CONTENTS.
| PAGE | ||
| INTRODUCTION— | Homer, the Father of Poetry | [7] |
| The Gods and Goddesses | [11] | |
| I. | Troy before the Siege | [19] |
| II. | The Judgment of Paris | [33] |
| III. | The League against Troy | [46] |
| IV. | Beginning of the War | [63] |
| V. | The Wrath of Achilles | [76] |
| VI. | The Dream of Agamemnon | [92] |
| VII. | The Combat between Menelaus and Paris | [109] |
| VIII. | The First Great Battle | [124] |
| IX. | The Second Battle—Exploit of Diomede and Ulysses | [149] |
| X. | The Battle at the Ships—Death of Patroclus | [166] |
| XI. | End of the Wrath of Achilles—Death of Hector | [193] |
| XII. | Death of Achilles—Fall and Destruction of Troy | [220] |
| XIII. | The Greek Chiefs after the War | [240] |
INTRODUCTION.
I. HOMER, THE FATHER OF POETRY.
In this book we are to tell the story of Troy, and particularly of the famous siege which ended in the total destruction of that renowned city. It is a story of brave warriors and heroes of 3000 years ago, about whose exploits the greatest poets and historians of ancient times have written. Some of the wonderful events of the memorable siege are related in a celebrated poem called the Ilʹi-ad, written in the Greek language. The author of this poem was Hoʹmer, who was the author of another great poem, the Odʹys-sey, which tells of the voyages and adventures of the Greek hero, U-lysʹses, after the taking of Troy.
Homer has been called the Father of Poetry, because he was the first and greatest of poets. He lived so long ago that very little is known about him. We do not even know for a certainty when or where he was born. It is believed, however, that he lived in the ninth century before Christ, and that his native place was Smyrʹna, in Asia Minor. But long after his death several other cities claimed the honor of being his birthplace.