Greek Epics 6.55 Describe the myths and stories of classical
Greece. Guiding Question: Why were epics and fables important to
the ancient Greeks?
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Greek Literature Epic a long poem that records the deeds of a
legendary or real hero Greek poems and epics are some of the oldest
literature in Western civilizations. The first Greek stories were
epics.
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Iliad and Odyssey Two great epics of ancient Greece were the
Iliad and the Odyssey. The poet Homer composed them during the 700s
B.C. Homer based these epics on stories about a war between Greece
and the city of Troy. Homer
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Iliad A prince of Troy fell in love with Helen, the wife of a
Greek king. The prince kidnapped Helen. The kidnapping angered the
Greeks, and they attacked Troy in revenge.
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Iliad The Greeks were unable to break through the thick walls
surrounding the city of Troy. What did they do?
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Iliad In order to get into the city, the Greeks tricked the
Trojans. The Greeks constructed a huge, hollow, wooden horse. Why?
This is a reconstruction of the large, wooden horse in Troy.
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Iliad The finest Greek soldiers hid inside the horse. All the
other Greek soldiers boarded ships and sailed away.
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Iliad The Trojans thought they had won the war and that the
horse was a victory prize from the Greeks. The Trojans rolled the
giant horse into the city.
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Iliad That night, the Greeks quietly crawled out of the horse
and opened the city gates. The rest of the Greek army, who had
sailed back to Troy after dark, entered the city gates.
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Iliad The Greeks then captured the city and rescued Helen and
took her home!
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Odyssey The Odyssey is an epic that tells the story of
Odysseus, a Greek hero of the Trojan War. It describes his long
trip home after the fall of Troy.
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Odyssey Odysseus faced storms, monsters, and witches along the
way. He finally returned to his wife.
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Odyssey According to the poem, it takes Odysseus 10 years to
accomplish his arrival in Greece. Today, people use the word
odyssey a word taken from Odysseus name to describe a long,
exciting journey.
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Iliad and Odyssey Greeks believed the Iliad and the Odyssey
were more than stories. They believed that the epics were real
history. These poems gave the Greeks an ideal past with a cast of
heroes.
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Homers Writing Homers stories taught courage and honor. They
also taught that it was important to be loyal to your friends and
to value relationship between husband and wife. The stories showed
heroes striving to be the best they could be. Heroes fought to
protect their own honor and their familys honor. Homers heroes
became role models for Greek boys.