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©David Claudon, 2001



Achilles' armor became one of the prizes
fought over in The Iliad.


"Zeus--god of greatness, god of glory, all you immortals! Whichever contenders trample on this treaty first, spill their brains on the ground as this wine spills--theirs, their children's too--their enemies rape their wives!"

But Zeus would not fulfill their prayers, not yet. . . (Book 3: 352-357)

Important Characters

THE ACHAEANS
also called Danaans/Argives

"the long-haired Achaeans"
  • Achilles (Achilleus)..."brilliant," "swift runner," "blazing"
  • Agamemnon..."lord of men," "skilled breaker of horses," "field marshall," "flaring his great crimson cape"
  • Great Telamonian Ajax (Aias)... "like the giant god of battle," "bearing his huge body-shield like a rampart, heavy bronze over seven layers of oxhide"
  • Antilochos
  • Diomedes..."impetuous," "half the size of his father, and he was short and slight," "resolute," "staunch," "powerful," "lord of the war cry"
  • Idomeneus..."Cretan captain"
  • Menelaus (Menelaos)..."red-haired," "lord of the war cry"
  • Nestor..."the clear speaker of Pylos," "the seasoned charioteer"
  • Odysseus..."the raider of cities," "shorter than Agamemnon, but broader across the shoulders, through the chest," "trusty," "the great tactician"
  • Patroclus (Patroklos) ..."that gentle man, the soul of kindness to all"
  • Phoenix..."old charioteer," sent by Peleus to watch over Achilles
THE TROJANS
also called Dardanians

"stallion-breaking"
women with "long-flowing robes"
  • Andromache..."white-armed"
  • Aeneas (Aineias)..."counselor of the Trojans"
  • Antenor...Trojan counselor to Priam
  • Briseis..."in all her beauty"
  • Deiphobus (Deiphobos)
  • Hecuba (Hecabe)..."warm, goodhearted woman"
  • Hector (Hektor)..."the heart inside you is always tempered hard," "tall," "his flashing helmet," "firebrand"
  • Helen..."fair-haired," "of Argos," wears "glinting silver robes," "white-armed," "the radiance of women," "child of Zeus"
  • Paris (Alexandros)..."lithe," "the skin of a leopard slung across his shoulders, a reflex bow at his back and battle-sword at hip and brandishing two sharp spears tipped in bronze," "long flowing locks," "handsome," "magnificant as a god," "prince of beauty"
  • Priam..."noble"
  • Sarpedon..."heroic"
The Immortal Gods
  • Aphrodite..."golden," "long lithe neck, the smooth full breasts and the fire in those eyes"
  • Phoebus Apollo..."the Archer," "wolf-god," "lord of the silver bow," "lord of the golden sword"
  • Ares..."violent," "destroyer of men," "blazing"
  • Artemis
  • Hades
  • Hephaestus..."the Master Craftsman," "the famous crippled Smith," "immense hulk...shrunken legs," "burly arms,...massive neck and shaggy chest...."
  • Hera..."the Queen," "white-armed," "insatiable," "ox-eyed"
  • Hermes
  • Iris..."wind-quick messenger," "golden wings"
  • Pallas Athena..."grey-eyed," "flashing-eyes," "bright-eyed," "third-born of the gods," "like a shooting star," "the queen of plunder"
  • Poseidon
  • Thetis..."the Old Man of the Sea's daughter," "with glistening feet"
  • Xanthus...river god
  • Zeus..."father of men and gods," "thunder-shielded"

Geographical Names

To see a closeup, click on the map

  • Achaea (Achaia)...the land of the Achaeans
  • Argos...located just below Mycaene...where Helen came from
  • Dardanelles...the straight of water between the Aegean & the Marmara Sea
  • Hisarlik...modern name for Ilium
  • Mt. Ida...mountain south-east of Ilium, where Zeus watches the war
  • Ilium (also called Ilios or Troy), "windy," "well-built heights,"
  • Crete (Krete)
  • Mycenae (Mykenai)...city ruled by Agamemnon
  • Mt. Olympus (Olympos)...home of the gods
  • Sparta in Lacedaemon...city ruled by Menelaus

Terms & People

To see a travel view of Troy today, click here

  • The Epic Cycle
  • Aristos...being the best at whatever is called for by the situation
  • Aristeia...exploits which gain the warrior prestige
  • Arete...merit others bestow on you for your exploits
  • "Catalogue of Ships"...the listing of all the troops from Book 2
  • Diomedeia...Book 5
  • "in medias res"...epics begin "in the middle of things"
  • Heinrich Schliemann

 

| The Iliad of Homer: a Study Guide by David Claudon |

| The Odyssey by Homer: a Study Guide by David Claudon |

| Background | Cycle |
| Study Guide1 | Study Guide 2 |
| Study Guide 3 | Study Guide 4 |

This webpage created by David Claudon, 30 October 1998. Last update, October 17, 2003 .

[ Home ] [ Rich East ] [ The Cleopatra Costume ] [ Commedia dell'Arte ] [ Cyrano ] [ Dressing for Shakespeare ]
[ The Iliad ][ Decorating Forties Style ]
[ Decorating for a Fifties Christmas ] [ To Kill a Mockingbird ]
[
Who's Who in GLBT History ] [ Miniatures ] [ Paper Dolls ] [ Santa Collection ] [ Clarence ] [ St. Bernardine's Church ]