6.55 Describe the myths and stories of classical
Greece.
Guiding Question: Why were epics and fables important to the ancient Greeks?


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.

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

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.

Iliad

The Greeks were unable to break through the thick walls surrounding the city of Troy.

What did they do?

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.

Iliad

The finest Greek soldiers hid inside the horse.
• All the other
Greek soldiers boarded ships and sailed away.

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.

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.

Iliad

The Greeks then captured the city and rescued Helen and took her home!

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.

Odyssey

Odysseus faced storms, monsters, and witches along the way.

He finally returned to his wife.

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.

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.


Homer’s 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 family’s honor.

Homer’s heroes became role models for Greek boys.