1. Black Ships Before Troy
By Rosemary Sutcliff

2. The Story Based on Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad”
The Iliad was written by Homer
(800 b.c.e)– Greek Poet
The story of the Trojan War actually happened years before
Homer made up his version

3. Setting
Greece
Troy (city-state; current day Turkey)

4. CHARACTERS

5. The GREEKS aka The Aegeans… (They’re called the Aegeans because they are on the Aegean sea.)

6. ACHILLES Son of Peleus and Thetis Powerful Greek warrior
Proud and headstrong
Mad at Agamemnon for taking his
war prize, Briseis

7. AGAMEMNON Greek King (King of Mycenae) Leader of Greek Army
Brother of Menelaus (Sparta)
Arrogant, selfish
Often thinks of his own needs before
those of his people
Took Achilles’ war prize
(Briseis)

8. PATROCLUS Close friend and advisor of Achilles Grew up with Achilles
Devoted to Achilles and the Greeks

9. Odysseus Warrior and clever Greek commander Good public speaker
Helps mediate between Agamemnon and Achilles

10. Diomedes (aka Tydides)
Youngest of Greek commanders
Bold and impetuous
After Achilles withdraws from battle, Athena inspires him with
so much courage that he
wounds two gods:
Aphrodite and Ares

11. Ajax Greek commander Second mightiest Greek warrior after Achilles
So big and strong that he wounded Hector twice with boulders

12. Nestor Greek King (Pylos) Oldest Greek commander Very wise
Advisor to military commanders, esp. Agamemnon
Good public speaker (Who was the other one??....)

13. Menelaus King of Sparta Younger brother of Agamemnon
Quieter and less imposing and
arrogant as Agamemnon
Not the mightiest of warriors
Married to HELEN, who was taken by the Trojan prince, PARIS

14. The Myrmidons
Greek soldiers under Achilles’ command

15. Calchas
A soothsayer
Identifies the cause of a plague ravaging the Greek army (which
caused the initial rift
between Agamemnon
and Achilles)

16. Phoenix A kindly, old warrior
Helped raise Achilles while he himself was young
Achilles deeply cares for him
Mediates between Achilles and Agamemnon

17. THE TROJANS

18. Priam King of Troy Husband of Hecuba
Father to 50 Trojan Warriors (including Hector and Paris)
Too old to fight, but level headed and earns respect of Trojans and Greeks

19. Queen of Troy Wife of Priam Mother of Hector and Paris
Hecuba
Queen of Troy
Wife of Priam
Mother of Hector and Paris

20. Hector One of the most important characters of the Greek mythology.
He is a Trojan prince and a great fighter in the Trojan War. He is the eldest son of King Priam of Troy and Hecuba

21. Paris
Paris - A son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector. Paris’s abduction of the beautiful Helen, wife of Menelaus, sparked the Trojan War. Paris is self-centered and often unmanly. He fights effectively with a bow and arrow (never with the more manly sword or spear) but often lacks the spirit for battle and prefers to sit in his room while others fight for him, thus earning both Hector’s and Helen’s scorn

22. Helen Originally Greek and married to Menelaus (Greek king)
Helen Originally Greek and married to Menelaus (Greek king). She ran away to Troy with Paris and became his wife.

23. Gods and Goddesses

24. Thetis is a sea nymph- goddess of the water; mother of Achilles

25. Hera
Hera (Roman name: Juno), wife of Zeus and queen of the ancient Greek gods, represented the ideal woman and was goddess of marriage and the family. However, she was perhaps most famous for her jealous and vengeful nature.

26. Athene (Athene is the Greek spelling; Athena is Roman spelling)
Athena- the goddess of wisdom and military victory, and also the patron of the city of Athens

27. Aphrodite
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of Love, Beauty, Pleasure, and Happiness

28. Zeus
Zeus was the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus
(Jupiter in Roman)