- The Iliad got its name from the Greek historian Herodotus. Ilium is the Greek name for Troy.
- Speaking of Herodotus, he tried to provide a more realistic account of the Trojan War. You can find it in Book 2 of his Histories. If you’re interested in reading a summary, I will provide it below.
- The Iliad is not about the Trojan War. The Trojan War is just the setting. The Iliad is really about the anger of Achilles.
- The story in the Iliad takes place during a few week period of the Trojan War in its final year (the Trojan War lasted ten years).
- In the Iliad, Helen went with Paris willingly to Troy, but in other depictions she was abducted by Paris. For a very surprising depiction of Helen’s abduction, and it’s larger implications, read Helen by Euripidies.
- It was once believed by scholars that Troy didn’t exist and the Trojan War never happened. The archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann studied the geography depicted in the accounts of the Trojan War (including the Iliad) and was able to find the ancient site of Troy.
- Alexander the Great took a copy of the Iliad with him when he went on his conquests. The only other work he took with him was Xenophon’s Anabasis (called in English The Persian Expedition or The March of the Ten Thousand).
- Arguably, the most famous quote in the Iliad is spoken by Hector in Book 12: There is one omen, and one only—that a man should fight for his country.
The Trojan War According to Herodotus
When Paris fled Sparta with Helen and her treasures, he was forced to land in Egypt. Some of his servants fled to a temple of Heracles, where suppliants can go, and told the whole story. The priests sent a message to Proteus, the current king of Egypt, and he sent for Paris. When the truth came out, Proteus confiscated Helen and the treasures and told Paris he had three days to leave or he would be considered an enemy
Meanwhile, Menelaus raises an army and goes to Troy. The Trojans say Helen isn’t there. The Greeks don’t believe them and siege the city. When the city is sacked and Helen hasn’t been found, the Greeks believe the Trojans and head for Egypt. King Proteus gives Helen and the treasures back to Menelaus. Menelaus, however, sacrificed two Egyptian children to get good headwind and instantly made Egypt his enemy.
SIDE NOTE: Herodotus finds it hard to believe that Priam wouldn’t have handed back Helen and the treasure as soon as the Greeks showed up to Troy.
Other pages I have made about the Iliad can be found here.