Editing Achilles (section)

=== Penthesilea and Memnon ===
[[File:Akhilleus Memnon Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1410.jpg|thumb|Achilles and Memnon fighting, between Thetis and Eos, Attic black-figure amphora, {{circa|510&nbsp;BCE|lk=no}}, from Vulci]]

Later works, including the ''[[Aethiopis]]'' (seventh century&nbsp;BCE) and a work named ''[[Posthomerica]]'', composed by [[Quintus of Smyrna]] in the fourth century&nbsp;CE, relate further events from the [[Trojan War]]. When [[Penthesilea]], queen of the [[Amazons]] and daughter of [[Ares]], arrives in Troy, Priam hopes that she will defeat Achilles. After his temporary truce with Priam, Achilles fights and kills the warrior queen, only to grieve over her death later.<ref>[[Propertius]], 3.11.15; [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]] 1.</ref> Initially taken aback, he did not fight as intensely as usual. Once he realized that his distraction was endangering his life, he refocused and killed her.

Following the death of Patroclus, Nestor's son [[Antilochus]] becomes Achilles' closest companion. Achilles already loved Antilochus, so Menelaus thought Antilochus would be the best person to inform Achilles of Patroclus' death.<ref>[[Philostratus]], ''[[Imagines (work by Philostratus)|Imagines]]'', [https://topostext.org/work/225#2.7.1 2.7.1] ([https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0601%3Abook%3Dpos%3D2%3Achapter%3D7 Original Greek text])</ref> Later, [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]], son of the Dawn Goddess [[Eos]] and king of [[Ethiopia (mythology)|Ethiopia]], slays Antilochus as he sacrifices himself to save his father. According to [[Philostratus of Lemnos|Philostratus]]' ''[[Imagines (work by Philostratus)|Imagines]]'', Achilles laments his death on the battlefield, promising Antilochus a glorious funeral and vengeance. Achilles once more obtains revenge on the battlefield, killing Memnon.<ref>[[Philostratus]], ''[[Imagines (work by Philostratus)|Imagines]]'', [https://topostext.org/work/225#2.7.2 2.7.2] ([https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0601%3Abook%3Dpos%3D2%3Achapter%3D7 Original Greek text])</ref> Consequently, Eos will not let the sun rise until Zeus persuades her. The fight between Achilles and Memnon over Antilochus echoes that of Achilles and Hector over Patroclus, except that Memnon (unlike Hector) was also the son of a goddess.

Many Homeric scholars argued that episode inspired many details in the ''Iliad''{{'}}s description of the death of Patroclus and Achilles' reaction to it. The episode then formed the basis of the [[Epic Cycle|cyclic epic]] ''[[Aethiopis]]'', which was composed after the ''Iliad'', possibly in the seventh century&nbsp;BCE. The ''Aethiopis'' is now lost, except for scattered fragments quoted by later authors.