The Trojan War (part 1)

The reality

• In 1275 BCE a city named ‘Illium’ on the northwest coast of modern Turkey is attacked and destroyed by a group of Greeks
• In 850 BCE, a blind poet from the area named Homer composes the epic poem the Iliad
• We know that Homer knew the area and that ruins were still uncovered in his time because his descriptions in poem match the archeology and topography
• Through the poem and other works, the Trojan War, the heroes in it and their journeys home take on the significance as the end of the golden age of heroes
• By why?
• Two possibilities
• Iron trade through the Hellespont from the Caucasus Mountains
• The Greeks were allies of the Hittite Empire and were given the territory to conquer because Troy and some other cities had broken away

Births and beginnings

• It’s Jupiter’s fault (as usual)
• He rapes a woman named Leda…  Who happens to be the queen of Sparta
• Since Jupiter was in the form of a swan at the time, she… Lays eggs
• Helen
• Clytemnestra
• Castor
• Pollex

Side note: To the Romans, Castor and Pollex were considered to be patrons of Rome as they were believed to have aided the Romans drive off the exiled king Tarquin and his allies.  The Temple of Castor and Pollex was also one of the locations for Senate meetings and trials

• Helen is the most beautiful woman in the world and EVERYONE wants to marry her
• Theseus of Athens even goes so far as try kidnapping her!
• But he gets pushed off a cliff, so no big deal
• All the suitors gather, all the kings and/or princes of Greece and there are threats, etc until Odysseus, king of Ithaca (who doesn’t want to be there anyway) proposes an oath:
• All the suitors must swear to defend Helen’s marriage and abide by her choice
• In exchange, Odysseus gets off the hook to marry Penelope (king of Sparta’s niece) and Helen chooses the one suitor not there, Menelaus—The younger brother of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae
• Menelaus sent Agamemnon as his representative because Agamemnon was going to marry Helen’s sister Clytemnestra
• Menelaus swore to sacrifice 100 oxen to Venus…  He forgets… 

Eris and Paris

• Jupiter (again) has discovered the identity of the woman who will bear the son to overthrow him: the sea nymph Thetis
• He arranges a marriage to Peleus, a minor king and all the gods are invited to the wedding
• At the wedding, the goddess Eris (Roman name: Discordia) throws an apple into the crowd with “to the fairest” written on it—Venus, Juno and Minerva all claim it
• To solve the problem, Jupiter sends them to ask a mortal—Paris
• Paris is a prince of Troy who is living in exile (and unaware of his heritage) because of a prophecy he would destroy Troy
• Each of the three goddesses try to bribe Paris:
• Juno—Asia
• Minerva—Wisest of all men
• Venus—Make the most beautiful woman in the world fall in love with you