The subject of each print is based on a scene from Homer's Iliad and the style in which they are produced is very similar to Greek pottery which was being excavated in the late 18th century. Instead they were preliminary drafts of work he proposed to development later on. The Iliad ended with Hector's burial.Īlthough Flaxman's illustrations were highly successful the artist himself admitted that they were not designed to be released in the state we see them today. Achilles then dragged his body on the back of his chariot back to his tent in the Greek camp. As Achilles caught Hector he struck a fatal blow through the gap in his armor to his neck. Achilles was forced to rejoin the battle and seek revenge for this. Achilles' friend and fellow warrior, Patroclus donned the armor of Achilles and led the Myrmidons into battle but was killed by Hector. Achilles refused and thus the war continued. Agamemnon reluctantly agreed and sent Odysseys and Ajax to approach the hero. Nestor persuaded Agamemnon to approach Achilles, as the introduction of him and his Myrmidon warriors would surely sway the war in their favor. A few days after the fighting had resumed, Hector proposed another duel to settle the battle once and for all, this time between himself and any warrior of the Greeks' choosing. With the gods now involved in the outcome of the war, they are eager to restart the fighting and incite the Trojan archer, Pandaros, to fire an arrow into the Greek hoards. Paris was losing the fight until he was rescued by the goddess Aphrodite, and returned to his love, Helen, within the walls of the city. On the 15th day when the two sides finally met, a duel was proposed to decide the war between the Trojan Prince, Paris, and the Greek warrior, Menelaus. The Iliad covers only 45 days of the conflict. The two secretly returned to Troy together and Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus, rallied the Greek armies of his allies and went to Troy in order to seek revenge.

The war started after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus. Set on the western coast of modern day Turkey, the city of Troy has been under attack from the Greek armies, lead by Agamemnon, for almost 10 years. The Iliad tells the story of the last years of the Trojan War. A panoramic fresco showing Achilles dragging Hektor's body

The iliad and odyssey story