Editing Trojan War (section)

===After the ''Iliad''===

====Penthesilea and the death of Achilles====

[[File:Akhilleus Penthesileia Staatliche Antikensammlungen 2688.jpg|thumb|left|Achilles killing the Amazon Penthesilea]]

Shortly after the burial of Hector, [[Penthesilea]], queen of the [[Amazons]], arrived with her warriors.<ref>Scholiast on Homer, ''Iliad''. xxiv. 804.</ref> Penthesilea, daughter of [[Otrera]] and Ares, had accidentally killed her sister [[Hippolyte]]. She was purified from this action by Priam,<ref>Quintus of Smyrna, ''Posthomerica'' i.18 ff.</ref> and in exchange she fought for him and killed many, including [[Machaon (mythology)|Machaon]]<ref name=AE51>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.1.</ref> (according to Pausanias, Machaon was killed by [[Eurypylus (son of Telephus)|Eurypylus]]),<ref name="Pausanias 3.26.9">Pausanias 3.26.9.</ref> and according to one version, Achilles himself, who was resurrected at the request of Thetis.<ref>Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History Bk6 (as summarized in Photius, Myriobiblon 190)</ref> In another version, Penthesilia was killed by Achilles,<ref name=PC2A>Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 2, ''Aethiopis''.</ref> who would later mourn her after her death. [[Thersites]], a simple soldier and the ugliest Achaean, taunted Achilles over his grief<ref name=AE51/> and gouged out Penthesilea's eyes.<ref>Tzetzes, ''Scholiast on Lycophron'' 999.</ref> Achilles slew Thersites, and after a dispute sailed to Lesbos, where he was purified for his murder by Odysseus after sacrificing to Apollo, Artemis, and Leto.<ref name=PC2A/>

[[File:Closeup of Achilles thniskon in Corfu Achilleion autocorrected.JPG|thumb|''Dying Achilles'' ({{lang|grc-Latn|Achilleas thniskon}}) in the gardens of the Achilleion]]
While they were away, [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]] of [[Aethiopia|Ethiopia]], son of [[Tithonus]] and [[Eos]],<ref name="Apollodorus, Epitome 5.3">Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.3.</ref> came with his host to help his stepbrother Priam.<ref>Tzetzes ad Lycophroon 18.</ref> He did not come directly from Ethiopia, but either from [[Susa]] in Persia, conquering all the peoples in between,<ref>Pausanias 10.31.7.</ref> or from the Caucasus, leading an army of Ethiopians and [[India (Herodotus)|Indians]].<ref>Dictys Cretensis iv. 4.</ref> Like Achilles, he wore armour made by Hephaestus.<ref>Virgil, ''Aeneid'' 8.372.</ref> In the ensuing battle, Memnon killed [[Antilochus]], who took one of Memnon's blows to save his father Nestor.<ref>Pindarus ''Pythian'' vi. 30.</ref> Achilles and Memnon then fought. Zeus weighed the fate of the two heroes; the weight containing that of Memnon sank,<ref>Quintus Smyrnaeus ii. 224.</ref> and he was slain by Achilles.<ref name=PC2A/><ref>Diodorus Siculus, ''Library of History'' 4.75.4.</ref> Achilles chased the Trojans to their city, which he entered. The gods, seeing that he had killed too many of their children, decided that it was his time to die. He was killed after Paris shot a poisoned arrow that was guided by Apollo.<ref name=PC2A/><ref name="Apollodorus, Epitome 5.3"/><ref>Pausanias 1.13.9.</ref> In another version he was killed by a knife to the back (or [[Achilles' heel|heel]]) by Paris, while marrying [[Polyxena]], daughter of Priam, in the temple of Thymbraean Apollo,<ref>Euripides, ''Hecuba'' 40.</ref> the site where he had earlier killed Troilus. Both versions conspicuously deny the killer any sort of valour, saying Achilles remained undefeated on the battlefield. His bones were mingled with those of Patroclus, and funeral games were held.<ref>Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' iv. 88–595.</ref> Like Ajax, Achilles is represented as living after his death in the island of [[Leuke]], at the mouth of the [[Danube]] River.<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.5.</ref><ref>Pausanias 3.19.13.</ref>

====Judgment of Arms====
[[File:Exekias Suicide d Ajax 01.jpg|thumb|The suicide of Ajax depicted on [[Pottery of ancient Greece|Greek pottery]] by [[Exekias]], now on display at the {{lang|fr|italic=no|Château-musée de [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]]}}]]
A great battle raged around the dead Achilles. Ajax held back the Trojans, while Odysseus carried the body away.<ref>Argument of Sophocles' ''Ajax''</ref> When Achilles' armour was offered to the smartest warrior, the two that had saved his body came forward as competitors. Agamemnon, unwilling to undertake the invidious duty of deciding between the two competitors, referred the dispute to the decision of the Trojan prisoners, inquiring of them which of the two heroes had done most harm to the Trojans.<ref>Scholiast on Homer's ''Odyssey'' λ.547.</ref> Alternatively, the Trojans and Pallas Athena were the judges<ref>Homer, ''Odyssey'' λ 542.</ref><ref name=PC3LI>Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 3, ''Little Iliad''.</ref> in that, following Nestor's advice, spies were sent to the walls to overhear what was said. A girl said that Ajax was braver:

{{poemquote|For Aias took up and carried out of the strife the hero, Peleus'
son: this great Odysseus cared not to do.
To this another replied by Athena's contrivance:
Why, what is this you say? A thing against reason and untrue!
Even a woman could carry a load once a man had put it on her
shoulder; but she could not fight. For she would fail with fear
if she should fight.|Scholiast on Aristophanes, Knights 1056 and Aristophanes ib)}}

According to [[Pindar]], the decision was made by secret ballot among the Achaeans.<ref>Pindar, ''Nemean Odes'' 8.46(25).</ref> In all story versions, the arms were awarded to Odysseus. Driven mad with grief, Ajax desired to kill his comrades, but Athena caused him to mistake for the Achaean warriors the cattle and their herdsmen.<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.6.</ref> In his frenzy he scourged two rams, believing them to be Agamemnon and Menelaus.<ref>Zenobius, ''Cent.'' i.43.</ref> In the morning, he came to his senses and killed himself by jumping on the sword that had been given to him by Hector, so that it pierced his armpit, his only vulnerable part.<ref>Sophocles, ''Ajax'' 42, 277, 852.</ref> According to an older tradition, he was killed by the Trojans who, seeing he was invulnerable, attacked him with clay until he was covered by it and could no longer move, thus dying of starvation.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

====Prophecies====
[[File:Wall painting - rape of the palladion - Pompeii (I 2 26) - Napoli MAN 109751 - 02.jpg|thumb|A fresco depicting Odysseus, Diomedes, and [[Cassandra]], from Pompeii, Italy, {{century BC|first}} – first century AD]]
After the tenth year, it was prophesied<ref>Either by Calchas, (Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.8; Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' 9.325–479), or by Paris' brother [[Helenus]] (Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 3, ''Little Iliad''; Sophocles, ''Philoctetes'' 604–613; Tzetzes, ''Posthomerica'' 571–595).</ref> that Troy could not fall without Heracles' bow, which was with Philoctetes in Lemnos. Odysseus and Diomedes<ref>This is according to Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.8, Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' 103, Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' 9.325–479, and Euripides, ''Philoctetes'' – but Sophocles, ''Philoctetes'' says Odysseus and Neoptolemus, while Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 3, ''Little Iliad'' says Diomedes alone.</ref> retrieved Philoctetes, whose wound had healed.<ref>Philoctetes was cured by a son of [[Asclepius]], either Machaon, (Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 3, ''Little Iliad''; Tzetzes, ''Posthomerica'' 571–595) or his brother [[Podalirius]] (Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.8; Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' 9.325–479).</ref> Philoctetes then shot and killed Paris.

According to Apollodorus, Paris' brothers Helenus and [[Deiphobus]] vied over the hand of Helen. Deiphobus prevailed, and Helenus abandoned Troy for Mount Ida. Calchas said that Helenus knew the prophecies concerning the fall of Troy, so Odysseus waylaid Helenus.<ref name=PC3LI/><ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.9.</ref> Under coercion, Helenus told the Achaeans that they would win if they retrieved [[Pelops]]' bones, persuaded Achilles' son Neoptolemus to fight for them, and stole the Trojan [[Palladium (classical antiquity)|Palladium]].<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.10; Pausanias 5.13.4.</ref>

The Greeks retrieved Pelops' bones,<ref>Pausanias 5.13.4–6, says that Pelop's shoulder-blade was brought to Troy from Pisa, and on its return home was lost at sea, later to be found by a fisherman, and identified as Pelop's by the [[Oracle at Delphi]].</ref> and sent Odysseus to retrieve Neoptolemus, who was hiding from the war in King Lycomedes's court in Skyros. Odysseus gave him his father's arms.<ref name=PC3LI/><ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.11.</ref> Eurypylus, son of Telephus, leading, according to Homer, a large force of ''Kêteioi'',<ref>''Odyssey'' λ.520</ref> or [[Hittites]] or Mysians according to Apollodorus,<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.12.</ref> arrived to aid the Trojans. Eurypylus killed Machaon<ref name="Pausanias 3.26.9"/> and Peneleos,<ref>Pausanias 9.5.15.</ref> but was slain by Neoptolemus.

Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus went to spy inside Troy, but was recognised by Helen. Homesick,<ref>Homer, ''Odyssey'' 4.242 ff.</ref> Helen plotted with Odysseus. Later, with Helen's help, Odysseus and Diomedes stole the Palladium.<ref name=PC3LI/><ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.13.</ref>

====Trojan Horse====
{{Main|Trojan Horse}}
[[File:Mykonos vase.jpg|thumb|left|The earliest known depiction of the Trojan Horse, from the [[Mykonos vase]] {{circa|670 BC}}]]
The end of the war came with one final plan. Odysseus devised a new ruse{{snd}}[[Trojan Horse|a giant hollow wooden horse]], an animal that was sacred to the Trojans. It was built by [[Epeius]] and guided by Athena,<ref name=AE514>Homer, ''Odyssey'' 8.492–495; Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.14.</ref> from the wood of a [[cornel tree]] grove sacred to Apollo,<ref>Pausanias, 3.13.5.</ref> with the inscription: "The Greeks dedicate this thank-offering to Athena for their return home".<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.15, Simpson, p. 246.</ref> The hollow horse was filled with soldiers<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.14, says the hollow horse held 50, but attributes to the author of the ''Little Iliad'' a figure of 3,000, a number that Simpson, p. 265, calls "absurd", saying that the surviving fragments only say that the Greeks put their "best men" inside the horse. [[John Tzetzes|Tzetzes]], ''Posthomerica'' 641–650, gives a figure of 23, while [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]], ''Posthomerica'' xii.314–335, gives the names of thirty, and says that there were more. In late tradition it seems it was standardized at 40.</ref> led by Odysseus. The rest of the army burned the camp and sailed for [[Tenedos]].<ref>Homer, ''Odyssey'' 8.500–504; Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.15.</ref>

When the Trojans discovered that the Greeks were gone, believing the war was over, they "joyfully dragged the horse inside the city",<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.16, as translated by Simpson, p. 246. Proculus, ''Chrestomathy'' 3, ''Little Iliad'', says that the Trojans pulled down a part of their walls to admit the horse.</ref> while they debated what to do with it. Some thought they ought to hurl it down from the rocks, others thought they should burn it, while others said they ought to dedicate it to Athena.<ref name=PC4IP>Proclus, ''Chrestomathy'' 4, ''Iliou Persis''.</ref><ref>Homer, ''Odyssey'' 8.505 ff.; Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.16–15.</ref>

Both Cassandra and [[Laocoön]] warned against keeping the horse.<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.17 says that Cassandra warned of an armed force inside the horse, and that Laocoön agreed.</ref> While Cassandra had been given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, she was also cursed by Apollo never to be believed. Serpents then came out of the sea and devoured either Laocoön and one of his two sons,<ref name=PC4IP/> Laocoön and both his sons,<ref>Virgil, ''Aeneid'' 2.199–227; Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' 135;</ref> or only his sons,<ref>Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' xii.444–497; Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.18.</ref> a portent which so alarmed the followers of Aeneas that they withdrew to Ida.<ref name=PC4IP/> The Trojans decided to keep the horse and turned to a night of mad revelry and celebration.<ref name=PC3LI/> [[Sinon]], an Achaean spy, signalled the fleet stationed at Tenedos when "it was midnight and the clear moon was rising"<ref>Scholiast on Lycophroon, 344.</ref> and the soldiers from inside the horse emerged and killed the guards.<ref>Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 5.19–20.</ref>