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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? 2016 Copyright © Curiosity Learning Ltd. All Rights Reserved. www.curiosity-club.com 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.