Quiz
1. About when did the blind poet Homer compose his epic tale of the Trojan War?
2. In 1871 Heinrich Schliemann found what is now generally accepted as the remains of Troy. Where is the site of ancient Troy?
3. According to Homer, how long did the Trojan War last?
4. The event that sparked the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, revered as the most beautiful woman in the world. Helen was the wife of Greek King Menelaus, until Paris, a Trojan prince, made off with her. Why did Paris do something so rash?
5. Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, was a demigod—his father, King Peleus was a mortal man, while his mother, Thetis, was a sea nymph. Thetis knew that her son would die if he went to Troy. How did she try and protect him?
6. The greatest warriors of the Greeks were Diomedes, Ajax, and Achilles. Who was the greatest warrior of the Trojans?
7. The Iliad opens with the lines: "Sing, goddess, of the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, the accursed anger which brought uncounted anguish on the Achaeans [Greeks]" -- What was Achilles so angry about?
8. The Greeks fare very poorly against the Trojans and are almost defeated before Achilles decides to fight again. What changes Achilles's mind?
9. Why does Thetis bring Achilles armor crafted by Hephaestus?
10. Achilles slays Hector and refuses to return his body to the Trojans, instead dragging it around the city behind his chariot. Achilles relents after King Priam of Troy comes to beg Achilles for the body of his son. Why does Achilles give up the body of Hector?
11. What is the final scene of the Iliad?
1. About when did the blind poet Homer compose his epic tale of the Trojan War?
750–650 BC
2. In 1871 Heinrich Schliemann found what is now generally accepted as the remains of Troy. Where is the site of ancient Troy?
Hissarlik, Turkey
3. According to Homer, how long did the Trojan War last?
a decade
4. The event that sparked the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, revered as the most beautiful woman in the world. Helen was the wife of Greek King Menelaus, until Paris, a Trojan prince, made off with her. Why did Paris do something so rash?
Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful of the goddesses. As a reward Aphrodite gave him Helen.
5. Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, was a demigod—his father, King Peleus was a mortal man, while his mother, Thetis, was a sea nymph. Thetis knew that her son would die if he went to Troy. How did she try and protect him?
She disguised him as a girl and hid him among the women at the court of King Lycomedes of Skyros.
6. The greatest warriors of the Greeks were Diomedes, Ajax, and Achilles. Who was the greatest warrior of the Trojans?
Hector
7. The Iliad opens with the lines: "Sing, goddess, of the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, the accursed anger which brought uncounted anguish on the Achaeans [Greeks]" -- What was Achilles so angry about?
King Agamemnon, commander of the Greek armies, demanded that Achilles give him Briseis, a female captive who Achilles had received as spoils of war, to replace a captive he was forced to free.
8. The Greeks fare very poorly against the Trojans and are almost defeated before Achilles decides to fight again. What changes Achilles's mind?
Vengeance—Achilles's dear friend Patroclus put on Achilles's armor and routed the Trojans. He then challenged Hector, who slew him.
9. Why does Thetis bring Achilles armor crafted by Hephaestus?
Achilles needed new armor after Hector had taken his from Patroclus's body
10. Achilles slays Hector and refuses to return his body to the Trojans, instead dragging it around the city behind his chariot. Achilles relents after King Priam of Troy comes to beg Achilles for the body of his son. Why does Achilles give up the body of Hector?
Priam reminds Achilles of his own aged father.
11. What is the final scene of the Iliad?
The funeral of Hector","The death of Achilles"