aggressive promotionof migrationaccounts after the PersianWars provedmutually beneficialto bothsides of theAegean and justified the composition of the Delian League. Scholarlyassessments of habitation in thenortheast Aegean during the EarlyIron Age are remarkably consistent: most settlements are attributed toAiolian colonists who had journeyed across the Aegean from Thessaly, Boiotia,Akhaia, or a combinationof all three.1There is no uniformityin theancient sources that deal with the migration, although Orestes and his descendantsare named as theleaders in mostaccounts, and are credited withfounding colonies over a broadgeographic area, including Lesbos, Tenedos,the western and southerncoasts of theTroad, and theregion betweenthe bays of Adramyttion and Smyrna(Fig. 1). In otherwords, mainlandGreece has repeatedly been viewed as theagent responsible for 1. TroyIV, pp. 147-148,248-249; appendixgradually developed into a Mountjoy,Holt Parker,Gabe Pizzorno, Berard1959; Cook 1962,pp. 25-29; magisterialstudy that is includedhere Allison Sterrett,John Wallrodt, Mal- 1973,pp. 360-363;Vanschoonwinkel as a companionarticle (Parker 2008). colm Wiener, and the anonymous 1991,pp. 405-421; Tenger 1999, It is our hope that readersinterested in reviewersfor Hesperia. Most of trie pp. 121-126;Boardman 1999, pp. 23- the Aiolian migrationwill read both articlewas writtenin the Burnham 33; Fisher2000, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Shaushka, the Traveling Goddess Graciela GESTOSO SINGER
    Shaushka, the Traveling Goddess Graciela GESTOSO SINGER Traveling gods and goddesses between courts was a well-known motif in the ancient Near East. Statues of gods and goddesses served as symbols of life, fertility, healing, prosperity, change, alliances and sometimes represented the “geographical” integration or the “ideological” legitimization of a territory. The Amarna Letters reveal the jour- ney of the goddess Shaushka to the Egyptian court of Amenhotep III. Akkadian, Hurrian, Hittite, and Ugaritic texts reveal the role played by this goddess in local pantheons, as well as in various foreign courts during the second millennium BCE. She was known as the goddess of war, fertility and healing and statues of the goddess were used in rituals performed before military actions, to heal diseases, to bless marriage alliances and assist births. This pa- per analyses the role of this traveling goddess in the Egyptian court of Amenhotep III. El viaje de estatuas de dioses y diosas entre cortes de grandes reyes fue un recurso conocido en el Cercano Oriente antiguo. En la Antigüedad, las estatuas de ciertos dioses y diosas fueron símbolos de vida, fertilidad, curación, prosperidad, cambio, alianzas y, en algunos casos, representaron la integración “geográfica” o la legiti- mación “ideológica” de un territorio. Las Cartas de El Amarna revelan el viaje de la estatua de la diosa Shaushka hacia la corte egipcia durante el reinado de Amenhotep III. Textos acadios, hurritas, hititas y ugaríticos indican el rol cumplido por esta diosa en panteones locales, así como en diversas cortes extranjeras durante el II milenio a.e. Fue reconocida como la diosa de la guerra, fertilidad y curación.
    [Show full text]
  • Hesiod Theogony.Pdf
    Hesiod (8th or 7th c. BC, composed in Greek) The Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are probably slightly earlier than Hesiod’s two surviving poems, the Works and Days and the Theogony. Yet in many ways Hesiod is the more important author for the study of Greek mythology. While Homer treats cer- tain aspects of the saga of the Trojan War, he makes no attempt at treating myth more generally. He often includes short digressions and tantalizes us with hints of a broader tra- dition, but much of this remains obscure. Hesiod, by contrast, sought in his Theogony to give a connected account of the creation of the universe. For the study of myth he is im- portant precisely because his is the oldest surviving attempt to treat systematically the mythical tradition from the first gods down to the great heroes. Also unlike the legendary Homer, Hesiod is for us an historical figure and a real per- sonality. His Works and Days contains a great deal of autobiographical information, in- cluding his birthplace (Ascra in Boiotia), where his father had come from (Cyme in Asia Minor), and the name of his brother (Perses), with whom he had a dispute that was the inspiration for composing the Works and Days. His exact date cannot be determined with precision, but there is general agreement that he lived in the 8th century or perhaps the early 7th century BC. His life, therefore, was approximately contemporaneous with the beginning of alphabetic writing in the Greek world. Although we do not know whether Hesiod himself employed this new invention in composing his poems, we can be certain that it was soon used to record and pass them on.
    [Show full text]
  • Studies in Early Mediterranean Poetics and Cosmology
    The Ruins of Paradise: Studies in Early Mediterranean Poetics and Cosmology by Matthew M. Newman A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Classical Studies) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Richard Janko, Chair Professor Sara L. Ahbel-Rappe Professor Gary M. Beckman Associate Professor Benjamin W. Fortson Professor Ruth S. Scodel Bind us in time, O Seasons clear, and awe. O minstrel galleons of Carib fire, Bequeath us to no earthly shore until Is answered in the vortex of our grave The seal’s wide spindrift gaze toward paradise. (from Hart Crane’s Voyages, II) For Mom and Dad ii Acknowledgments I fear that what follows this preface will appear quite like one of the disorderly monsters it investigates. But should you find anything in this work compelling on account of its being lucid, know that I am not responsible. Not long ago, you see, I was brought up on charges of obscurantisme, although the only “terroristic” aspects of it were self- directed—“Vous avez mal compris; vous êtes idiot.”1 But I’ve been rehabilitated, or perhaps, like Aphrodite in Iliad 5 (if you buy my reading), habilitated for the first time, to the joys of clearer prose. My committee is responsible for this, especially my chair Richard Janko and he who first intervened, Benjamin Fortson. I thank them. If something in here should appear refined, again this is likely owing to the good taste of my committee. And if something should appear peculiarly sensitive, empathic even, then it was the humanity of my committee that enabled, or at least amplified, this, too.
    [Show full text]
  • Baal, Son of Dagan: in Search of Baal's Double Paternity Author(S): Noga Ayali-Darshan Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol
    Baal, Son of Dagan: In Search of Baal's Double Paternity Author(s): Noga Ayali-Darshan Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 133, No. 4 (October-December 2013), pp. 651-657 Published by: American Oriental Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.4.0651 Accessed: 28-02-2017 21:36 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Oriental Society This content downloaded from 132.174.255.49 on Tue, 28 Feb 2017 21:36:59 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Baal, Son of Dagan: In Search of Baal’s Double Paternity NOGA AYALI-DARSHAN THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY The Ugaritic expression “Baal, son of Dagan” has been the subject of several studies which attempt to resolve the contradiction between the depiction of Baal as El’s son on the one hand and the expression “Baal, son of Dagan” (bʿl bn dgn) on the other. Despite the paucity of literary evidence, the majority of scholars have identified Dagan with either El or Baal, consequently attributing a single “real” father to Baal.
    [Show full text]
  • Nudity and Music in Anatolian Mythological Seduction Scenes and Iconographic Imagery
    Ora Brison Nudity and Music in Anatolian Mythological Seduction Scenes and Iconographic Imagery This essay focuses on the role of Anatolian music in erotic and sexual contexts — especially of its function in mythological seduction scenes. In these scenes, music is employed as a means of enhancing erotic seduction. A number of cultic, sexual iconographic representations associated with musical instruments and performers of music will also be discussed. Historical Background Most of the data on the music culture of the Anatolian civilizations comes from the Old Hittite and Hittite Imperial periods, dating from 1750 to 1200 bce, though some data comes from the Neo-Hittite period, namely 1200 to 800 bce.1 The textual sources relate mainly to religious state festivals, ceremonies and rituals. It is likely that Hittite music culture reflected the musical traditions of the native Anatolian cultures — the Hattians2 — as well as the influences of other migrating ethnic groups, such as the Hurrians3 or the Luwians,4 who settled in Anatolia. Hittite music culture also shows the musical influence of and fusion with the neighboring major civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Aegean (Schuol 2004: 260). Our knowledge of Anatolian music, musical instruments, musicians, singers and performers is based on extensive archaeological evidence, textual and visual, as well as on recovered pieces of musical artifacts. Much of the data has been collected from the corpus of religious texts and cultic iconographic representations. Nevertheless, we can assume that music, song and dance played a significant role not only in reli- gious practices, but also in many aspects of daily life (de Martino 1995: 2661).
    [Show full text]
  • John David Hawkins
    STUDIA ASIANA – 9 – STUDIA ASIANA Collana fondata da Alfonso Archi, Onofrio Carruba e Franca Pecchioli Daddi Comitato Scientifico Alfonso Archi, Fondazione OrMe – Oriente Mediterraneo Amalia Catagnoti, Università degli Studi di Firenze Anacleto D’Agostino, Università di Pisa Rita Francia, Sapienza – Università di Roma Gianni Marchesi, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna Stefania Mazzoni, Università degli Studi di Firenze Valentina Orsi, Università degli Studi di Firenze Marina Pucci, Università degli Studi di Firenze Elena Rova, Università Ca’ Foscari – Venezia Giulia Torri, Università degli Studi di Firenze Sacred Landscapes of Hittites and Luwians Proceedings of the International Conference in Honour of Franca Pecchioli Daddi Florence, February 6th-8th 2014 Edited by Anacleto D’Agostino, Valentina Orsi, Giulia Torri firenze university press 2015 Sacred Landscapes of Hittites and Luwians : proceedings of the International Conference in Honour of Franca Pecchioli Daddi : Florence, February 6th-8th 2014 / edited by Anacleto D'Agostino, Valentina Orsi, Giulia Torri. – Firenze : Firenze University Press, 2015. (Studia Asiana ; 9) http://digital.casalini.it/9788866559047 ISBN 978-88-6655-903-0 (print) ISBN 978-88-6655-904-7 (online) Graphic design: Alberto Pizarro Fernández, Pagina Maestra Front cover photo: Drawing of the rock reliefs at Yazılıkaya (Charles Texier, Description de l'Asie Mineure faite par ordre du Governement français de 1833 à 1837. Typ. de Firmin Didot frères, Paris 1839, planche 72). The volume was published with the contribution of Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze. Peer Review Process All publications are submitted to an external refereeing process under the responsibility of the FUP Editorial Board and the Scientific Committees of the individual series.
    [Show full text]
  • 4. the Origins of the Gods 5. the Origins of Mortals 6. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades 7
    Content Chapters: 4. The Origins of The Gods 5. The Origins of Mortals 6. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades 7. Apollo 8. Hermes, Pan, Hephaestus, and Ares 9. Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena 10. Demeter and Related Myths 11. Dionysos 12. The Underworld 13. Introduction to Heroic Myth 14. Perseus 15. Heracles 16. Theseus 17. Myths of Crete 18. Oedipus and The Myths of Thebes 19. Jason and the Argonauts 20. The Trojan War 21. The Fall of Troy and its Aftermath 22. The Return of Odysseus 23. Aeneas 24. Legends of Early Rome CHAPTER 4 – The Origins of The Gods • Hesiod gave story of Gods as origin of universe • Cosmogony explains ‘origin of the world’ o Kosmos = world • Theogony explains “origin of the Gods” o Theos = gods • Hesiod believe cosmogony and theogony the same • Hesiod’s thousand-line poem “theogony” is hymn to Zeus o Greek version of Indo-European sky-god Children of Chaos • First came Chaos (chasm) → Gaea (mother earth) → Tartarus (bottommost) → Eros (sexual love) • From Chaos = Erebus (darkness) & Nyx (night) • Thought that the others were also children of Chaos Children of Gaea • Gaea bore Uranus (sky) & Pontus (sea) asexually • Gaea (earth) + Uranus (sky) = bore 6 male & 6 female Titans o Cronus (contends with Uranus for power) o Notable Gods = male Oceanus + female Tethys (give birth to all Gods) • Gaea bore 3 cyclopes (round eyes) o Brontes (thunderer), Steropes (flasher), Arges (brightener) • Hecatonchires (hundred-handers) o Cottus, Briareus, Gyes Hyperion’s Children • Hyperion (sun-god) father of: o Helius (sun-god), Selenê (the moon), Eos (the dawn) • Phaëthon (Oceanid), son of Helius and Clymenê o Mother married to king of Ethiopia, assured father was the sun • For confirmation journeyed to house of Helius • Helius would grant one wish to prove he was his father o Wanted to ride Helius’ chariot of the sun across the sky • Phaethon lost control bolted to earth almost setting it ablaze.
    [Show full text]
  • The Study of the Influence of Ancient Greek Rituals and Sports and the Formation of the Architecture of Its Sports Spaces
    DOI: 10.18468/estcien.2019v9n2.p33-44 Review article The study of the influence of ancient Greek rituals and sports and the formation of the architecture of its sports spaces Nima Deimary1* Mahsa Azizi2 Mohammad Mohammadi3 1 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Civil and Architecture, Malayer University ,Malayer, Iran. (*) Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7998-0395 2 MA Student of Architecture Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7998-0568 3 Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran. E-mail: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4180-3921 ABSTRACT: To get a better understanding of why variety of sports buildings are this massive in ancient Greece, a proper understanding of the history of sports as well as Greece itself must start at the beginning. Greece is a country that is enclosed with hills and mountains alongside short riv- ers and fertile va lleys. Even though Greek people were living in separate city-states, they were unit- ed under national pride, common temples, same rituals and games like Olympic. Sports were the most important parts of most Greek men. Gym and music alongside each other, fed the body and the soul of the athletes. They admired the beauty of well-trained men. They believed in multiple gods who were living in Holy mount of Olympus under the reign of greater god, Zeus and they held many rituals to satisfy them and Olympic was the most famous rituals amongst others.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Cultures, Traditions and People
    GREEK CULTURES, TRADITIONS AND PEOPLE Paschalis Nikolaou – Fulbright Fellow Greece ◦ What is ‘culture’? “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts […] The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and Some grow, or cultivation and nurture. […] The term "Western culture" has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those that definitions have been heavily influenced by European immigration, such as the United States […] Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of …when, to define, is to the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the 14th century.” realise connections and significant overlap ◦ What do we mean by ‘tradition’? ◦ 1a: an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom) ◦ b: a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable … ◦ 2: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction ◦ 3: cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions ◦ 4: characteristic manner, method, or style in the best liberal tradition GREECE: ANCIENT AND MODERN What we consider ancient Greece was one of the main classical The Modern Greek State was founded in 1830, following the civilizations, making important contributions to philosophy, mathematics, revolutionary war against the Ottoman Turks, which started in astronomy, and medicine.
    [Show full text]
  • Trojan War - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Trojan War from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia for the 1997 Film, See Trojan War (Film)
    5/14/2014 Trojan War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Trojan War From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the 1997 film, see Trojan War (film). In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen Trojan War from her husband Menelaus king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably through Homer's Iliad. The Iliad relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy; its sequel, the Odyssey describes Odysseus's journey home. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid. The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful Achilles tending the wounded Patroclus of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who (Attic red-figure kylix, c. 500 BC) took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean The war troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' Setting: Troy (modern Hisarlik, Turkey) insult.
    [Show full text]