Helen is also known as “the face that launched a thousand ships” (mareinic.blogspot.com). In this paper I will teach you about the war that she started. I will also talk about the start of the war, the tactics, weapons, archeological proof, the end of the war, and lastly I will talk about the after math.
Godly start of the war
The godly start of the war started with the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, a sea nymph. They did not invite Eris, the goddess of discord, to the wedding but they did invite all of the other gods. The outraged goddess stormed into the wedding feast and threw a golden apple on the table. Eris said that the apple belonged to the fairest of them all. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all reached for the apple. They were all fighting over it so Zeus decided that Paris, prince of Troy, would be the judge. Hermes went to ask Paris if he wanted to be the judge and he accepted. Each goddess told him that she would reward him if he chose her. Hera promised him power, Athena promised wealth, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world.
Paris chose Aphrodite, and she promised him that Helen of Troy would be his wife. Paris then prepared to sail to Sparta to collect his bride to be. Cassandra and Helenus, known as the twin prophets, tried to persuade him against such a rash action, as did his mother, Hebecuba. He sailed on anyways.
In Sparta, Menelaus, husband of Helen and king of Sparta, treated Paris as a royal guest. However, when the king left for a funeral, Paris stole Helen (who perhaps went willingly) and took off with much of Melenaus’ wealth. In Troy Helen and Paris were married. This occurred in 1200 B.C.
Mortal start of the war
When Menelaus found out what had happened he wa...
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....com/question/what-happened-to-paris-after-the-trojan-war>. http://archive.archaeology.org/0405/etc/troy.html http://archive.archaeology.org/0405/etc/troy.html
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The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it actually took place. Heinrich Schliemann famously said “I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon.” on discovering tombs with the bodies of Mycenaean chieftains in Turkey. The German businessman-turned-archaeologist claimed to have discovered the city of Troy at the hill now called Hisarlik – about three miles from the Dardanelles. However, his claims are still disputed today. Before tackling the question of whether the Trojan War actually occurred, we must ask in what form. What exactly do we mean by “the Trojan War”? There is no definitive version of the events in the war, as our knowledge of it comes from a myriad different sources. Then we should consider Schliemann’s discoveries, and the other archaeological evidence for the Trojan War. Finally, after we have defined “Trojan War” in context of archaeology and historical fact, we must then draw conclusions about the extent to which archaeology proves its historical authenticity.
The Ancient Greeks held their religion to be a personal experience, to be practiced by the common man on a daily basis. Thus, it comes as no surprise to read in the historical works of the period that the people also relied on religion to aid them in military matters. This paper will give historical examples of the people's reliance on
Menelaus was about to kill Paris when Aphrodite takes Paris away from the scene. Aphrodite brings Helen, the adducted wife of Menelaus along too. Aphrodite says to Helen “"Haste, happy nymph! for thee thy Paris calls, Safe from the fight, in yonder lofty walls, Fair as a god; with odours round him spread, He lies, and waits thee on the well-known bed; Not like a warrior parted from the foe, But some gay dancer in the public show." (pg 103) This quote is interesting because Helen was upset with Paris for the conflict he has caused. But with a bit of persuasion from Aphrodite, she is willing to “lie on the well-known bed”. It’s strange how the gods can manipulate other characters like puppets. Another example of the additude that the gods have is when the gods have a council to discouse the Trojan war. Zeus says " My schemes, my labours, and my hopes be vain? Have I, for this, shook Ilion with alarms, Assembled nations, set two worlds in arms? To spread the war, I flew from shore to shore.”(113) This quote shows how Zeus felt about what has happened in the human war. He thinks of himself as the creator of the war and takes ownership of what has happened. He then argues that Menelaus has won the
Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she had a magic girdle that she wore that made everyone fall in love with her. She could hardly ever be persuaded to lend it to anyone. Since Aphrodite had the magic girdle and was so beautiful, all of the gods fell in love with her. All of the goddesses were jealous of Aphrodite because all of the gods loved her instead of the other goddesses. Because of this, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.
The Iliad alone would never have been a reliable source without archaeological evidence to verify the actuality of a Trojan war. Therefore archaeologists have been working on the site known as hissarlik since the 1800’s to uncover truths about the myth. Frank Calv...
After leaving her hometown and being taken to Troy by Paris, she realizes she doesn’t have such a liking for him but more so toward Hector. Helen believes he is more of a gentleman and has a better fondness of her feelings than Paris does. It’s shocking but also while all of that is still happening she blames some of these series of events on Aphrodite, a beautiful goddess, who is known for being the goddess of love, relationships, and is very supportive of Paris. She also helps out the Trojans while the war is happening.
Most information that the world has today that deals with the history of ancient Greece is in the literature from the time. Great epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, from the unknown poet Homer, make up most of the literature that has even been found from this era. The problem with getting our history from literary sources is that when Homer first recited his Iliad he was actually trying to entertain, so all of the information might not be accurate, although based on actual events. Also, in the Greek culture it was common to allow the credit for certain kinds of deeds to go to their gods or goddesses, which today's historians just suppose to be allegorical references. But, if the gods or goddesses do not exist, then how did the Trojan War start in the first place? The story that most people know as to what started the war is a myth involving the goddesses and what archeologists have so far found; no one is exactly sure what started the war.
More than two thousand years ago, a Chinese strategist known as Sun Tzu wrote one of the enduring classics of military theory. Most likely written during a period of Chinese history referred to as the ‘Warring States’ period, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has continued to be studied by military strategists for millennia. Even today, The Art of War is required reading for Naval Officer Candidates. At nearly the same time in the fourth century B.C., the Greek city-states were facing invasion from the mighty Persian army. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks eventually triumphed by defeating their enemies at Plataea, but not before fighting one of history’s greatest military stands at Thermopylae. By using Sun Tzu’s classic text to analyze the battles of Thermopylae and Plataea, it is possible to gain a better understanding not only of the battles themselves, but also of the reasons why The Art of War has remained such an influential and respected text over the centuries.
About.com. "Alexander the Great Battle of Chaeronea." 2013. Battle of Chaeronea. Document. 2 November 2013.
The soldiers of Greece force these newly widowed wives to be their concubines or slaves, treating the women as if they are a symbol of victory. A soldier riding to Helen’s pen where she is imprisoned can be heard saying “we need her for the victory parade!” These barbaric soldiers have drawn lots to decide which Trojan woman that they will take as their own. This is yet another vile cost of war, treating women as slaves and parading them in show of their victorious efforts in battle. This practice belittles the Trojan women, viewing them as objects for the Greeks to do with as they please. The Trojan women have lost their freedom, such freedom that their husbands and sons gave their lives to
She tempted many, even Zeus: “she beguiles even his wise heart . . . mates him with mortal women, unknown to Hera” (Hesiod). The goddess of love, “she was a particular favourite with the city’s many prostitutes but also supervised the sexual life of married women” (Blundell, 1998). To curb her promiscuity, Aphrodite was married to Hephaistos (god of the forge), who cared deeply for her, and made he...
"Alexander the Great (Alexander of Macedon) Biography." Alexander the Great (Alexander of Macedon) Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
The suspected start of the war- over the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta- was caused entirely by a godly conflict over who was the most beautiful- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was selected to judge. He chose Aphro...
"The Franco Prussian War." Franco Prussian War. History World International, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.