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CURIOSITY CLUB
Gift-giving Greeks
CHALLENGE CARD
Station: 1190
Reference:
91190HI01
Difficulty: 60 minutes
Time: 7
HISTORY
THE
Background & Context
The Trojan War was the greatest conflict in Greek mythology, a war that was
to influence people in literature and arts for centuries.
The war was fought between the Greeks and Trojans around the city of Troy.
The war lasted for ten years and it has been traditionally dated from 1194 to
1184 BC. Current thinking is that, actually, these wars might not be mythical
and might have really taken place.
Your Challenge Tell the story of the Trojan Wars to
your class. You might like to use a
comic strip, drawings, or prompt
cards to help.
Optional Extension
Your Creation
A performance of the story of the
Trojan War. This should be done
for your class – or maybe an even
bigger audience if you are feeling
brave!
Can you be a real Greek ‘bard’, like
Homer, and tell the tale from
memory, without any prompt cards
or supporting materials?
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Background Information
Gift-giving Greeks
The Trojan War was the greatest conflict in Greek mythology
The Trojan War, according to Greek
mythology, was a war between the Greeks
and the people of Troy.
The war began when the Trojan prince,
Paris, abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of
Sparta, the most beautiful woman in the
world. Menelaus called upon his brother,
Agamemnon, and the greatest Greek heroes
to lead an army against the Trojans.
For ten years, the Greeks laid siege to Troy,
the battle raging outside the mighty city walls.
Finally, Odysseus, a Greek king, thought of a
trick to bring the war to a conclusion. He had
his men build a huge wooden horse in which
a small group of warriors could hide. They
left it outside the city gates whilst the Greek
armies boarded their ships and appeared to
be sailing for home. The Trojans, having been
persuaded that the horse was a gift from the
goddess Athena, took it inside the city. That
night, the Greek soldiers crept out of the
horse and opened the city gates so that the
Greek army, who had been hiding nearby,
could storm in and destroy the city.
Thetis, a mortal and a sea-goddess. As in
all Greek tales, gods and goddesses feature
heavily throughout the Trojan War and its
origins, and are forever interfering in the
lives of the mortals.
Until around 100 years ago, historians were
convinced that the Trojan War was purely an
ancient myth. Then in 1870, archaeologists,
led by Heinrich Schliemann, uncovered the
remains of a great citadel that existed on the
Western shore of Asia Minor, the traditional
location of Troy. His excavations revealed
evidence of more than nine cities, built one
on top of the next. Several of the cities had
been destroyed violently but it has not yet
been agreed which layer is the Troy from
Homer’s tale.
The story of the siege of Troy is told by Homer
in his epic tale The Iliad. More Greek legends
fill in the backstory to the war. The original
source of all the ensuing problems seems
to have been, of all things, Paris’ judgement
over an apple at the marriage of Peleus and
Hints & Tips
For Homer’s full tale, see The Iliad and the Odyssey by Marcia Williams, Walker Books.
Useful for all the stories from the times: Usborne Guide to Greek Myths and Legends by Cheryl
Evans and Anne Millard, Usborne Books.
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Greece by Anne Pearson, Dorling Kindersley Books, will fill in some of
the archaeological background, as will http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849 where you can tour the
archaeological site of Troy.
www.dmturner.org/English/Exam/TWReview.htm gives a detailed summary of the Trojan War,
whilst www.ancient.eu/Trojan_War/ gives further detail.
The Iliad in translation: www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Greek/Ilhome.htm
Read about the discovery of Troy in the What on Earth Wallbook of Big History.