History Forum / General / Ancient History / June 2004

 Agamemnon gave a sacrafice to the gods in Book II, asking for
victory. Such a sacrafice would have been made at the BEGINNING of the
war, not after 9 years.  This sacrafice story was edited in from a
prior account of the start of the war.

From my translation by Richard Lattimore,  Book II,  line 394 ff
describes the Argives heading for their ships.
"...the Argives shouted aloud, as surf crashing against a sheerness,
driven by the south wind descending,
some cliff out-jutting, left never alone by the waves from
all the winds that blow, as they rise from one place and another."

The description would more aptly describe ships landing, and the
Achaeans pouring out of their ships.  I'm sure the lines originally
referred to just such a situation, and were edited somewhat poorly
into this situation.



 When the Achaeans assemble for battle, a catalogue of ships is
given.  This catalogue would have referred to the assembly at the
BEGINNING of the war, not the 9th year.
In Book II, line 792 and following, Polites runs into Troy to announce
that the Achaeans are attacking.  My translation reads, starting from
line 798..
"In my time I have gone into many battles among men,
Yet never have I seen a host like this, not one so numerous"

 The Achaeans have suffered 9 years of casualties, and a recent
plague;
They couldn't be anywhere as numerous as they were at the start of the
war.
The lines obviously referred to the initial attack 10 years ago, and
were edited into the "Illiad".

 In Book III a duel is arranged between Menelaos and Alexandros.  
Such a duel would have been fought at the BEGINNING of the war in the
original story, not after 9 years... another example of editing from
an earlier story.

 Finally, the Achaeans construct a defensive wall to protect their
camp from the Trojans.  As Thycydides said in his History, such a
defensive wall would have been built early in the war, not after 9
years.. Another example of editing in stories from different periods
of the war.

 Some additional details can be gotten from "The War at Troy", by
Quintus of Smyrna, which in general is pretty dry reading, mostly
such-and-such a Trojan hero goes out and kills a bunch of Achaeans,
all described by name, until Mr Such-and-Such runs into Achilles and
gets killed.
"The Library of Greek Mythology", by Apollodorus, another dry text,
gives an additional summary of the epic - A. McIntire