Iliad

The Iliad (“poem about Ilion, or Troy”) is an epic poem attributed to Homer (ca. 700 BC). Divided into twenty-four books, the poem deals with an episode that takes place during the tenth year of the Trojan War.

The story focuses on the Greek hero Achilles. After a quarrel with his commander-in-chief, Agamemnon, withdraws from the fighting. But when his compatriot – later sources claim lover – Patroclus is killed in battle by the Trojan champion Hector, Achilles returns to the battlefield. The Greek hero then confronts and kills Hector.