was fated to die in Troy, far from his native land, and eventually he was killed after Paris shot a poison arrow guided by apollo, the ancient version of guided missiles if you like. Achilles's mother, Thetis, had wanted to make her son immortal, and when e was a baby she had taken him down into the Underworld and dipped him into the waters of the River Styx; this made his body impervious* to injury, except for the heel by which she held him, and it was here that the arrow struck The judgment of Achilles' Armor and the suicide of ajax With the hero fallen, a great battle ensued* between both parties to secure his body. Among the chaos, Ajax the great held back the Trojans, while Odysseus carried the body away. When Achilles armor was offered to the smartest warrior, the two that d his body becam undertake the invidious duty of deciding between the two competitors, referred the dispute to the decision of the Trojan prisoners, inquiring of them which of the two heroes had done most harm to the Trojan prisoners. alternatively, following Nestors advice, spies were sent to the walls to overhear what was said. a girl said that ajax was braver. Anyway, the arms were awarded to Odysseus. Driven mad with grief, Ajax desired to kill his comrades, but under the influence of a spell- from Athena he stumbled upon"a flock of sheep and slaughtered them, believing them to be Agamemnon and Menelaus. In the morning. he came to his senses and with diminished honor decided that he preferred to kill himself rather than to live in shame Neoptolemus, Philoctetes, and the Trojan Palladium The war protracted for some more time with losses on both sides. Then it was revealed to the greeks that there were three conditions for the capture of Troy: the presence of Achilles's son Neoptolemus, the acquisition of Heracles's bow, and that of the Trojan Palladium". The first condition was easily met when the guileful and eloquent Odysseus went to seek out Neoptolemus hiding out pal father. Heracles's bow was now in the possession of Philoctetes, son of Poias, who lit the pyre for Heracles when the hero promised him his bow and poison arrows Philoctetes had also answered the call of Agamemnon to join the Trojan expedition, but en route he was bitten by a snake. His wound would not heal and the stench# was such that the greeks decided to leave him behind on the island of lemnos In due time Odysseus and Neoptolemus came back and succeeded in inviting him to Troy. It was a poisoned arrow shot by Philoctetes that killed Paris. The Trojan Palladium was a sacre d image of Pallas Athena, which Zeus shot down from heaven to Dardanus, the founder of Troy. Diomedes and Odysseus disguised themselves as beggars and stole it out of Troy The Trojan Horse Trojan life went on as usual behind their impregnable" walls despite all the fuss made by the greeks. Then there came the day when the ruse of the Wooden Horse was suggested. It said to be the brainchild of Odysseus, while the craftsman responsible for its manufacture was Epeios. When it was built, a party of the boldest Greeks climbed into it, including Odysseus himself and Neoptolemus, son of achilles The rest of the Greek force burnt their huts and set sail, but they went only as far as the island if Tenedos, where they beached their ships and waited. The Trojans
69 was fated to die in Troy, far from his native land, and eventually he was killed after Paris shot a poison arrow guided by Apollo, the ancient version of guided missiles if you like. Achilles’s mother, Thetis, had wanted to make her son immortal, and when he was a baby she had taken him down into the Underworld and dipped him into the waters of the River Styx; this made his body impervious41 to injury, except for the heel by which she held him, and it was here that the arrow struck. The Judgment of Achilles’ Armor and the Suicide of Ajax With the hero fallen, a great battle ensued42 between both parties to secure his body. Among the chaos, Ajax the Great held back the Trojans, while Odysseus carried the body away. When Achilles’ armor was offered to the smartest warrior, the two that had saved his body became competing candidates. Agamemnon, unwilling to undertake the invidious43 duty of deciding between the two competitors, referred the dispute to the decision of the Trojan prisoners, inquiring of them which of the two heroes had done most harm to the Trojan prisoners. Alternatively, following Nestor’s advice, spies were sent to the walls to overhear what was said. A girl said that Ajax was braver. Anyway, the arms were awarded to Odysseus. Driven mad with grief, Ajax desired to kill his comrades, but under the influence of a spell44 from Athena he stumbled upon45 a flock of sheep and slaughtered them, believing them to be Agamemnon and Menelaus. In the morning, he came to his senses and with diminished honor decided that he preferred to kill himself rather than to live in shame. Neoptolemus, Philoctetes, and the Trojan Palladium The war protracted46 for some more time with losses on both sides. Then it was revealed to the Greeks that there were three conditions for the capture of Troy: the presence of Achilles’s son Neoptolemus, the acquisition of Heracles’s bow, and that of the Trojan Palladium47. The first condition was easily met when the guileful and eloquent Odysseus went to seek out Neoptolemus hiding out in the same palace as his father. Heracles’s bow was now in the possession of Philoctetes, son of Poias, who lit the pyre for Heracles when the hero promised him his bow and poison arrows. Philoctetes had also answered the call of Agamemnon to join the Trojan expedition, but en route he was bitten by a snake. His wound would not heal and the stench48 was such that the Greeks decided to leave him behind on the island of Lemnos. In due time, Odysseus and Neoptolemus came back and succeeded in inviting him to Troy. It was a poisoned arrow shot by Philoctetes that killed Paris. The Trojan Palladium was a sacred image of Pallas Athena, which Zeus shot down from heaven to Dardanus, the founder of Troy. Diomedes and Odysseus disguised themselves as beggars and stole it out of Troy. The Trojan Horse Trojan life went on as usual behind their impregnable49 walls despite all the fuss made by the Greeks. Then there came the day when the ruse50 of the Wooden Horse was suggested. It said to be the brainchild of Odysseus, while the craftsman responsible for its manufacture was Epeios. When it was built, a party of the boldest Greeks climbed into it, including Odysseus himself and Neoptolemus, son of Achilles. The rest of the Greek force burnt their huts and set sail, but they went only as far as the island if Tenedos, where they beached their ships and waited. The Trojans
scarcely daring to believe that the greeks had sailed for home, scattered over the plain, marveling at the Horse and reminding each other of where the Greek camp had been Soon some shepherds came across a single Greek who had been left behind, Sinon who told them that his compatriots" had wanted to sacrifice him in order to acquire a favorable breeze for their journey; he had with difficulty escaped his chains. This story aroused the compassion of the Trojans, so that they were well disposed to believe the rest of his account He said that the that Athena had turned against them had decided to sail home and attempt to regain the divine their expedition ed. The had made the horse to I propitiateAthena, and they had deliberately made it large in order that the trojans would not be able to take it within their walls. If the horse did enter Troy, the city could never be taken; if it stayed outside, the greeks would definitely return and raze the city to the ground a few of the Trojans mistrusted the horse and were reluctant to bring it within heir walls. Priam's prophetic daughter Cassandra, whose fate it was never to have her prophecies believed, warned of the death and destruction its entry into Troy would bring. And Laocoon, the priest of Poseidon, cast his spear against the flanks of the Horse, which resounded with the clang of armed men, and declared that he feared the Greeks, even when they brought gifts. But as he was pre a sacrifice to the god he served, two great serpents came up from the sea and strangled first his two young sons and then Laocoon himself, before gliding on to take refuge under the altar of Athena. Upon this omen the Trojans hesitated no more, but proceeded to drag the great Horse within their walls, pulling down their fortifications in order to do so. Even then, the hiding place of the greek heroes might have been discovered, for Helen took it into her head to come down to the horse. and walking round it to call out the names of the Greek heroes, mimicking the voice of each man's wife. Some were tempted to reply, and only Odysseus had the presence of mind to stifle" their voices The Sack of Troy When darkness fell, the treacherous Sinon signaled to the fleet at Tenedos, which returned silently to its old anchorage, Sinon also released the heroes from theil confinement in the Horse, and the scene was set for the sack of Troy. As the greeks from the Horse were joined by their comrades from the ships, the Trojans awoke from sleep to find their city going up in flames. The men fought desperately, resolved at least to sell their lives dear, appalled by the sight of their wives and children being dragged from their places of refuge to be either slaughtered or taken prisoner. Most pitiable was the death of Priam, murdered at the altar in his courtyard by Neoptolemus 70
70 scarcely daring to believe that the Greeks had sailed for home, scattered over the plain, marveling at the Horse and reminding each other of where the Greek camp had been. Soon some shepherds came across a single Greek who had been left behind, Sinon, who told them that his compatriots51 had wanted to sacrifice him in order to acquire a favorable breeze for their journey; he had with difficulty escaped his chains. This story aroused the compassion of the Trojans, so that they were well disposed to believe the rest of his account. He said that the Greeks, believing that Athena had turned against them, had decided to sail home and attempt to regain the divine favor that their expedition had originally enjoyed. They had made the Horse to propitiate52 Athena, and they had deliberately made it large in order that the Trojans would not be able to take it within their walls. If the Horse did enter Troy, the city could never be taken; if it stayed outside, the Greeks would definitely return and raze53 the city to the ground. A few of the Trojans mistrusted the Horse and were reluctant to bring it within their walls. Priam’s prophetic daughter Cassandra, whose fate it was never to have her prophecies believed, warned of the death and destruction its entry into Troy would bring. And Laocoon, the priest of Poseidon, cast his spear against the flanks of the Horse, which resounded with the clang of armed men, and declared that he feared the Greeks, even when they brought gifts. But as he was preparing a sacrifice to the god he served, two great serpents came up from the sea and strangled54 first his two young sons and then Laocoon himself, before gliding on to take refuge under the altar of Athena. Upon this omen the Trojans hesitated no more, but proceeded to drag the great Horse within their walls, pulling down their fortifications in order to do so. Even then, the hiding place of the Greek heroes might have been discovered, for Helen took it into her head to come down to the Horse, and, walking round it, to call out the names of the Greek heroes, mimicking the voice of each man’s wife. Some were tempted to reply, and only Odysseus had the presence of mind55 to stifle56 their voices. The Sack of Troy When darkness fell, the treacherous Sinon signaled to the fleet at Tenedos, which returned silently to its old anchorage; Sinon also released the heroes from their confinement in the Horse, and the scene was set for the sack of Troy. As the Greeks from the Horse were joined by their comrades from the ships, the Trojans awoke from sleep to find their city going up in flames. The men fought desperately, resolved at least to sell their lives dear, appalled57 by the sight of their wives and children being dragged from their places of refuge to be either slaughtered or taken prisoner. Most pitiable was the death of Priam, murdered at the altar in his courtyard by Neoptolemus