Achaeans

Unlike Homer, Thucydides says that Agamemnon wanted to attack Troy out of a desire for conquest and the other Greek states followed him, simply because he was the most powerful. It is likely that Homer invented these characters and their actions for narrative purposes. Thucydides however, writes with the intent to provide readers with exact accounts of history, and so his works should be held with higher regard. Thucydides notes that Homer never uses the term “Hellenes” to describe the Greeks. Instead, he refers to individual groups, “Argives,” “Danaans” and “Achaeans.” Homer also never uses barbaroi to describe the other side. This, Thucydides argues, shows that there was no unified sense of Greek cultural identity in Homer’s time, and therefore could not have existed before him. Thucydides’ reconstruction of the war is speculative and based primarily on militaristic knowledge. This sceptical account gives an interesting insight to the reality of the Trojan War. Thucydides doubts various aspects of the war,…

Troy is located in Albany Schenectady-Troy metropolitan region, with a population on 800,000 during the twentieth century. The racial and ethnic makeup of Troy is not typical, having only 6 percent black residents and almost no Hispanic residents. In this regard, Troy is like one-fourth of the cities of over 100,000 populations, which have black populations of 5 percent or less. During this time the Police department was composed of 122 sworn officers, three-meter maids, one secretary, and four…

Achilles was such a valuable asset to the victory of Agamemnon's army because of hisstrength and skills to analyze and execute a battle to the fullest. Because Achilles was on sucha winning streak, he was seen to Greeks as one of the most magnanimous warriors of all time.His reputation was seen in Book One when it talks of the following, “of woes unnumbered”. Hisrespect was also evident when he was sited as “Achilles the king of men”. Upon hisunwillingness to fight for the Achaeans the losses…

In my opinion, neither The Achaeans nor the Trojans won the Trojan War. Most literature insinuates that the Achaeans won. However; he Greeks (Achaeans) and the Trojans both had extreme loses. On the Trojan side they lost Hector and on the Achaean side they lost Achilles. Both sides were put into agony during and after the war. Many brother, sons, husbands, children, and fathers were lost during the Trojan War. In the film, Paris handed off the Sword of Troy to Aeneas, who seemed to be just an…

In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, both the Achaean and Trojan abide to a strict hero culture that demands they attain eternal glory in combat. However, in this pursuit for everlasting glory, the Achaean and Trojan warriors display radically different mannerisms on the battlefield. Where the Trojans preserve their sense of civilly and morals in the brutality of war, the Achaeans are stripped of their humanity as the Trojan War progresses. Using Homer’s similes, this paper will examine the…

In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, the Achaeans and Trojans abide by a deadly hero culture that compels them to fight for honour and glory, usually to their deaths. However, in this pursuit, the Achaean and Trojan warriors contrast greatly in their actions to achieve eternal glory. While the Trojans preserve their sense of civility and morality in the brutal setting of the Trojan War, the Achaeans resort to cruel acts of violence that demonstrate their lack of humanity. Using Homeric similes, this…

In the epic poem The Iliad, by Homer, the gods sometimes control the actions of mortals by taking away their agency. Agency can be defined as the capacity to act freely without external influences, such as gods in this case. Near the beginning of the epic, because Hera complains to Zeus about Ares, the god of war, who is mass murdering the Achaeans, Athena is dispatched to stop Ares. In this passage, Athena wants to take Ares down personally, so she takes away the agency of a mortal, Diomedes,…

Character List Achilles- The Achaean champion, Achilles is the main character of the Iliad because of his pride and anger that fueled this battle in the Trojan War. Agamemnon- The leader of the Achaeans, Agamemnon is the prideful and arrogant king that can lead his troops toward victory. Ajax- Known for being a brave fighter, he duels Hector when no one else would. Apollo- God of music, truth, prophecy, healing, the sun and light, plague, poetry, etc. Apollo rooted for the Trojans. Athena-…

The Iliad begins as a priest of Apollo comes to the Achaean camp to plead for his daughter’s freedom from King Agamemnon. King Agamemnon refuses the man’s ransom, and in sorrow the priest, Chryses, prays to Apollo for revenge against the stubborn king. Apollo grants his wish and for nine days Apollo’s plague devastates the camp. On the tenth day, Calchas tells the king what is required to ease the god’s anger. King Agamemnon agrees to give Chryseis back to her father, but he will take Achilles’…

made by human characters in Homer 's Iliad gives rise to the inquiry of if agency is present among mortal characters, and if so, its scope of influence over their decisions making capabilities. In Book 14, Zeus is seduced by Hera; while Zeus is asleep, Poseidon intervenes with the war and helps to shift the tide of battle in favor of the Achaeans. Human agency, according to how it is defined in the lectures, is “the capacity to act ( . . . ) without the determining of outside forces such as…