The Trojan War

Background

Jan 1, 1240

Troy was a city. Eris, the evil goddess of Discord, disrupted a marriage banquet by throwing a golden apple engraved with "For the Fairest". Goddesses fought over who deserved the apple, and the choice was narrowed down to Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena.

The Judgement of Paris

Jan 2, 1240

Zeus sent Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, goddesses, to Paris, who was from Troy, to choose who deserved the golden apple, or who was the fairest. All three goddesses tried to bribe Paris. Hera offered Paris power if he chose her to have the golden apple. Athena offered success in a battle against the Greeks, and Aphrodite offered the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris, who was somewhat shy, chose Aphrodite to have the apple.

Paris Abducts Helen

Jan 3, 1240

The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen, a daughter of Zeus. This was unfortunate because Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. All the Greek kings had at one point courted Helen. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, led Paris to Helen. Paris visited Menelaus and Helen and was welcomed as a guest. When Menelaus left for Crete, Paris betrayed Menelaus by kidnapping Helen. Menelaus returned, saw that Helen was gone, and called upon all Greece to fight against Troy.

Iphigenia is killed

Mar 2, 1240

The Greek army was about to sail to Troy, but the wind was blowing the wrong way making it difficult for the Greek Army to sail. Calchas, a Greek prophet, told the Greeks that they would need to sacrifice Agamemnon's, a Greek commander-in chief, daughter, Iphigenia, in order to calm the wind. Agamemnon accepted and Iphigenia was killed. Then the wind was calmed, and the Greek Army sailed to Troy with a thousand ships.

War went on for 9 years with neither the Greeks or Trojans gaining an advantage

Jan 1, 1249

Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel

Jan 2, 1249

A quarrel between Achilles, a great Greek warrior and Agamemnon, a Greek leader, finally broke the steadiness of the battle. Agamemnon kidnapped Chryseis, daughter of Apollo's priest. Apollo, a god, was angry at this and shot fiery arrows down onto the Greek Army. Agamemnon accepted to free Chryseis because it was the only way to stop Apollo's anger. Agamemnon then asked to have Briseis, Achilles' prize of honor, to replace Chryseis. Achilles accepted this but threatened Agamemnon.

Achilles withdraws

Jan 3, 1249

After accepting to have Briseis taken, Achilles promised to revenge upon Agagmemnon. Achilles' mother, Thetis, the sea nymph, came to Achilles. She too was angry and told Achilles to have nothing more to do with the Greeks, and she asked Zeus to make the Trojans win the war.

Paris fights Menelaus

Feb 2, 1249

Paris, a Trojan, then fought Menelaus, a Greek. Menelaus was supposed to win the fight but Aphrodite rescued Paris in the combat and took him back to Troy. After the duel, The Greeks and Trojans agreed to a truce. However, Hera wanted war until Troy was defeated. Therefore, Hera had Pandarus, a Trojan, break the truce and shoot an arrow at Menelaus. Pandarus wounded Menelaus. The Greeks were angry that the truce was violated, and they fought the Trojans. Many men were killed.

Zeus helps the Trojans

Feb 2, 1249

Zeus, who sided with the Trojans, knew that the Greeks needed Achilles, who had withdrawn, to win over the Trojans. So to make the Trojans successful, as he had promised Thetis, Zeus sent Agamemnon a lying dream that promised Agamemnon victory if he attacked. This made Agamemnon attack the next day. While this very tough battle was in action, Achilles stayed in his tent.

Diomedes fights Ares

Mar 2, 1249

Diomedes, a great Greek warrior, wanted to fight Hector, a great Trojan leader. However, Ares, the god of war, fought for Hector. Diomedes was scared of Ares and he ordered the Greeks to fall back. Yet, Hera urged and helped Diomedes to fight Ares, and Diomedes wounded him. Since Ares was out of battle, the Trojans began to to falter.

The Greeks lose a Battle

Mar 3, 1249

During a battle, Zeus remembered his promise to Thetis, Achilles' mother, to make the Trojans win. Zeus went down on earth to help the Trojans. The Greeks had trouble because Achilles had still not rejoined the Greek Army. Infact, the Trojans drove the Greeks back as far as almost to their ships.

Hera distracts Zeus

Apr 2, 1249

After a battle in which the Greeks were badly defeated, Hera, Zeus's wife, distracted Zeus from helping the Trojans by appearing to Zeus as extremely beautiful and by charming Zeus. Hera's help gave the Greeks an advantage. During this battle that was in favor of the Greeks, Ajax, a Greek, hurled Hector, a great Trojan leader, to the ground and Aeneas, a Trojan, carried him away. Since, Hector, a great Trojan warrior, no longer was battling, the Greeks were able to dominate for a while.

The Trojans come back in force

Jun 2, 1249

Zeus woke up during this battle and realized what had happened. He suspected Hera, but Hera put the blame on Poseidon. Zeus then ordered Poseidon (sided with the Greeks) to withdraw from the battlefield. This caused an advantage towards the Trojans. Apollo then revived Hector and the Trojans pushed the Greeks back against their ships.

Achilles rejoins the Greek Army

Jul 2, 1249

Achilles was upset about Patroclus' death. Patroclus was a very good friend of Achilles. Achilles decided to return to battle to revenge upon Hector, who killed Patroclus. Thetis gave Achilles armor made by Hephaestus. The Greek chieftains accepted to have Achilles lead the Greek army.

Achilles fights Hector

Sep 2, 1249

Hector fought with Achilles, who was aided by Athena. During the fight, Hector ran away from Achilles and ran around the walls of Troy three times. Hector stopped running around when Athena disguised herself as Hector's brother. Hector was deceived and he took Athena disguised as Hector's brother to be his ally. Hector later discovered that Athena was fooling him. Hector charged at Achilles, but Achilles killed Hector with his spear.

Prince Memnon dies

Apr 1, 1250

Prince Memnon assisted the Trojans with a large army which made the Greeks subject to severe attack. Achilles, a Greek, then killed Prince Memnon.

Achilles dies

Apr 4, 1250

Paris shot an arrow at Achilles only vulnerable spot, his heel (Thetis dipped all of Achilles' body except for his heel into the River Styx which made bodies invulnerable). As a result, Achilles died.

Ajax dies

May 1, 1250

Ajax, a great Greek warrior, felt disgraced when he was not chosen to have Achilles' armor. So, he wanted to kill some leaders of the Greek Army. Athena made Ajax insane and he killed several cattle thinking he was fighting the Greek Army. When Ajax came to his senses, he realized what he had done and killed himself.

Odysseus gives a plan

Jul 2, 1250

Odysseus came up with a plan to help the Greeks defeat Troy. The plan involved a wooden horse that could hide a number of men. The plan also involved the Greeks pretending to surrender, leaving a Greek behind to convince the Trojans to bring the horse into the city, and having the men inside the horse open the city gates for the rest of the Greek army outside of Troy. The plan went very well, and the Trojans believed that the Greeks had surrendered.

Sinon fools the Trojans

Jul 12, 1250

Sinon, the Greek left behind, acted as if he was a traitor to the Greeks. He told the Trojans a false story about why he was the only one left at the Greek camp. He even told the Trojans that the wooden horse had been made as an offering to Athena and that the reason for the immense size was to discourage the Trojans from bringing it into the city. Lacoon who opposed Sinon's words was killed by two snakes.With Lacoon's death nearly everyone accepted to have the horse brought into the city.

The Greeks attack

Aug 2, 1250

With the wooden horse within the city of Troy's gates, the Greeks in the horse poured out of the horse at night. They then opened the city gates for the rest of the Greek Army. Together they attacked Troy and lit the city on fire. Greeks and Trojans were killed, including King Priam, King of Troy. By morning, all the Trojan leaders were dead except for Aeneas, a Trojan, and women and children were separated and enslaved. Queen Hecuba and Andromache were chief amongst the women held captive.

Hector's son is killed

Aug 3, 1250

Andromache, Hector's wife, still had her son, Astyanax, but she was forced to give her son to the Greeks to be killed. The Greek soldiers killed Hector's son by throwing him down from a high wall of Troy. After Hector's son death, Troy was defeated.