This lecture outlines key aspects of the Trojan War myth, including the historical and mythological background to the war, the Judgement of Paris, the expedition to Troy and the fall of the city. It examines Homer’s treatment of gods, heroes and the city in the Iliad.

Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture outlines key aspects of the Trojan War myth, including the historical and mythological background to the war, the Judgement of Paris, the expedition to Troy and the fall of the city. It examines Homer’s treatment of gods, heroes and the city in the Iliad. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Homer and the Trojan War (handout)

In this subject students are introduced to the diversity of the ancient Greek achievement, which has exercised a fundamental and continuing influence upon later European literature and culture. The subject commences with a detailed treatment of Homer's Iliad and the myth of the Trojan war. This is one of the dominant myths in the Greek tradition and is narrated in some detail in epic poetry, in drama, and in art and architecture. We explore how myths are 'read' in their historical context, especially in the contexts of the Persian and Peloponnesian wars of the 5th Century BC. A variety of sources are treated to enable students to build up a picture of Greek society as a whole.

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Homer and the Trojan War (handout)

Homer and the Trojan War (handout)

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