Ethiopians
Trojan War- a legendary war, tales of which were widespread among the Greek people even before the composition of the Homeric epic: the author of the first rhapsody of the Iliad assumes in his listeners a detailed acquaintance with the cycle of these tales and expects that Achilles, Atreus, Odysseus, Ajax the Great, Ajax Small, Hector are already familiar to them.
Scattered parts of this legend belong to different centuries and authors and represent a chaotic mixture in which historical truth connected with myth by invisible threads. Over time, the desire to arouse the interest of listeners with the novelty of the plot prompted poets to introduce more and more new heroes into their favorite tales: from the heroes of the Iliad and Odyssey, Aeneas, Sarpedon, Glaucus, Diomedes, Odysseus and many minor ones characters, according to some hypotheses, are completely alien to the most ancient version of the Trojan legend. A number of other heroic personalities were introduced into the legends about the battles of Troy, such as the Amazon Penthesilea, Memnon, Telephus, Neoptolemus and others.
The most fully preserved account of the events of the Trojan War is contained in two poems - the Iliad and the Odyssey: the Trojan heroes and the events of the Trojan War owe their fame mainly to these two poems. Homer gives the reason for war to the quasi historical fact Elena's kidnapping.
Dating [ | ]
The dating of the Trojan War is controversial, but most researchers place it at the turn of the 13th-12th centuries. BC e. The question remains controversial about the “Sea Peoples” - whether they became the cause of the Trojan War or, conversely, their movement was caused by the results of the Trojan War.
Before the war [ | ]
See also Cypria
Judgment of Paris Juan de Juanes
According to the ancient Greek epic, at the wedding of the hero Peleus and the Nereid Thetis, whose unborn son the goddess of justice Themis predicted that he would surpass his father, everyone came olympian gods, except for the goddess of discord Eris; having not received an invitation, the latter threw among the feasting people the golden apple of the Hesperides with the inscription: “To the most beautiful”; a dispute over this title ensued between the goddesses Hera, Pallas Athena and Aphrodite. They asked Zeus to judge them. But he did not want to give preference to any of them, because he considered his daughter Aphrodite the most beautiful, but Hera was his reigning wife and sister, and Athena was his daughter. Then he gave court to the son of King Priam of Troy - Paris, who was considered the most handsome man.
Paris gave preference to the goddess of love, because she promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus Helen. Paris sailed to Sparta on a ship built by Phercles. Menelaus warmly received the guest, but was forced to sail to Crete to bury his grandfather Catreus. Aphrodite fell in love with Helen and Paris, and she sailed with him, taking with her the treasures of Menelaus and the slaves Ephra and Clymene. On the way they visited Sidon.
The abduction of Helen was the closest pretext to declaring war on the people of Paris. Deciding to take revenge on the offender, Menelaus and his brother King Agamemnon (Atrides) of Mycenae travel around the Greek kings and persuade them to participate in the campaign against the Trojans. This consent was given by the leaders of the individual nations by virtue of the oath to which Helen's father, Tyndareus, had previously bound them. Agamemnon was recognized as the commander-in-chief of the expedition; after him, a privileged position in the army was occupied by Menelaus, Achilles, two Ajaxes (the son of Telamon and the son of Oileus), Teucer, Nestor, Odysseus, Diomedes, Idomeneo, Philoctetes and Palamedes.
Not everyone willingly took part in the war. Odysseus tried to evade by pretending to be mad, but Palamedes exposed him. Kinir did not become an ally of the Greeks. Pemander and Teutis did not participate in the campaign. Thetis tries to hide her son with Lycomedes on Skyros, but Odysseus finds him, and Achilles willingly joins the army. Lycomedes' daughter Deidamia gives birth to Achilles' son Neoptolemus.
The army, consisting of 100,000 soldiers and 1,186 ships, gathered in Aulis harbor (in Boeotia, along the strait separating Euboea from the Greek mainland).
Here, during the sacrifice, a snake crawled out from under the altar, climbed a tree and, having devoured a brood of 8 sparrows and a female sparrow, turned to stone. One of the fortunetellers who was with the army, Kalkhant, deduced from here that the upcoming war would last nine years and end in the tenth year with the capture of Troy.
Start of the war [ | ]
Agamemnon ordered the army to board ships and reached Asia. The Greeks landed in Mysia by mistake. There a battle took place in which Thersander was killed by Telephus, but Telephus himself was seriously wounded by Achilles, and his army was defeated.
Then, having been carried by a storm from the coast of Asia Minor, the Achaeans again arrived in Aulis and from there they sailed to Troy for the second time after sacrificing the daughter of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis ( last episode Not mentioned by Homer). Telephus, who arrived in Greece, showed the sea route to the Achaeans and was healed by Achilles.
Landing on Tenedos, the Greeks capture the island. Achilles kills Tenes. When the Greeks were making sacrifices to the gods, Philoctetes was bitten by a snake. He is left on a deserted island.
The landing in Troas ended successfully only after Achilles killed the king of the Troasian city of Colon, Cycnus, who came to the aid of the Trojans. Protesilaus, the first of the Achaeans to land, was killed by Hector.
When the Greek army was encamped on the Trojan Plain, Odysseus and Menelaus went to the city to negotiate the extradition of Helen and the reconciliation of the warring parties. Despite the desire of Helen herself and Antenor’s advice to end the matter with reconciliation, the Trojans refused the Greeks to satisfy their demand. The number of Trojans commanded by Hector less number Greeks, and although they have strong and numerous allies on their side (Aeneas, Glaucus, etc.), but, fearing Achilles, they do not dare to give a decisive battle.
On the other hand, the Achaeans cannot take a well-fortified and defended city and limit themselves to devastating the surrounding area and, under the command of Achilles, undertaking more or less distant campaigns against neighboring cities to obtain provisions.
In the battle, the son of Tydeus Diomedes, led by Athena, performs miracles of courage and even wounds Aphrodite and Ares (5 rapes). Menelaus kills Pylemenes, but Sarpedon slays the king of Rhodes, Tlepolemus.
Intending to engage in single combat with the Lycian Glaucus, Diomedes recognizes him as an old guest and friend: having mutually exchanged weapons, the opponents disperse (6 rapes).
The day ends with an indecisive duel between Hector, who returned to battle, and Ajax Telamonides. During the truce concluded by both sides, those killed are buried, and the Greeks, on the advice of Nestor, surround their camp with a ditch and rampart (7 rapes).
The battle begins again, but Zeus forbids the gods of Olympus to take part in it and predetermines that it should end in the defeat of the Greeks (8 rapes).
The next night, Agamemnon already begins to think about escaping from the walls of Troy, but the old and wise king of Pylos, Nestor, advises him to reconcile with Achilles. Attempts by ambassadors sent to Achilles for this purpose lead to nothing (9 rapes).
Meanwhile, Odysseus and Diomedes go out on reconnaissance, capture the Trojan spy Dolon and kill the Thracian king Res, who came to the aid of the Trojans (10 rapes).
The next day, Agamemnon pushes the Trojans back to the city walls, but he himself, Diomedes, Odysseus and other heroes leave the battle due to their wounds; The Greeks retreat beyond the walls of the camp (11 rapes), which the Trojans attack. The Greeks bravely resist, but Hector breaks the gate, and a crowd of Trojans freely enters the Greek camp (12 rapes).
Once again, the Greek heroes, especially both Ajax and the king of Crete Idomeneo, with the help of the god Poseidon, successfully push back the Trojans, and Idomeneo kills Asia, Ajax Telamonides throws Hector to the ground with a stone; however, Hector soon reappears on the battlefield, filled with strength and strength, which, by order of Zeus, Apollo instilled in him (13 rapes). The Trojan Deiphobus kills Ascalaphus, and Hector kills Amphimachus, while Polydamas (14 rapes) kills Profoenorus.
Poseidon is forced to leave the Greeks to their fate; they again retire to the ships, which Ajax tries in vain to protect from the attack of the enemies (15 rapes). The Trojans attack: Agenor kills Clonius, and Medont is struck down by Aeneas.
When the leading ship is already engulfed in flames, Achilles, yielding to the requests of his favorite Patroclus, equips him for battle, placing his own weapons at his disposal. The Trojans, believing that Achilles himself is in front of them, flee; Patroclus pursues them to the city wall and kills many enemies, including Pyrekhmus and the brave Sarpedon, whose body the Trojans recapture only after a fierce struggle. Finally, Hector, with the assistance of the archer Apollo, kills Patroclus himself (16 rapes); the weapon of Achilles goes to the winner (17 rapes). In the struggle for the body of Patroclus, Ajax Telamonides kills Hippophous and Phorcys, and Menelaus defeats Euphorbus. The Achaean Schedius dies at the hands of Hector.
Achilles, suppressed by personal grief, repents of his anger, reconciles with King Agamemnon and the next day, armed with new shiny armor made for him by the god of fire Hephaestus at the request of Thetis (18 rape), enters the battle with the Trojans. Many of them die, including Asteropeus and the main hope of the Trojans - Hector (19-22 rhapsody).
With the burial of Patroclus, the celebration of the funeral games arranged in honor of his, the return of Hector's body to Priam, the burial of the main defender of Troy and the establishment of a 12-day truce for this last purpose, the events that make up the content of the Iliad end.
The final stage of the war[ | ]
Trojan horse, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
Immediately after the death of Hector, the Amazons come to the aid of the Trojans; soon in the battle their queen Penthesilea kills Podarcus, but she herself dies at the hands of Achilles.
Then an army of Ethiopians comes to the aid of the Trojans. Their king Memnon, the son of the dawn goddess Eos, bravely fights and kills Achilles' friend Antilochus. Avenging him, Achilles kills Memnon in a duel.
A quarrel arises between Achilles and Odysseus, and the latter declares that Troy can be taken by cunning and not by valor. Soon after this, Achilles, while trying to get into the city through the Scaean Gate, or, according to another legend, during the marriage with Priam's daughter Polyxena in the temple of Fimbrean Apollo, dies from an arrow from Paris, directed by the Olympian deity. After the funeral of his son, Thetis offers to give his weapon as a reward to the most worthy of the Greek heroes: Odysseus turns out to be the chosen one; his rival, Ajax Telamonides, offended by the preference given to the other, commits suicide after exterminating a herd of animals.
These losses on the part of the Greeks are balanced by the hardships that then befall the Trojans. Priamid Gelen, who lived in the Greek army as a prisoner, announces that Troy will be taken only if the arrows of Hercules, which were owned by Hercules' heir Philoctetes, are brought and the young son of Achilles arrives from the island of Skyros. Specially equipped ambassadors bring Philoctetes with his bow and arrows from the island of Lemnos, and Neoptolemus from the island of Skyros.
After the destruction of Troy, the sons of Atreus Agamemnon and Menelaus, contrary to custom, in the evening call the drunken Greeks to a meeting, at which half of the army with Menelaus speaks out for immediate departure to their homeland, while the other half, with Agamemnon at the head, prefers to stay for a while to appease Athena, enraged by the sacrilege of Ajax Oilidas, who raped Cassandra during the capture of the city. As a result, the army sails in two parties.
Allegorical biblical and philosophical interpretation[ | ]
In addition to the historical explanation of the legends about the Trojan War, there were attempts to interpret Homer allegorically: the capture of Troy was not recognized as an event from history ancient Greece, and an allegory invented by the poet to other historical events. This category of Homeric critics includes the Dutchman Gerard Kruse, who saw in Homer’s “Odyssey” a symbolic picture of the wanderings of the Jewish people during the time of the patriarchs, before the death of Moses, and in the “Iliad” - a picture of the later destinies of the same people, namely, the struggle for the XVII and XVIII V. attempts to explain the tales of the Trojan War in the spirit of euhemerism: Homer’s heroes were seen as personifications of ethical, physical, astronomical and even alchemical principles.
With the advent of "Prolegomena" Fr.-Aug. Wolf in the city, new techniques arise in the study of the historical basis of the epic, the laws of the development of myths, heroic tales and folk poetry, the foundations are being created historical criticism. This includes, first of all, the works of philologists and mythologists Heine, Kreuser, Max Müller, K. O. Müller and others (according to the views of the latter, myths provide the personification of natural, social, state and folk life; their content is the ancient local and tribal history of Hellas, expressed in the form of personal events and individual phenomena).
Attribution of events to the history of other regions[ | ]
According to Rückert (1829), the exploits of the Pelopids and Aeacides were invented with the aim of glorifying their descendants who colonized Aeolis; but although all the heroes of the story are mythical figures, however, Troy is a historical city, and the Trojan War is a historical fact. True heroes Of the Trojan War were the Aeolian colonists of Lesbos and Cyme, as well as emigrants from the Peloponnesian Achaeans: they transferred this historical fact to their mythical ancestors and elevated it to a Panhellenic event.
The same idea is expressed in the study of Völker, according to whom, the settlers arrived in Asia Minor in two movements, with the Thessalian colonists represented by Achilles, the Peloponnesian-Achaean ones by Agamemnon and Menelaus, and in Uschold’s work “Geschichte des troianischen Krieges”.
According to E. Curtius, the Trojan War represents a clash between Thessalian and Achaean settlers and the natives in Asia Minor, which ended, after a long struggle, with the Hellenization of the country. In this struggle of conquest, the Greeks were inspired by stories about the heroic exploits of their ancestors - Atrides and Achilles, on whom the events of the struggle itself were transferred.
The theories of Duncker, Willamowitz-Mellendorff, Eduard Meyer, Poehlmann, Kauer and others, in general, adhere to this view, differing from each other in particulars. Currently in modern science The opinion has become established that the historical core of the Trojan legends is Aeolian colonization. Although Homer does not mention a single word about the Aeolians, they, the nameless descendants of Agamemnon and Achilles, actually fought to conquer the northwestern coast of Asia Minor, and for not 10 years, but two or three centuries.
Most philologists began and mid-19th V. on the issue of historical basis Trojan legends tried to stay closer to the data of the epic and ancient literature and saw in the Trojan War a large naval expedition undertaken, under the command of mainly Peloponnesian kings, from Greece to Asia Minor. This includes K. O. Muller 1184 BC. e. (the date to which Alexandrian scientists dated the capture of Troy). Just as in the tale of the Nibelungen historical elements are inseparably linked with mythological ideas, so in the tale of the Trojan War completely disparate elements are intertwined with each other. Many heroes were introduced into the tale of the Trojan War later, from other tales; some persons (Ayant, Hector) are invented by poets. The tale of the abduction of Helen is of mythological origin; this myth was combined with the legend about the campaign of the Peloponnesian rulers, under the command of the Mycenaean king, against Troy. Finally, as a third element, the story of the Trojan War included the legend of the Aeolian hero Achilles, which was not directly related to the content of the songs about the Trojan campaign. Thus, the legend of the Trojan War itself, according to Meyer, is not of Aeolian origin: Aeolian elements entered it later, when it had already taken shape, and the legend of Achilles reflected memories of the struggle with which the Aeolians colonized the northwestern coast of Asia Minor.
According to Cauer, the Trojan War is nothing more than a disguised struggle of the Aeolian colonizers with the inhabitants of the northwestern part of Asia Minor, and the legend of a ten-year siege and the silence of the Homeric Iliad about the capture of Troy indicate that in reality the colonialists for a long time did not manage to take possession of an alien country . Due to the importance of Aeolian culture (the first religious ideas arose in Aeolia, Mount Olympus was located here, the Muses, Centaurs, Thetis, Peleus, Achilles belong to Aeolia), the beginnings of the epic could have arisen in Aeolia, and the colonialists brought ready-made epic material with them to Asia Minor . As for those elements of the legend that are generally considered Ionian (Agamemnon, the Achaeans, Argives, Nestor are all recognized as Peloponnesians and Ionians), then, according to Kauer, these elements are also of Aeolian origin: the Achaeans are nothing more than a Thessalian tribe that spoke -Aeolian, the Argives are residents of Thessalian, not Peloponnesian Argos, Agamemnon is not a Peloponnesian, but a Thessalian king, later transferred to the Peloponnese (to Mycenae) by Ionian singers, who adopted the treasury of their folk tales from the Aeolians. The possibility of Agamemnon's Thessalian origin is confirmed by the data of the epic: thus, the movement of the Greek army begins from Aulis; Only Thessalian Argos could rightfully be called “horse-rich Argos”; Hellas, mentioned together with Argos, was located next to Phthiotis in Thessaly. Nestor is also a Thessalian hero: his belonging to the Aeolian tribe is proven by the fact that his father Neleus was the son of Enipeus (the river of Thessaly) and the brother of the Iolk king Pelias, and the form of Nestor’s patronymic name - Νηλήϊος - belongs to the Aeolian dialect. The mentioned colonization of the northwestern coast of Asia Minor by the Aeolians, according to Cauer, ended during the last three centuries of the second millennium BC. e.
The cause of the Trojan War seems to be known even to a schoolchild, but it is still necessary to say a few words about it. And it’s worth starting with the wedding of Thetis, the sea goddess and the hero Peleus. Almost all the gods were invited to this wedding, with one small exception: they decided not to invite Eris, the goddess of discord. And, quite naturally, she was offended by this turn of events. Eris was famous for her cruel jokes, and this time she did not deviate from her habits. On festive table she threw it on which was written “The most beautiful.”
Three goddesses claimed this title: Athena, Aphrodite and Hera. And at the feast it was not possible to resolve their dispute. Then Zeus ordered Paris, the Trojan prince, son of Priam, to make a decision. The goddesses approached him when he was tending sheep outside the city walls and asked for help, while each of the goddesses promised Paris one or another reward for the “right” choice. Hera promised Paris power over Asia, Athena - military glory and Aphrodite is love the most beautiful woman, Elena.
It is quite predictable that Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful. Helen was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris arrived in Sparta and, disregarding the laws of hospitality, took Helen with him, along with slaves and treasures kept in the palace. Having learned about this, Menelaus turned to his brother, Mycenae, for help. Together they gathered an army, which was joined by all the kings and princes who had once wooed Helen and swore to defend her and her honor.
Thus began the Trojan War. The invaders failed to take the city quickly, since it was very well defended. The siege dragged on for 9 long years, but we know in most detail the events of the last year, 10. Changes begin from the moment Agamemnon takes his captive, Briseis, from Achilles. She was a priestess in the temple of Apollo and had to be brought back to avoid the god's wrath. Achilles was offended and refused to take part in further hostilities.
From that moment on, military luck turned away from the Greeks. No amount of persuasion helped; Achilles was firm in his decision. Only after the Trojans broke into the camp and set fire to one of the ships, Achilles allowed his friend, Patroclus, to change into his armor and lead a detachment of his warriors. They drove off the Trojans, but their leader, Priam's eldest son, Hectares, killed Patroclus.
This event infuriated Achilles, and he, having reconciled with Agamemnon, set out to take revenge on the offender. He was so enraged that after killing Hector, he tied his corpse to a chariot and drove it around the city several times. And soon after this, the hero himself found his death.
It was almost impossible to kill Achilles; the fact is that immediately after birth, his mother dipped him into a source, which made him invulnerable. But while dipping, she held him by the heel. Apollo suggested to Paris that Achilles should be hit in the heel.
After his death, the Greeks began to divide his armor; two heroes laid claim to it: Odysseus and Ajax. As a result, the armor went to the first, and then Ajax killed himself. Thus, the Greek army lost two heroes at once. The Trojan War has reached a new turning point. To swing the scales in their direction again, the Greeks called for help from two other heroes: Philoctetes and Neoptolemus. They killed the two remaining leaders of the Trojan army, after which the latter stopped going out to fight in the field. It was possible to keep the city under siege for a very long time, and therefore Odysseus, famous for his cunning, proposed to deceive the inhabitants of Troy. He proposed to build a huge horse out of wood and bring it as a gift to the besieged city, and pretend to swim away. The Greeks burned the tent camp, boarded their ships and sailed beyond the nearest cape.
The Trojans decided to drag a horse into the city, not suspecting that they were hiding in its belly. best wars Greeks The priest Laocoon warned the inhabitants, anticipating trouble, but no one listened to him. The horse did not pass through the gate and the Trojans dismantled part of the wall. At night, the wars got out of the horse’s belly and let the returning Greeks into the city. They killed all the men and took the women and children captive. Thus ended the Trojan War.
We learned most of the information about this event from the poem “The Iliad,” the authorship of which is attributed to Homer. However, it has now been reliably established that, in fact, it is Greek folk epic which was told to city residents local singers, Aeds, and Homer was either the most famous of the Aeds, or simply collected different passages into one whole.
For a long time, the Trojan War was considered a myth, a beautiful fairy tale, but nothing more. In particular, the reason for this was that it was unknown, which made it possible to assume, did not exist at all.
But then archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found the ruins of Troy. Then it became clear that the Trojan War, the story of which is told in the Iliad, actually happened.
The structure and nature of Homer's narrative about the war between the Greeks and the Trojans is such that it is not the military actions and those behind them that are in the foreground. political reasons, but the actions of individuals. The heroes of the Trojan War are driving force of the described events, their anger, joy, courage, valor and other feelings and qualities, combined with the intrigues of the Olympian gods.
Homer mentions great amount The characters are primarily from the Greek side (although the Trojans are not deprived of attention), they are interconnected by an intricacy of motives and actions.
Achilles is the most powerful, famous and most beloved Greek hero by the author and readers. According to mythology, he is the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and the sea goddess Thetis. Mother tried to early childhood make his son immortal by dipping him into the magical river Styx, which separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. But at the same time, Thetis held her newborn son by the heel, thereby leaving the only place on his body vulnerable to weapons.
In his youth, Achilles did not perform great feats, but his reputation as a formidable warrior was high. By cunning, the Greeks convinced him to join the campaign against Troy (his mother was against it, knowing the prophecy about his death), during which he performed many feats. In the tenth year of the siege of Troy, he quarreled with Agamemnon over the captured captive Briseis. After the girl was taken to Agamemnon, Achilles became angry and refused to continue fighting. Returned to duty only after Hector killed him best friend Patroclus.
Achilles killed Hector under the walls of Troy, but he himself fell shortly before the capture of the city. He was struck in the heel by Paris, Hector's brother; According to another version, the arrow of Paris was directed by the sun god Apollo.
Patroclus
Patroclus is a distant relative and childhood friend of Achilles, who was raised with him. It is curious that in Western culture Patroclus was perceived as the younger friend of Achilles, which was reflected in the Hollywood film “Troy” (2004). Actually from Greek mythology it follows that Patroclus was older than Achilles, and quite significantly.
During the war, Patroclus was always a faithful ally of Achilles and accompanied him in all battles, even if it threatened him with death. After Achilles' quarrel with Agamemnon, Patroclus also refused to fight out of solidarity, but at a critical moment he entered the battle, wearing his friend's armor. The Greeks, encouraged by him, almost won, but at that moment Hector struck Patroclus.
Odysseus is the king of the island of Ithaca, one of the main characters of the Iliad and main character"Odyssey". Not being the most powerful warrior of the Greeks, but possessing outstanding cunning, tactical and strategic thinking, he played decisive role in the victory over Troy 
. Initially, he did not want to go to war, as he received a prediction that he would return to native home to his beloved wife and newborn son only 20 years later. He pretended to be insane, but was forced to admit his incapacity in the face of a threat to his son’s life.
In the Iliad, he constantly appears as the most cunning and even insidious of the Greeks, whose tricks served them great service. Thus, the Greeks did not dare to land on the shores of the Troas because of the prediction of the inevitable death of the first to set foot on Asian soil. Odysseus jumped from the ship to entice the others, but not before throwing his shield at his feet. Thus, instead of him, another warrior was the first to touch the Asian shore. It was Odysseus who invented the Trojan Horse, a ruse that allowed the Greeks to capture Troy.
Ajax the Great (Telamonides) and Ajax the Lesser (Oilides) are two Greek heroes who were inseparable friends; the expression “two Ajaxes” later became synonymous with strong male friendship. Ajax Telamonides was the most skillful and courageous warrior of the Greeks after Achilles, described as mighty A tall man, virtually invincible in battle. At the same time, he was in highest degree a vain man: after the armor of the deceased Achilles was awarded to Odysseus, he fell into a rage, destroyed a herd of rams, which he angrily mistook for the Greek leaders who had insulted him, and then committed suicide.
Ajax the Small, who received his nickname due to his more modest dimensions compared to Telamonides, was a virtuoso javelin thrower and runner, and at the same time also had a violent disposition. During the assault on Troy, he overtook Cassandra in the temple, who was seeking protection from the statue of Athena, and raped her. For this he was killed by the gods during the sea return to his homeland.
Agamemnon - King of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War. He was the first to support his brother, the Spartan king Menelaus, in his desire to go to Troy and destroy it. At the head of a hundred ships he was the most powerful of the military leaders of the Greeks. It's interesting that this character has a real historical prototype: Hittite sources of the 14th century BC mention King Akaganus from the country of Ahiyava.
The fate of Agamemnon was tragic: upon returning from the Trojan campaign with Cassandra as booty, he was killed by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover, who seized power. At the end of the century before last, the amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, while excavating Mycenae, discovered royal burials with golden funeral masks, one of which he hastened to solemnly declare the mask of Agamemnon. In fact, these masks date back to earlier historical era and are not associated with Agamemnon from the Homeric epic.
Menelaus is the king of Sparta, one of the most important characters not only in the Homeric epic, but throughout ancient greek mythology. IN modern interpretation is in the background and plays a subordinate role in relation to more bright characters- Agamemnon, Achilles and others. By and large, he was relegated to the type of a deceived husband - it was the betrayal of his wife Helen the Beautiful with the Trojan prince Paris that became the formal cause of the entire war.
Menelaus and Odysseus first went to Troy on a peaceful embassy demanding the return of Helen, but were ridiculed. He gathered an army together with Agamemnon and played an active role in the siege of Troy. IN ancient times was much more important character, since then a poem about the ten-year wanderings of Menelaus after the war in the East and Egypt, which has not survived to this day, was popular. It was an epoch-making story of a long and dangerous return home, modeled after the Odyssey. After the long-awaited return to Sparta, he ruled together with Helen, returned from Troy, and died a natural death.
Nestor
Nestor is perhaps the most prosperous of all the primary Greek heroes of the Trojan War. The king of Pylos, distinguished by his courage on the battlefield, personal valor (in his youth he was one of the participants in Jason’s legendary campaign for the Golden Fleece), prudence and wisdom (the most far-sighted of the Greek leaders along with Odysseus), and also enjoyed general respect and authority. With the blessing of the gods, he was distinguished by longevity and lived three “standard” lives.
Despite participating in the Trojan War at an advanced age, he personally participated in the battles, as well as in the running competitions during the ceremonial funeral games during the siege. The only leader of the Greek campaign whose return home was calm and whose subsequent life was cloudless.
Alexander Babitsky
TROJAN WAR, HEROES OF THE TROJAN WAR
Many great heroes fought under the walls of Troy. The main military leaders on both sides are listed below.
Greeks:
Achilles Phthians, prince The greatest Greek warrior; killed by Paris
Agamemnon King of Argos High Leader: Brother of Menelaus
Ajax (1) Prince of Salai The greatest warrior, second in glory only to Achilles
Ajax (2) Locrian prince Agile runner and skilled javelin thrower
Calchas the Prophet of Megara The chief soothsayer of the Greeks
Prince Diomedes of Argos refused to fight with Glaucus after learning about the friendly relations of their families
Menelaus King of Sparta Husband of Helen adultery which was the reason for the start of the Trojan War
Nestor King of Pylos Elder and good storyteller
Odysseus King of Ithaca Chief Greek strategist; on his advice the Trojan Horse was built
Trojans and their allies:
Aeneas Trojan prince Son of Aphrodite, ancestor of the Romans
Glaucus the Lycian prince Military leader of the Lycians; killed by Ajax (1)
Hector Prince of Troy The greatest Trojan warrior; killed by Achilles
Prince Paris of Troy took Helen away, provoking a war
Priam King of Troy Father of Hector and Paris
Sarpedon King of Lycia Grandson of Zeus; killed by Patroclus
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TROJAN HORSE (Greek culture)
A hollow giant model of a horse, built by the Greeks (according to some sources - on the advice of Odysseus) to the destruction of the Trojans. The horse was placed under the walls of besieged Troy, and the Greek ships staged their sailing home. The Trojans brought the structure into the city, and under the cover of darkness, Greek warriors hiding in the belly of a wooden horse opened the gates to their fellow tribesmen. Thus, the victory of the Achaeans and the destruction of Troy were a foregone conclusion.
“WORKS AND DAYS” (Greek culture)
Poem by Hesiod (VIII-VII centuries BC). The poem is a kind of agricultural treatise and is replete with mythological images. The work begins with the author's address to his brother, where he discusses the advantages of intelligent farming, confirming his conclusions with numerous mythological examples.
HOLD (Germanic culture)
The giant who stole the hammer of the god Thor. As a ransom for the hammer, Thrym wanted to receive the hand of the great goddess Freya. Thor took on the guise of a goddess and went to the land of giants, Etunheim. During the wedding ceremony, a hammer was placed on the “bride’s” lap (a custom of Scandinavian peasants), Thor grabbed it, killed all the giants present, including the hero of the occasion, Thrym, and returned to the abode of the gods, Asgard.
TU (culture of Oceania)
Maori god of war, son of the earth goddess Papa and the sky god Rangi. According to the Maori creation legend, Tu was attacked by his own brother, the god of the elements, Tauhiri. However, none of the other brothers came to Tu's aid, and he quarreled with them. In revenge, Tu began to hunt down and kill fish and animals in the domains of Tangaroa and Tane and devour the descendants of Haumia and Rongo - wild plants. Tu possessed witchcraft knowledge that allowed him to control the offspring of his brothers: the weather, animals, plants and other material objects.
THYAPARA (Australian culture)
The man who became the moon, according to the mythology of the Tiwi people who lived on Melville and Bathurst Islands.
TYUR (German culture)
Scandinavian god, one of the celestials, aces. Tyr appears to be a later personification of the Germanic god Tiwaz and acts as a god of battle. Tyr was the only god who dared to bind the monstrous wolf Fenrir.
TIAN (Chinese culture)
"Heaven", the divine embodiment of the celestial spheres. Tian was considered the supreme deity until 1050-221. BC e. Later, his place was taken by the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven.
HUGARIT (Middle Eastern culture)
An ancient city in northeastern Syria that flourished from approximately 1500 to 1200 BC. e. During excavations carried out in the land of Canaan, many tablets were discovered that shed light on the religion and mythology of ancient Ugarit.
The Trojan War is one of the most famous wars of antiquity. After all, the interests of large states collided in it, and many famous heroes of that time also participated. The Trojan War is presented to us in the form of myths and legends, which requires painstaking analysis from historians to create a picture of those events.
Modern historians believe that the Trojan War took place between 1240 and 1230. BC. Although this date is very approximate. Myths say that the cause of the war was the abduction by Paris of Helen, who was married to the king of Sparta, Menelaus. Also, Paris, in addition to Helen, took part of the wealth from the Spartan king. This fact prompted Menelaus to go to war against Troy. The rest of the Greeks joined him, because during Helen’s marriage an agreement was drawn up that all applicants for her hand would protect Elena and her chosen one, and almost all the kings of Greece applied for her hand.
Another version of the start of the war sounds more plausible. Troy prevented the Greek peoples from trading with the rest of the world. She took a significant tax from their ships, and simply drowned those who were dissatisfied. The Greeks had to unite to protect their economic interests and go to war against Troy.
There were many disagreements between the Greeks; not everyone wanted to fight. The start of the war was very unfortunate. By mistake, instead of the shores of Troy, the Greeks landed in the region of Mysia, where Telephus, a king friendly to them, ruled. But not understanding this, they attacked his possessions. And only after a bloody battle the mistake was clear, and the army moved on to the goal. But new problems awaited them along the way. The storm scattered their ships across the sea, which significantly delayed their arrival at the target.
1,186 ships and about 100 thousand people reached the shores of Troy. The Trojans bravely defended their land. In this they were helped by allies and mercenaries, of whom there were a great many. Very little information has reached us about the first nine years of the war. After all, these events were described in the poem “Cypriada,” which, unfortunately, was lost. But from the myths and legends that have come down to us, it is known that during this period there were often conflicts between the Greeks, because some commanders wanted to leave this war and leave. Others wanted a continuation. Long-standing conflicts were also often recalled. During this period, Achilles occupied the leading role. He raided nearby cities, plundering them. Achilles destroyed about twenty cities near the coast and about eleven villages far from the coast.
During this period of time, a duel was held between Paris and Menelaus, in which Menelaus won. The defeated Paris had to give up Helen and pay tribute. The war must be over. But this did not suit the rest of the Greeks. They wanted the war to continue and Troy to be destroyed.
The continuation of the war was very unsuccessful. The Greeks were often driven back to their fortifications. Their ships were burned. And only thanks a large number soldiers, they held their positions. Many died in battles famous heroes of those times, such as Achilles, Patroclus and many others.
All these failures forced the Greeks to resort to cunning. Master Epeus built a giant wooden horse. It was left nearby near the walls, and the best Greek warriors hid in it. At this time, the main Greek forces burned their camp and sailed to sea, making it clear that the war was over. The Trojans, having discovered a wooden horse, thought that it was a gift from the gods for their victory over the Greeks and dragged it into the city. In honor of the victory, they threw a feast, the guards lost their vigilance. At midnight the Greeks emerged from their shelter, gave a signal to their ships and opened the gates.
The Greek army poured into the sleeping city like an avalanche; the defenders could do nothing to save the city. For about two days the Greeks sacked Troy. The inhabitants were killed or taken into slavery, and the city itself was burned to the ground.