Online+latin+the+Trojan+War

Salvete, mei discipuli! We are now going to learn about the Trojan War.

QED= quod erat demonstrandum: that which must be demonstrated" This is used in math when one has proven what the problem required one to prove.

rara avis: " a rare bird"; an unusual person

demonstrable: able to be shown

aviary: a place for birds The Trojan War, fought between the Greeks and the Trojans was fought because of the Judgment of Paris: Paris was a Trojan prince who, it was prophesized, would bring ruin and destruction to his home. So his parents made him be a shepherd...what can go wrong if one is watching sheep? THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS was a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Olympos--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena--for the prize of a golden apple addressed to "the fairest" The story begins at the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis to which all of the gods were invited, all except Eris, the goddess of discord. When she appeared at the festivities, she was turned away, and in her anger cast a golden apple amongst the assembled goddesses addressed "To the Fairest." Three goddesses laid claim to the apple--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Zeus was asked to mediate and he commanded Hermes to lead the three goddesses to Paris of Troy to decide the issue. The three goddesses appearing before the shepherd prince, each offering him gifts for favour. He chose Aphrodite, swayed by her promise to bestow upon him Helene, the most beautiful woman, for wife. The subsequent abduction of Helen led directly to the Trojan War and the fall of the city.

2/7 res ipsa loquitur: the thing speaks for itself sanctum sanctorum: holy of holies; a very private place

loquacious: talkative sanctify: to make holy

homeric hymn to Aphrodite

Helen of Troy : "the face that launched a thousand ships"-Christopher Marlowe



Helen (often called "Helen of Troy") was the daughter of Leda and Zeus, and was the sister of the Dioscuri ( Castor and Pollux, the Gemini) and Clytemnestra. She was the queen of Sparta.

Since Zeus visited Leda in the form of a swan, Helen was often presented as being born from an egg. She was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. When Helen was still a child, she was abducted by Theseus. Since she was not yet old enough to be married, he sent her to Aphidnae and left her in the care of his mother, Aethra. The Dioscuri (her twin brothers...Castor and Pollux...aka the Gemini)rescued her and returned her to her home in Lacedaemon, taking Aethra prisoner at the same time. DaVinci/ Leda and the Swan

Babies at the feet of Leda...note the eggs.

When Helen reached marriageable age, all the greatest men in Greece courted her. Her mother's husband, King Tyndareos of Lacedaemon, was concerned about the trouble that might be caused by the disappointed suitors. Acting on the advice of Odysseus, he got all the suitors to swear that they would support the marriage rights of the successful candidate. He then settled on Menelaus to be the husband of Helen. She lived happily with Menelaus for a number of years, and bore him a daughter, Hermione.

After a decade or so of married life, Helen was abducted by -- or ran off with -- Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy. Menelaus called on the other suitors to fulfill their oaths and help him get her back. As a result, the Greek leaders mustered the greatest army of the time, placed it under the command of Agamemnon, and set off to wage what became known as the Trojan War.

2/10

SPQR= Senatus Populusque Romanus: The Senate and Roman People

de fumo in flammam :Out of the smoke into the flame

inflammatory:causing redness and swelling ( inflammation); (especially of speech or writing) arousing or intended to arouse angry or violent feelings.

populous: full of people []

So, now the Greeks have to go get Helen. It will not be easy. First they will have to contend with Clytemnestra, Helen's sister. That's her with the knife in her chest.

Clytemnestra was the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda and therefore was Helen's half-sister. Clytemnestra married Tantalus, son of the king of Mycenae named Thysetes (or Broteas). Agamemnon later murdered Tantalus. Agamemnon then proceeded to marry Clytemnestra, thus gaining the throne of Mycenae for himself. He was the leader of the Greek forces in Troy. Clytemnestra gave birth to Electra, Orestes, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis. [|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/clytemnestra.html]

She will murder her husband and his concubine, Cassandra ( the sad kook) when they return from the war. Yes, it's vicious and violent, but she did have her reasons....Note the axe....this is after the murders.

Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London

sic semper tyrannis: thus always to tyrannts; motto of Virginia...take that King George! sic : thus ; thus it was found and quoted ( even though it is not grammatically correct) ; The student wrote,"Cleapatra wuz ( sic) Julius Ceasar's ( sic) lover."

tyranny: oppressive power exerted by government vengeance: punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary So, speaking of vengeance, why was Clytemnestra so very angry? Here's what our friends at Stanford University have to say:

Iphigenia was the eldest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. When in Aulis, Agememnon killed a stag in a grove sacred to Diana. Angered, Diana stopped the winds so that the Greek fleet could not sail to Troy. The seer Calchas was called upon, and he announced that the only way the Greek fleet would sail was if Iphigenia was sacrificed. Agamemnon at first adamantly refused, but, under pressure, Agamemnon slowly gave in and he agreed to the sacrifice. Iphigenia was taken away under the pretext that she was to marry the great warrior Achilles. Clytemnestra was overjoyed and readily sent Iphigenia to Aulis. When Iphigenia arrived, she and Clytemnestra learned, to their horror, that there would be no marriage. Achilles was outraged at having his name used to deceive Clytemnestra and Iphigenia, and is shown below drawing his sword in anger against Agamemnon. Achilles declared that he would protect Iphigenia, but his attempts to persuade the army to back him were largely unsuccessful (Gantz, 587). Despite his and Clytemnestra's protestations, Iphigenia was sacrificed. [|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/iphigenia.html] I think we can all agree that many, many mothers would be so inclined if their husbands killed their children. After the murder of Agammemmnon, their other children, Orestes and Electra, will conspire to avenge their father by killing their mother. Iphegenia

2/19

terra incognita: "unknown land"; undiscovered, unexplored land terra firma: "firm ground" It can be used both literally: As I am prone to sea sickness, I prefer to be on terra firma. OR metaphorically: Sometimes I am lost in biology class, but in Latin class, I am on terra firma.

incognito:unknown; not recognized Achilles' heel: a weak spot

So, the Greeks sail off to Troy. They each have thier great warriors. The greatest of the Greeks is Achilles. When Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, was given a choice: he could have a short, but glorious life, or a long uneventful one. Neither of these appealed to her, so she tried to cheat fate by dipping him in the River Styx, rendering him invulnerable to weapons. Of course, one cannot cheat fate, and while Achilles was in fact invulnerable to weopns where the water of the River Styx had touched, he was vulnerable on his heel where his mother had held him...his Achilles' heel ( it's all coming together now). So, he does have a weakness, but it is a small one, and otherwise, he is invincible.One fierce dude.

On the Trojan side, the greatest warrior is Hector. He is Paris' brother, and that is not an easy thing to be. Paris causes all kinds of trouble, and Hector has to clean up his messes. And, he does have his own life, which Paris ruins. Nice going.

[|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/iphigenia.html]

2/

ex animo: from the heart; from the spirit

dum spiro, spero: while I breathe, I hope; it ain't over until it's over.

desperate( de+spero) lacking hope

animate: to give life or spirit to; Gaia animated the dust.

For today's Scripta, I feel compelled to thank Dr. Gregory Nagy, without whose generosity and erudition, this lesson would not be possible, and my understanding of this would be ever so limited.

As we said already, Achilles is the greatest of the Greeks, and as such, he animates and drives the much of the action in the Iliad. Achilles is "the man of constant sorrow" because his life is marked by a stark choice: to live a long, but forgettable life, or a short and glorious one. His choice is whether to sacrifice his own life to obtain KLEOS. We can define KLEOS as "imperishable glory".


 * 410 My mother Thetis, goddess with silver steps, tells me that |411 I carry the burden of two different fated ways [kēres] leading to the final moment [telos] of death. |412 If I stay here and fight at the walls of the city of the Trojans, then my safe homecoming [nostos] will be destroyed for me, but I will have a glory [kleos] [[|1]] that is imperishable [aphthiton]. [[|2]] |414 Whereas if I go back home, returning to the dear land of my forefathers, |415 then it is my glory [kleos], [[|3]] genuine [esthlon] as it is, that will be destroyed for me, but my life force [aiōn] will then |416 last me a long time, and the final moment [telos] of death will not be swift in catching up with me.

Iliad IX 410-416 [[|4]]

Achilles has started to understand the consequences of his decision to reject the option of a safe //nostos // or ‘homecoming’. He is in the process of deciding to choose the other option: he will stay at Troy and continue to fight in the Trojan War. Choosing this option will result in his death, and he is starting to understand that. In the fullness of time, he will be ready to give up his life in exchange for getting a //kleos //, which is a poetic ‘glory’ described as lasting forever. This //kleos // is the tale of Troy, the Iliad (the name of the poem, Iliad, means ‘tale of Ilion’; Ilion is the other name for ‘Troy’) . Achilles the hero gets included in the //Iliad // by dying a warrior’s death. The consolation prize for his death //is // the //kleos // of the //Iliad //.

[]



2/25

delerium tremens: trembling madness; this is an affliction of alcoholics who need a drink, the "dt's" b.i.d.: bis in die: twice a day, medical term

delerious: full of madness bisect: to cut in two



Amazons: tribe of warrior women Penthiselea : Queen of the Amazons killed by Achilles <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. A big question remains: why would Achilles fall in love with the Amazon Penthesileia in particular? A key to the answer is the name of this Amazon, //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Penthesileia //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, which means ‘she who has //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">penthos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> for the people [ //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">lāos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">]’. This name is a perfect parallel to the name of //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Achilles //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, the full form of which can be reconstructed linguistically as * //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Akhi-lāos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> and which is understood in the specialized language of Homeric poetry to mean ‘he who has //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">akhos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">for the people [ //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">lāos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">]’. <span class="noteref" style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> [ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1d9dd9; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">[|5] <span class="noteref" style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Not only the names of these epic characters but even the characters themselves are beautifully matched. When Achilles and Penthesileia are engaged in mortal combat, as we see in the vase paintings, their eyes meet at the precise moment when he kills her. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And what Achilles sees in Penthesileia is a female reflection of his male self //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. All along, Penthesileia has been his other self in the feminine gender, as even her name shows, and now he has killed her. The death of Penthesileia thus becomes a source of grief, sorrow, and overwhelming sadness for Achilles, this man of constant sorrow. Both these epic names - and the epic characters that are tied to them - have to do with themes of lament, as signaled by the words //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">akhos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> and //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">penthos //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. Both these words point to the ‘grief’ or ‘sorrow’ or ‘sadness’ of lament.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans',Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">

2/29 iustitia omnibus: justice for all rebus: by things; a puzzle which uses pictures of things instead of words e.g.I love you using a drawing of an eye for "I"

justice: the exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment; also quality of being fair and just [] omniscient: all knowing

The first nine years of the war consisted of both war in Troy and war against the neighboring regions. The Greeks realized that Troy was being supplied by its neighboring kingdoms, so Greeks were sent to defeat these areas. As well as destroying Trojan economy, these battles let the Greeks gather a large amount of resources and other spoils of war, including women (e.g., Briseis, Tecmessa and Chryseis). Briseis was given to Achilles as a prize, but Agammenon came and claimed her for himself. Achilles was really angry, so he went into his tent, and refused to come out and fight. This was a problem for the Greeks because the Trojans still have Hector fighting and he not even challenged by them. [|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html]

This stubborn refusal is refered to as the wrath of Achilles. This idea is the theme of the entire Iliad."This wrath motivates the story.The plot unfolds based upon the direction that Achilles points his wrath. He points it first to his own side, Agamemnon, the son of Atreus.He is the king of Mycenae (Mykenai), and the king of kings, the leader of all the Achaeans in this war.When he took the captive Briseis from Achilles, Achilles turned his wrath toward Agamemnon,

refusing to fight.And, without this force of nature, wrath incarnate, fighting, the Trojans, led by their Tamer of Forces, Hector, began to push the Achaeans back to their ships. "

[]

[|http://antiquitopia.blogspot.com/2008/08/wrath-of-achilles.h]

3/2

Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi: That which is allowed for Jove, is not allowed to an ox

Just because someone can do something, doesn't mean everyone can

quod me nutrit me destruit: That which sustains me destroys me ( Christopher Marlowe)

This is usually interpreted to mean that that which motivates or drives a person can consume him or her from within. The lovely Angelina Jolie has this tatooed on her body.

.
 * [[image:duxfemina/angelina latin tatoo.jpg caption="angelina latin tatoo.jpg"]] ||
 * angelina latin tatoo.jpg ||

bovine: concerning cattle

nurture: to provide support ( food,love, shelter, etc)

Ajax the Greater:

Ajax was the son of Telamon, king of Salamis. After Achilles, he was the mightiest of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War.

I think that studying Ajax gives us some insight into the wrath of Achilles

Ajax was a huge man, head and shoulders larger than the other Greeks, enormously strong but somewhat slow of speech. In the Iliad, he is often called the "wall" or "bulwark" (herkos) of the Greeks. When Achilles had withdrawn from the fighting at Troy, it was Ajax who went forth to meet Hector in single combat; by the time darkness fell the fight was still a stalemate, but Ajax had wounded Hector without sustaining injury himself

After Achilles' death, Ajax competed with Odysseus for the ownership of Achilles' armor. Both men delivered speeches explaining their own merits, but Odysseus was by far the more eloquent and won the prize. Ajax was driven mad by his disappointment. According to one account, he vowed vengeance on the Greeks and began slaughtering cattle, mistaking them for his former comrades-in-arms. He finally committed suicide.

Ajax is often called "Telemonian Ajax" or "the greater Ajax," to distinguish him from Ajax the Lesser the son of Oileus, who also fought for the Greeks at Troy.[|www.pantheon.org]

Ajax the Lesser ( Loser) dragged poor, pitiful Cassandra away as she clung to an icon of Athena inside Athena's temple, begging for protection and raped her during the sack of Troy. Athena avenged this act of violence and sacrelige in spades...she waited until Ajax the Lesser was sailing back to Greece,and then she had her vengeance. She sent a whirlwind to sink his ship, impaled him on a rock and struck him with lightening. Take that, loser!


 * [[image:duxfemina/AjaxCassandra.jpg caption="AjaxCassandra.jpg"]] ||
 * AjaxCassandra.jpg ||

3/4 par: equal used in golf to suggest a target score for a hole which players attempt to equal; also “below par” meaning not up to the usual standard (of health, achievement)

sub iudice : under a judge ; ongoing or incomplete legal proceedings

parity: equality judicial: concerning judges

The Greek army, deprived of Achilles, seemed to be facing imminent disaster, and so Patroklos/Patroclus, Achilles' beloved friend and therapon, a ritual attendant a sacrificial substitute , persuaded Achilles to allow him enter the fight with Achilles' fresh troops. Achilles agreed and lent Patroklos his splendid armour. Though he fought brilliantly, Patroklos was killed by Hector, the Trojan champion, who stripped him of his arms.death of Patroclus

= Bk XVI:777-867 The death of Patroclus =

So long as the sun was high in the sky, the volleys of missiles found their mark, and men fell, but when it sank low at that hour when ploughmen unyoke their oxen, the Greeks proved masters of their fate. They dragged [|Cebriones]’ corpse away from the Trojans and, beyond the clash of arms, stripped it of its armour. Then [|Patroclus] was minded to destroy the Trojans. Three times that peer of swift Ares attacked them, shouting his dread war-cry, and each time killed nine men. But when, like a god, you charged at them again, Patroclus, then your fate loomed in sight. For [|Apollo] met you, terrible in combat.

Apollo advanced, veiled in a dense mist, invisible to Patroclus in the tumult, stood behind him and struck him in the back with the flat of his hand. The warrior’s vision spun, as Apollo knocked the helmet from his head, sending it under the horses’ feet with a clang, and the plumes on its crest were streaked with blood and dust. The gods had never allowed it to be fouled till then, that horsehair-plumed helmet that protected the godlike brow and head of [|Achilles]: now Zeus let Hector wear it for a while, since death was nearing him too.

The long-shadowed spear, thick, heavy and strong, and tipped with bronze, in Patroclus’ hands was wholly shattered, the tasselled shield on its strap fell to the ground, and that blow from Lord Apollo, son of Zeus, had loosened the breastplate. Then Patroclus’ mind was dimmed, his noble limbs were slack beneath him, and dazed he stood there. A [|Dardanian], [|Panthous]’ son [|Euphorbus], the best spearman, horseman and runner of his generation, who had brought down twenty charioteers in this his apprenticeship in war, now cast his sharp spear and struck Patroclus in the back between the shoulders. He was first to hurl his spear, not killing you, horse-tamer Patroclus, but pulling the ash spear from your flesh and running back into the throng, fearing to stand and fight you, unarmed now though you were. And Patroclus, stunned by the god’s blow and Euphorbus’ spear, retreated into the Myrmidon ranks, dodging fate.

But [|Hector], seeing brave Patroclus withdraw, struck by the blade, made his way to him through the ranks, and drove at him with his spear, piercing the lower belly and ramming the point home. Patroclus fell with a thud, to the grievous sorrow of the Achaean army. As a lion in the high mountains may fight with a tireless wild boar over a trickling stream from which both seek to drink, and conquers his panting enemy by strength alone, so Hector, Priam’s son, overcame the valiant son of [|Menoetius], who himself had killed so many men, and striking him close at hand with his spear robbed him of his life. Then straddling him, he shouted in victory: ‘I think you boasted you’d sack our city, Patroclus, take our women captive, sail with them to your native land. How foolish! Hector and his swift horses are here to fight for them, Hector the finest spearman among the warlike Trojans, I who shield them from the day of doom, while as for you, the vultures shall have you. Even Achilles, with all his valour, could not save you, wretched man, though I don’t doubt he told you as you left, for he chose to stay: “Patroclus, master horseman, don’t return to the hollow ships till you’ve pierced the tunic at man-killing Hector’s chest and drenched it in his blood.” No doubt that’s what he said, and you in your madness though it would be so.’

But though your strength was ebbing fast, horse-taming Patroclus, yet you answered: ‘Boast, while you can, Hector, for Zeus and Apollo it was who gave you victory. They conquered me: they stripped the armour from my shoulders. If twenty men like you had faced me alone, all would have died at the point of my spear. But [|Fate] the destroyer and Apollo, [|Leto]’s son, have conquered: only then came Euphorbus the mortal, while you are but the third to claim my life. This I tell you: and go brood upon it. You indeed have only a little while to live, even now death approaches and your fixed destiny, to fall at the hands of Achilles, peerless scion of [|Aeacus].’

With these words death took him, and his spirit, loosed from his limbs, fled down to Hades, bemoaning its fate and leaving youth and manhood behind. But dead though he was, noble Hector still replied: ‘Patroclus, what makes you so sure of my swift destruction? Who knows but Achilles, son of fair-haired [|Thetis], may be struck by my spear first, and lose his life?’

With this, he planted his heel on the warrior’s body, drew the spear from the wound, and thrust the corpse away, to fall on its back. Then he launched himself with the spear at [|Automedon], godlike squire of fleet-footed Achilles, grandson of Aeacus. He was keen to strike him down, but the swift team swept Automedon away, those immortal steeds, the glorious gifts the gods gave [|Peleus].

[|http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Greek/Iliad16.htm#_Toc2392461]

Achilles, who deeply loved his friend, was overwhelmed with sorrow and rage. He wanted to avenge Patroklos and kill Hector, but he had no armour. He therefore summoned his mother, the sea-nymph Thetis, and begged her to procure new armour for him from the smith god, Hephaistos.

The next morning Thetis returned. The vase painter shows her sadly embracing the muffled, grief-stricken Achilles, for she knew that if Achilles killed Hector, he himself was doomed to die soon after. Thetis' sisters, Achilles' aunts, flank the central group holding various pieces of the new armour. The goddess Athena, Achilles' divine patron, stands at the far left. [|http://www.britishmuseum.org/]

3/8

vox populi : the voice of the people style of reporting that is "man on the street"

caput mundi: the head of the world; Rome

vociferous: voice carrying; noisy

decapitate: to remove one's head Death of Hector: the beginning of the end for Troy


 * < “ || Alas! the gods have lured me on to my destruction. ... death is now indeed exceedingly near at hand and there is no way out of it- for so Zeus and his son Apollo the far-darter have willed it, though heretofore they have been ever ready to protect me. My doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter. ||> ” ||
 * —Spoken by Hector facing Achilles, after a missed spear-throw, //The Iliad// Book XXII Lines 299-305 ||

THE next day, having secured his armor and weapons, Achilles again went out to fight. His purpose was #|to meet Hector, and, by killing him, to avenge his dead friend, Patroclus. He therefore rushed up and down the battlefield; and when at last he came face to face with his foe, they closed in deadly fight. The two young men, each the champion warrior of his army, were now fighting with the courage of despair; for, while Achilles was thirsting to avenge his friend, Hector knew that the fate of Troy depended mostly upon his arm. The struggle was terrible. It was watched with breathless interest by the armies on both sides, and by aged Priam, Hector's wife, Andromache, and the Trojan women from the walls of Troy. In spite of Hector's courage, in spite of all his skill, he was doomed to die, and soon he fell under the blows of Achilles.

[51] Then, in sight of both armies and of Hector's weeping family, Achilles took off his enemy's armor, bound the dead body by his feet to his chariot, and dragged it three times around the city walls before he went back to camp to mourn over the remains of Patroclus.

That night, guided by one of the gods, old King Priam came secretly into the Greek camp, and, stealing into Achilles' tent, fell at his feet. He had come to beg Achilles to give back the body of Hector, that he might weep over it, and bury it with all the usual ceremonies and honors.

Touched by the old man's tears, and ready now to listen to his better feelings, Achilles kindly raised the old king, comforted him with gentle words, and not only gave back the body, but also promised that there should be a truce of a few days, so that both armies could bury their dead in peace.
 * <  || Think of thy father, and this helpless face behold! See him in me, as helpless and as old! Though not so wretched: there he yields to me, The first of men in sovereign misery! Thus forced to kneel, thus groveling to embrace The scourge and ruin of my realm and race; Suppliant my children’s murderer to implore, And kiss those hands yet reeking with their gore! ||> ” ||
 * —Spoken by Priam to Achilles, //The Iliad// Book XXIV, Pope's translation ||

3/10

cineri gloria sero est: glory to ashes comes too late

verbum sat sapienti: a word to the wise is enough

sapient:wise

incinerate: to turn into ashes

Achilles is not long of this world after he kills Hector, and, it is Paris that kills him. Here is the story: How did Achilles met his end? Polyxena (not mentioned by Homer but key to the story in other versions) was the daughter of Priam. During the twelve-day truce for Hector’s funeral, Achilles spotted Polyxena with her brother Troilus, who was watering his horse at a fountain. It would prove to be a fateful meeting for all three. Despite the truce, Achilles ambushed the pair, killing Troilus. Knowing that Achilles was smitten with his daughter, Priam thought of a way to end the conflict. What if he allowed Achilles to marry Polyxena as the price for ending the war ? Polyxena embraced her father’s plan. Seemingly, she loved the famous warrior who had ambushed her at the fountain and had killed her brothers. But Polyxena was a loyal sister. She learned that Achilles had a weak spot on his heel. The youngest daughter of Priam and Hecuba collaborated with her brother Paris (brother of Hector, lover of Helen). Together they concocted a plan. Polyxena would convince Achilles to make a sacrifice in the temple of Apollo, where their marriage would soon be celebrated. Paris, completely hidden from view, would be waiting in the wings with his bow and arrow. Agreeing to make a sacrifice, Achilles went to the temple of Apollo. Concerned for his safety, Odysseus and two others followed Achilles to the temple. No one was in sight. As Achilles knelt at the altar, Paris raised his bow. He sent a poison arrow toward his brothers’ killer and, with the help of Apollo, the arrow entered the only vulnerable part of Achilles’ body: his heel. Realizing death was imminent, Achilles cried out (some versions of the story say he gave the command after his death) to sacrifice Polyxena on his tomb. In the arms of Odysseus, Achilles died a painful death. Protecting the remains of his friend, Ajax (with the help of Menelaus) prevented Paris from desecrating the body of his-brother-Hector’s killer. Ajax returned the body of the fallen warrior to the Achaean camp. Later, fighting with Odysseus over the weapons and armor Achilles had left behind, Ajax lost that battle and his mind. He ended up committing suicide. []

3/14 Tomorrow is the Ides of March...which is the day Julius Caesar was killed in 44 BC.

Et tu, Brute? You too, Brutus? ( William Shakespeare...Caesar actually said "You too, my child?" in Greek); an "et tu" is a horrible betrayal by someone you trust because Brutus was Caesar's friend, and possibly his son, and he participated in the conspriacy to kill Caesar. Veni,vidi, vici: I came, I saw, I conquered; reportedly written by Julius Caesar in 47 BC as a comment on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in the city of Zela (currently known as Zile, in Turkey). It has been alledued to innumerable times by everyone from Handel, the composer, to Jay-Z, the rapper.
 * [[image:duxfemina/Veni_Vidi_Vicious.jpg caption="Veni_Vidi_Vicious.jpg"]] ||
 * Veni_Vidi_Vicious.jpg ||

brutal: violent and cruel intervene: to come between

The assassination of Julius Caesar was the result of a conspiracy by 60 Roman senators who called themselves Liberators. Led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, they stabbed Julius Caesar to death in a location adjacent to the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC. Caesar was the dictator of the Roman Republic at the time, having recently been declared dictator in perpetuo by the Senate. This declaration made several senators fear that Caesar wanted to overthrow the Senate in favor of tyranny. The ramifications of the assassination led to the Liberators' civil war and, ultimately, to the Principate period of the Roman Empire. []

Brutus and Cassius: the leaders of the conspiracy to kill Caesar Although Cassius was "the moving spirit" in the plot against Caesar, winning over the chief assassins to the cause of tyrannicide, Brutus became their leader.[8] On the Ides of March, 44 BC, Cassius urged on his fellow liberators and struck Caesar in the chest area. As Caesar realized of Brutus's play in the assassination,he said in Greek, 'You too, my child?" Though they succeeded in assassinating Caesar, the celebration was short-lived, as Mark Antony seized power and turned the public against them. In letters written during 44 BC, Cicero frequently complains that Rome was still subjected to tyranny, because the "Liberators" had failed to kill Antony.[9] According to some accounts, Cassius had wanted to kill Antony at the same time as Caesar, but Brutus dissuaded him.[10]

3/16

two phrases for the price of one!

Equo ne credite, Teucri! Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis. "Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear theGreeks, even bearing gifts" - spoken by Laocoon in the Aeneid written by Vergil

If an enemy starts being nice to you, be very, very, very, very, very, very suspicious. Don't ever accept a gift of any kind from an enemy. If something seems to good to be true, it is.

equine: concerning horses

donation: a gift

The Trojan Horse

Still seeking to gain entrance into Troy, clever Odysseus (some say with the aid of Athena) ordered a large wooden horse to be built. Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it.

Once the statue had been built by the artist Epeius, a number of the Greek warriors, along with Odysseus, climbed inside. The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away, so as to deceive the Trojans.

One man, Sinon, was left behind. When the Trojans came to marvel at the huge creation, Sinon pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had deserted him. He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would bring luck to the Trojans.

Only two people, Laocoon and Cassandra, spoke out against the horse, but they were ignored.

Laocoon, a priest of Poseidon, begged the Trojans to destroy the horse, and this is what he got for his trouble: The Trojans believed that Laocoon and his sons being eaten by snakes was a sign from the gods, and indeed it was, but not for the reasons they thought. Zeus had decided to end the war, and Laocoon was silenced for standing in the way. The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and dragged the wooden horse into Troy.

That night, after most of Troy was asleep or in a drunken stupor, Sinon let the Greek warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered the Trojans.

[|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html#anchor204279]

3/18

Infandum, Regina, dolorem renovare iubes: Unspeakable,Queen, the grief you order ( me ) to renew; Aeneas to Dido when she asks him to recount the fall of Troy( Aeneid, Vergil, book 2)

una salus victis nullam sperare salutem: there is one salvation for the conquered: to hope for no salvation ( Aeneid Book2)

dolorous: full of grief (see also: Via Dolorosa) nullify: to make nothing

Check out these nutty hippies at the Burning Man Festival 2011:trojan horse burning man Sad, sad times in Troy: The Greeks have come into the city....trojan horse Hector's ghost appears to the Trojan, Aeneas, the son of Venus and Anchises and the founder of Italy. Hector tells Aeneas that all is lost, and to flee with a band of refugees.

"See, in dream, before my eyes, Hector seemed to stand there, saddest of all and pouring out great tears, torn by the chariot, as once he was, black with bloody dust, and his swollen feet pierced by the thongs. Ah, how he looked! How changed he was from that Hector who returned wearing Achilles’s armour, or who set Trojan flames to the Greek ships! His beard was ragged, his hair matted with blood, bearing those many wounds he received dragged around the walls of his city."

"Ah! Son of the goddess, fly, tear yourself from the flames.The enemy has taken the walls: Troy falls from her high place. Enough has been given to Priam and your country: if Pergamon could be saved by any hand, it would have been saved by this. Troy entrusts her sacred relics and household gods to you: take them as friends of your fate, seek mighty walls for them, those you will found at last when you have wandered the seas.” So he speaks, and brings the sacred headbands in his hands from the innermost shrine, potent Vesta, and the undying flame."

So, Aeneas runs through the city, in a cloak of invisibility provided by his mother, Venus. As he runs, he sees all kinds of destruction and slaughter. Eventually he makes his way to the palace where he witnesses the death of Priam. It is the climactic scene in the fall of Troy. Priam is with his wife, daughters and daughters in law. They are said to be about 100 in number. They have gathered around the altar in the inner sancutary within the palace. Poor old King Priam is putting on his armor to try to defend the women. Polites, the youngest and last living son of Priam, bursts through the door pursued by Pyrrhus(Neoptolemus), the son of Achilles. He kills the boy in front of his family, and Priam becomes enraged and confronts him:

See, Polites, one of Priam’s sons, escaping Pyrrhus’ slaughter, runs down the long hallways, through enemies and spears, and, wounded, crosses the empty courts. Pyrrhus chases after him, eager to strike him, and grasps at him now, and now, with his hand, at spear-point.

When finally he reached the eyes and gaze of his parents, he fell, and poured out his life in a river of blood. Priam, though even now in death’s clutches, did not spare his voice at this, or hold back his anger: “If there is any justice in heaven, that cares about such things, may the gods repay you with fit thanks, and due reward for your wickedness, for such acts, you who have made me see my own son’s death in front of my face, and defiled a father’s sight with murder. Yet Achilles, whose son you falsely claim to be, was no such enemy to Priam: he respected the suppliant’s rights, and honour, and returned Hector’s bloodless corpse to its sepulchre, and sent me home to my kingdom.” So the old man spoke, and threw his ineffectual spear without strength, which immediately spun from the clanging bronze and hung uselessly from the centre of the shield’s boss.

Pyrrhus spoke to him: “Then you can be messenger, carry the news to my father, to Peleus’s son: remember to tell him of degenerate Pyrrhus, and of my sad actions: now die.” Saying this he dragged him, trembling, and slithering in the pool of his son’s blood, to the very altar, and twined his left hand in his hair, raised the glittering sword in his right, and buried it to the hilt in his side. This was the end of Priam’s life: this was the death that fell to him by lot, seeing Troy ablaze and its citadel toppled, he who was once the magnificent ruler of so many Asian lands and peoples. A once mighty body lies on the shore, the head shorn from its shoulders, a corpse without a name. [|http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/VirgilAeneidII.htm#_Toc536009319] Priam is Troy. His death means that Troy, unequivocally, is no more. Aeneas remembers his own family, and Hector's warning, and runs back to save whom he can.

3/22

anguis in herba: a snake in the grass; a hidden enemy

bella matribus detesta: wars hated by mothers

herbaceous: pertaining to, or characteristic of an herb; herblike

[]

detest: to hate intensely

Such a sad, sad story:

In order to prevent Hector's son, Astyanax, from growing up and seeking retribution, the child was thrown off the walls of Troy to his death. His mother, Andromache, was taken as a concubine. His grandmother, Hecuba, Priam's wife, is left to bury the body.

The Greek playwrite, Euripedes, wrote a play The Trojan Women, which is in many ways, an indictment of war. It examines the consequences of the war on the women who are left behind. It is one of the most pitiful things I have ever seen. It's quite timeless. The grief and despair these women face is the same the world over, war after war after war after war.....

It is a reminder of the cost of war for civilians caught up in the politics of the day.

dulcius ex asperis: sweeter after difficulties

auribus teneo lupum: I hold a wolf by the ears. All the options in a situation are dangerous ...a tiger by the tail.

exasperate:to increase the intensity of annoyance; to bring the difficulty out

aural: concerning ears/hearing



So, our Aeneas runs to his house, grabs his family and flees. Somewhere along the road out of town, he notices his wife and a daughter of Priam, Creusa, is missing. He is terrified, and runs back to find her. She appears to him in a ghost-like state, and tells him that he mother in law, Venus, has taken her away, lest she suffer like the other Trojan women, and to clear the way for Aeneas to fulfill his destiny...reaching Italy and marrying an Italian woman.

Also, moreover, I, having dared to throw voices through the shadow, filled up the streets with a shout and, sad, I have called Creusa repeating again and again in vain. As I searched and rushed without end among the roofs of the city, the unlucky image of Creusa herself appeared before the eyes for me and an image greater than known.

I was stunned. Then she began to speak and she took away my cares with these words: "What does it help to indulge in mad grief, O sweet husband? These things didn't happen without the divine will of the gods; it is neither the divine will for you to carry your companion Creusa from this place, nor does that ruler of proud Olympus (Jupiter) allow it. [There will be] long exiles for you, and the vast surface of the sea must be plowed [by you] ... There happy things and a kingdom and a queenly wife await you. Repel your tears for the beloved Creusa. I will not see the proud seats of the Myrmidonian and Dolopians, and I will not go to serve Greek mothers, [I], descendant of Dardania, and daughter-in-law of divine Venus.

"But the great mother of the gods detains me on these shores: and now farewell and save the love of our common son." When she gave these words, she left [me] crying and wishing to say many things, and she receeded into thin air."

[|http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/creusa.html]

Aeneas then leaves the city, joining a band of refugees on Mt. Ida,( Phrygian Ida...not to be confused with Mt. Ida on the island of Crete) where all the trouble began. It was where Paris was promised Helen, and where the men who manage to survive gather to make their way to a new home.