The Iliad

The Iliad is an epic poem, attributed to Greek poet Homer, set in Turkey during the final year of the siege of Troy.

The Iliad tells of the events of the last year of the decade-long siege of the city-state of Troy by the Greeks. The inciting event of the work is Achilles' abandonment of the battle out of his anger with King Agamemnon over possession of a Trojan slave girl. Without Achilles, the battle goes against the Greeks to the point of their nearly abandoning the fight. Only later, with the urging of the goddess Athena, does Achilles rejoin the fight and turn the tide in favor of the Greeks.

The Iliad is considered a classic of western literature, the inspiration for dozens of later works, and a semi-historical document of ancient Greek history. It is required reading in many American high schools. Many translations, both prose and verse, have been published.

Achilleus | Hektor | Agamemnon | Patroklos | Thetis | Odysseus | Nestor | Diomedes | Menelaos | Paris | Helen | Priam | Aias | The Gods

• • Mahalo's Guide to: Homer
• Wikipedia: Homer
• Made in Atlantis: Homer
• The Literature Network: Homer
• Barnes & Noble: Meet the Writers: Homer biography

• The majority of the following links are to IMDb, which contains pop-ups.

• 1954: The Golden Apple (musical)

• 1956: Helen of Troy

• 2003: Helen of Troy (TV)

• 2004: Troy