By: Ivy Phillips

1
The Trojan War

• By Ivy Phillips

2
Background
The Trojan War was fought between Greece and Troy
over Helen of Troy. Helen was the most beautiful
woman in the world, and she was married to King
Menelaus. Paris came into Greece and fell in love
with Helen. Together they ran off to Troy,
leaving King Menelaus and Greece behind.
3
Fate had destined Paris and Helen to meet. A
while back, Paris judged a contest of beauty
between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Paris voted
Aphrodite the winner, so in return she promised
him the most beautiful woman in the world as his
wife.
4
Paris and Helens scandal became known all
throughout Greece. Menelaus called upon all of
the kings of Greece and commanded them to march
upon Troy. None of the Kings wanted to risk open
warfare, especially on Troy, but they had to obey
the High Kings commands.
5
The fighting went on for over nine years. Many
heroes died on both sides of the war. Of these
heroes some of the more well-known were Achilles,
Hector, and Patroclus.
6
This is The End
Toward the end of the Trojan War, Ulysses
received an idea. His idea was that the Greeks
should build a giant wooden horse and give it to
the Trojans as a peace offering. Inside the
horse, would be a hidden army of men that would
overtake Troy. This plan was carried out
effectively, bringing victory to the Greeks.
They won the Trojan War after 10 years of
fighting.
7

• In Greek society women were viewed as status
  symbols. The more beautiful your wife was, the
  greater you were. Men thought of women as
  possessions instead of equals. This is why King
  Menelaus became enraged when Helen left him for
  Paris. Not only had Menelaus spent time fighting
  for Helens hand, but he possessed the Most
  Beautiful Woman in the World.

• Men, on the other hand, were the head of
  everything. The men controlled politics, the
  household, and were always expected to be the
  ones to go on quests. Since men are stronger than
  women they went to war and fought for the gods.

8
Piety

• Piety is a word that means having spiritual
  devotion. This was extremely important in ancient
  Greece because the gods wanted to be adored and
  revered. The gods also had a very quick temper,
  so when they didnt get enough attention they
  hurt humans (usually in a variety of ways
  depending on the god).
• People in Ancient times showed respect to the
  gods because they often gave favor to their
  faithful subjects. For example, a person that
  prayed to Demeter for good crops might be blessed
  with a good harvest.
• The Greeks also respected the gods because of
  their reputation for getting angry. The gods got
  angry all the time, and when they did it was not
  a pretty sight. Storms might ravage the land, or
  various disasters would occur if all of the gods
  were mad at once. People were afraid of the gods
  vengeance, so they worshipped them often to
  please them.
• Piety is demonstrated in the story of the Trojan
  War. When Troy or Greece needed favor with
  the gods, they would pray and give sacrifices to
  them to show their devotion. Most of the time
  this would appease the gods and they would help
  whoever sacrificed to them.

9
Hospitality

• Hospitality is very important in Greek culture
  and mythology. In olden times if a man came to
  your door seeking lodging it was unwise to refuse
  him. People did not know their true identity .
  It could be a god, or a magician dressed up as a
  beggar.
• It was also important because Zeus had set up
  the law of hospitality, and if it was violated
  there could be major consequences from Zeus.
• In the story of the Trojan War, King Menelaus
  showed Prince Paris hospitality by letting him
  stay at his home in Sparta. Paris violated
  Menelaus generosity by stealing away Menelaus
  wife, Helen. This is the event that started the
  whole Trojan War.

10
Kings Heroes

• In Greek mythology the Kings of a nation were
  always the most powerful people. Oftentimes,
  these kings needed heroes to fulfill their wishes
  or to perform great deeds in their name.
• For example, Kings Menelaus, Agamemnon, and
  Ulysses all went to war on Troy. They had the
  help of Achilles, Ajax, and Diomede to defeat the
  Trojans. Without each sides own heroes to do
  most of the fighting, the war would have been
  very one-sided.

11
HONOR
The concept of honor drives many of the events in
Greek Mythology. Honor was something the people
felt the gods had ingrained in them, and if they
did not uphold that honor their reputation was
blackened. In the Trojan War, the concept of
upholding honor is shown in many ways, but more
so in Menelaus. When Helen ran away from him his
honor had been damaged. His countrys honor had
also been damaged by Helens rash actions. As a
result, King Menelaus had to declare war upon
Greece. He was forced to uphold his honor, even
if it meant getting thousands of his men killed
in the process.
12
End