The Iliad
by CTCWeb Editors
Sites of Origin
As students read the Iliad, they learn that the main characters are the chieftains who have come to Troy to aid in the rescue Helen. These men have come to Troy as the result of an alliance pact made between the main characters and Menelaos to fight a war that will last ten years. To better understand the distance these men have traveled to participate in the sack of Troy, students should plot the sites from which each king and his men came on the Atlas map.
Below is a chart of sites and the name of the person who came from each site and region.
| Agamemnon, Menelaus & the Achaeans |
Mycenae |
| Nestor & the Pylians |
Pylos |
| Odysseus & the Ithacans |
Ithaca |
| Ajax & the Salimians |
Salamis |
| Priam, Hektor, Paris & the Trojans |
Troy |
| Achilles & the Myrmidons |
Achaea (a region)* |
*To see the sites in the region of Achaea, where Achilles men dwelt, students should use the “Plot sites in area” tool on the Atlas Tools Palette. Students must first locate the region of Achaea and then use the “Plot sites in area” tool to define as area. Some of the sites that should appear include:
Actium (Achaea), Aegira, Aigai (Achaea), Aigeira, Aigion, Araxus, Bura,Crathis River, Donussa, Helike, Kato Akhaia, Kerynia, Larisos River, Leontion, Olenus, Patrai, Selinos River (Achaea), Tretos Pass.
Site catalogs exist for the sites of Mycenae, Pylos, Troy and Salamis from which the Greek leaders hailed. A look at each site and its associated building will give students an idea of what each leader’s royal residence and homeland looked like.
Catalog of Ships
The Iliad’s Book 2, line 484, begins the catalog of ships listing the captains of the ships that sailed to Troy along with Agamemnon. The catalog mentions the sites from which these ships and their captains came. Below are a few sites to plot from the catalog of ships. Students should plot these sites. Each time students do this assignment they should add to the site list by reading the catalog of ships.
Anthedon, Athens, Corinth, Araethyrea, Sikyon, Hyria, Schoinos, Mykalessos, Harma, Erythrae, Medeon, Nisa, Orchomenos, Panopeos, Eutresis, Thisbe, Plataea, Glisas, Hyampolis, Daulis, and Aulis (the gathering place for troops headed to Troy).
