Trojan War: Fall of Troy

OK recap:
MVP's death: "Paris's death"
New MVPs: Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, and Helenus

To War:
Still seeking to gain entrance into Troy, Odysseus (inspire by the Goddess Athena) ordered a large wooden horse to be built. The plan was to open Troy's gates, so they could bring the main body of the Greek army into the city. Odysseus was the leader of this company. Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it. Once the statue had been built by the artist Epeius; thirty soldiers and two spies in its mouth, along with Odysseus hid in the Trojan horse's belly. The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away to isle of Tenedos, so as to deceive the Trojans.
A Greek spy, Sinon, was deliberately left behind, who would try to convince the Trojans that the Greeks had sailed home, and that Trojans should bring the horse inside their walls. When the Trojans came to marvel at the huge creation, Sinon pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had deserted him. He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would bring luck to the Trojans.
The two Trojan seers (Cassandra and Laocoon) tried to warn them not to listen to Sinon. Princess Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. Cassandra was also the sister of Hector, Paris and Helenus, who also had the gift of prophecy. Laocoon is a Trojan priest of Poseidon, whose rules he had defied, either by marrying and having sons, or by having committed a sin by making love with his wife in the presence of a cult image in the Sanctuary of Poseidon. A huge sea-serpent send by Poseidon, killed Laocoon and his two sons. This sign was that Aeneas and his followers knew that Troy was doom. So they withdrew to Ida. The Sea God's intervention had convinced the Trojans that they had won the war, so they brought the wooden horse within Troy's walls.
The Trojans decided to keep the horse and turned to a night of mad revelry and celebration. Sinon signaled the fleet stationed at Tenedos when it was midnight and the clear moon was rising and the soldiers from inside the horse emerged and killed the guards. The Greek A-team opens the gate to allow the Greek army entrance into the sleeping city. Agamemnon returned with the main body of the Greek army, and entered the city.
The Greeks entered the city and killed the sleeping population. A great massacre followed which continued into the day. The Trojans, fueled with desperation, fought back fiercely, despite being disorganized and leaderless. With the fighting at its height, some donned fallen enemies' attire and launched surprise counterattacks in the chaotic street fighting. Other defenders hurled down roof tiles and anything else heavy down on the rampaging attackers. The outlook was grim though, and eventually the remaining defenders were destroyed along with the whole city.
By the early morning, Troy had fallen. The males of royal family were killed. Neoptolemus had killed Priam either in the palace or at the temple of Zeus. Menelaus killed Helen's new husband, Deiphobus. Astyanax, Hector's son, was flung to his death at the top of Troy's wall either out of cruelty and hate or to end the royal line, and the possibility of a son's revenge.
Rape and pillaging the city:
The Greeks then burned the city and divided the spoils. Cassandra was awarded to Agamemnon. Neoptolemus got Andromache, wife of Hector, and Odysseus was given Hecuba, Priam's wife.
Disaster fell upon the Greeks, during the sacking and looting of the great city.  Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, clung to the statute of Athena, but the Lesser Ajax raped her. Odysseus, in vain, tried to persuade the Greek leaders to put Ajax to death, by stoning. Odysseus hoped to divert the goddess' anger. Ajax, however, saved himself by throwing himself upon the very image he had just desecrated.
Athena and Poseidon were two of the most powerful allies of the Greek forces throughout the war. However, the failure of most of the Greek leaders to punish Ajax the Lesser for the sacrilege of her (Athena's) altar, resulted in the destruction of most of the Greek fleet. Athena called upon Poseidon to bring a violent storm upon the Greek fleet. While many ships were destroyed by sudden storm, some leaders were killed on their way home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History of Homosexual: Ancient Greece

Image
How we from being happily accept in society to being hate and have to fight for equality? Let start begin in the ancient world work our way to the source of the problem. The Ancient Greece "The noble lover of beauty engages in love wherever he sees excellence and splendid natural endowment without regard for any difference in physiological detail." - Plutarch The ancient Greeks are widely known for their gay exploits. Many people are aware of Greek homosexual love poetry, the same-sex relations of Greek gods and heroes, and the gay relationship between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. It is important in the beginning to define our vocabulary. The term ’homosexuality’ as it is used and understood today is not mainly applicable to Greek of ancient times for three reasons: First of all, most Greeks were bisexual. Second, homosexuality and 'gay' as sexual identities are recent developments. They were emerged only in the 2Oth Century (our idea of what i
Please read more »

Seven Wonders of the World: Colossus of Rhodes

Image
Travelers to the New York City harbor see a marvelous sight. Standing on a small island in the harbor is an immense statue of a robed woman, holding a book and lifting a torch to the sky. It is sometimes referred to as the "Modern Colossus," but more often called the Statue of Liberty. This awe-inspiring statue was a gift from France to America and is easily recognized by people around the world. What many visitors to this shrine to freedom don't know is that the statue, the "Modern Colossus," is the echo of another statue, the original colossus, which stood over two thousand years ago at the entrance to another busy harbor on the Island of Rhodes. In the late 4th century BC, Rhodes, allied with Ptolemy I of Egypt, prevented a massive invasion staged by their common enemy, Antigonus I Monophthalmus and his son Demetrius. In 304 BC a relief force of ships sent by Ptolemy arrived, and Antigonus's army abandoned the siege, leaving most of their siege equi
Please read more »

Daily life of Roman life: Slavery

Image
Slavery had a long history in the ancient world and was practiced in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as Rome. Most slaves during the Roman Empire were foreigners and, unlike in modern times, Roman slavery was not based on race. Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unlike Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual exploitation (prostitutes were often slaves), torture, and summary execution. The testimony of a slave could not be accepted in a court of law unless the slave was tortured—a practice based on the belief that slaves in a position to be privy to their masters' affairs would be too virtuously loyal to reveal damaging evidence unless coerced (yeah right). Over time, however, slaves gained increased legal protection, including the right to file complaints against their masters. How did people become Roman Slaves? People became slaves among the Romans by the following ways: Prisoners of war Sailors
Please read more »