The ENTIRE Story of the Trojan War Explained | Best Iliad Documentary 

Thanks for watching! *If you enjoyed the video, help support the channel by leaving a SUPER THANKS!* Remember to *Like & Subscribe* and click the *Bell Icon* to never miss an upload. *Timestamps* can be found below: *Timestamps* 📽 Intro: 0:00 The Trojan War 0:47 The Suitors of Helen 3:04 The Judgement of Paris 5:12 The Greeks Assemble 9:00 The Start of the Iliad 18:19 The Tenth Year of War 21:10 The Death of Hector 24:19 The Trojan Horse 27:30 The Fall of Troy 31:29

Helen: aw god I’m really worried about all these suitors. Odysseus: don’t worry, I’ll make a protection deal just for you! Helen: omg that’s so nice such a best friend move! Odysseus: w h a t

Odysseus was the real MVP. He made the pact so that the Greek kings wouldn't fight over Helen. Did not want to go to war in the first place. Reunited Chryseis with her father, and came up with the Trojan horse.

Hector is my favorite character, bound by so many things. A very normal man with no great faults, could fall for the pressure and ties. In a way its the story of so many, even in our times.

The Iliad was essentially the Bible of the ancient world. It showed how leaders should treat their soldiers (Wrath of Achilles due to Agamemnon), the dangers of Hubris (Patroclus dying due to Achilles Hubris) and how one should treat the dead (Achilles not finding peace until Hector is returned and buried). It went so far that a successful Greek Admiral was executed because he could not retrieve the bodies of a sunken ship and therefore they would never find peace. Amazing tale.

Particularly given the stunning complexity of the overall story, that is an excellent summary. The only thing I would like to add is that while it was a 10 year quest from the initial departure from Greece, the Acheans were only fully assembled on the plain in front of Troy in the 10th year. The other 9 years were spent either a/ trying to get there or b/ attacking other cities, as alluded to. And a couple of idle comments on this truly amazing story.. *It was quite rich of Achilles to be enraged about Patroclus' death, given it was his own obstinate pride which caused it *Of all the characters, Odysseus is by far the most complex and interesting.

It is amazing to listen to a story written by a blind man thousands of years ago! Also the paintings seen throughout the video are feast for the eyes! Keep up the good work man!

This was incredibly well done. The idea that you were capable of capturing the complexities, of the Iliad, in 35 minutes is a feat in itself. Brilliant work, truly.

I came across this video while reading ‘The song of Achilles’. Before starting the book, I had no information about the Greek Mythology. The only thing I knew of some relevance was the movie ‘Troy’ which I saw only because of Brad Pitt. This video has helped me a lot understand the characters, whilst reading the book. From the deepest bottom of my heart thank you so much for the beautifully and graphically explained Video.

As a Greek, I have to compliment your outstanding work on this video! Thank you for your effort and keep up the good work!

Never stop uploading champ! You have one of the best channels on RU-vid!

Honestly it's kinda sad that Hactor's wife became a pleasure slave and their child killed. Also another sad thing is Odysseus the wisest and the one who helped them out the most gotten a curse to continue another 10 years from his home

These are honestly the best documentary-like videos on RU-vid. This channel is super underrated. Keep up the good work.

I'm traveling to Greece and Turkey in 10 days. This documentary was exactly what I wanted. I can't wait to go see all those sites. Great work!

Thankyou for making this sir. I’m living in Turkey exploring the Roman and Greek ruins so your channel is really enlightening for me

Very well presented and thoroughly explained, keep up the good work!

No. The Iliad does not tell the beginning of the Trolan war; it begins in the tenth and final year and ends with the funeral games of Hektor, way before any sign of the war ending. Remarkably, the centre of the whole work, as well as its climax, is the tragedy of the Trojan prince Hektor which is told with astonishingly detailed and moving humanity. This spirit is continued later in Athenian Tragic drama. It is this acknowledgment of the shared humanity and honour of an enemy which lifts Greek literature to its rank of true majesty.

Following the story of "The Iliad" is like trying to follow "War and Peace". You can't tell who the players are without a scorecard. Thanks for displaying "org charts" of who's who in this story. It makes it easier to follow the story.

This was a fantastic video, you've packed in all the main points, explained the back story and the after events in 35 minutes, I've watched TV Docs on the Iliad that were twice as long and were no where near as informative... thankyou and keep up the great work....

Excellent. Now do the Odyssey.

These longer videos like the labors of Herucules and this are my favorite on youtube by far! Please give us more!!!!!

I enjoyed studying the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and all the other shorter stories of ancient Greek. It is a compelling collection of stories that have such wonderful complexity and detail. The Iliad and Odyssey are really just two parts of a much wider and bigger multigenerational universe of characters and events. The fathers of many of the Greek heros of the Trojan War sailed together with Jason in the search for the Golden Fleece.

I thought I was going to watch a Trojan War documentary and ended up listening to the intro music twenty times. You have no business having music that good as your introduction, it's fantastic!

Outstanding! An excellent 'score card' summary of who vs. who in what can be a complicated story. Really well done, and highly recommended for Trojan War fans. Thanks for posting!

Thank you! First video of yours I've played. I'm a new listener, new subscriber. Hearing this so simply yet concisely summarized allows me to thoroughly understand this story. At 73, although I LOVE history and have done so my entire life, I've always avoided these and the other stories I've read on your list of videos. I'm looking forward to your other videos.

Absolutely well explained. Thanks for all the great effort you put in and finally coming out with this easy to understand documentary. Kudos!!!

Great job rounding up all of these paintings to illustrate the story. Thanks.

It is such a shame this channel doesn't get more views! It's so well produced and excellently presented

Great upload. You are always spot on with the images/illustrations as well.

Absolutely fantastic! Thank you, would love to see the next one done on the Odyssey itself, keep it up!

Ive just started to read the illiad and let me say...i have been confounded by the complexities of the characters and their actions to each other..i had no idea that the story takes place well into the battle and failed to explain the backstories. Thank you for i can now puck up the book once again with a greater understanding of the illiad.

Thanks alot for such a wonderful presentation with amazing music, pictures and editing 😭

A wonderful account of TheTrojan War. Thoroughly enjoyed. Thx for sharing.

My man, that was really the best Troy video I have ever seen. I can't wait to see the Odyssey tonight when I get home from work. And other videos of yours as well

Absolutely great summary! Thanks!

This is a very good summary of a long and complex story. Thank you very much.

As a Greek. Amazing job man. You are amazing

Your channel is GOLDEN. Thank you for such quality work. 🖤

Never stop uploading champ #Legend your're an inspiration brother !

Amazing video, so clear and well explained!

Brilliant narration. Compelling. Keep going bro.

I remember having to translate the Iliad for school and the curriculum was so drawn out that it took forever and I felt very bored with it. Your video is amazing and has made me want to pick it back up years later and see what I was missing! Thank you, really great video

This story is amazing! And the artwork is breathtaking

great video and explanation! Thanks for helping me with my english project.

Wow! Very well presented. I enjoyed watching this video.

I love your explanation !!! Its is sooo goood! But this one is a bit more detailed than what I am looking for my examination today! Huge respect! Also , you have gained a solid subscriber ❤️

This video is an achievement in itself! Well done mate! I've saved this for the n no. of times I'll be replaying this in the future to revisit the Trojan war.

MY GOODNESS!!! Simply wonderful teaching and art! ❤️

Great video as always. Just point that I would vehemently disagree with: Achilles and Patroclus were not “best friends”. In symposium Plato through Phaedrus discusses Achilles and Patroclus as prime example of divinely approved lovers: specifically he says that only those who’re in love would consent to join their beloved even in face of death. He goes on to say that Achilles ached for his lover Patroclus, and hastened to avenge him even after being told by his mother Thetis that killing Hector would bring about his own death. For a love so great the Gods bestowed upon him an afterlife in Isle of Blest. In fact, the only bone Plato’s got to pick with Aeschylus is about who was the “lover” and the “loved”. There’s a small chunk of classical debate about this matter. Even in the Iliad, Patroclus’s very first words to Achilles are uttered in book 11, where he asks what it is that Achilles needs of him; the last words he ever speaks is “Achilles”. He dies wearing Achilles’s armour. When the news of his death reaches Achilles, he goes out bare-chested roaring like a lion (blessed by Athena) to rescue the body of Patroclus. Afterwards he washes and warps Patroclus’s body in cloth, and places him on his bed in their shared tent. He refuses to bury Patroclus, he doesn’t eat or drink or sleep, just sits by Patroclus’s side and weeps inconsolably, even pulling out his own hair and beating his chest. The words he says are: “My dear comrade Patroclus has fallen - he whom I valued more than all others, and loved as dearly as my own life” (book 18); “I’m sick with longing for you! There is no more shattering a blow that I could suffer. Not even if I should learn of my own father’s death, or the death of my dear son” (book 19). In his pursuit of slaying Hector, Achilles fights anything and everything in his way, even fights and wounds the guardian demigod of River Scamander. His rage is so raw that even the gods are scared of him. When Hector is cornered and begs for having his body returned to his family for burial, Achilles says: “Dog, talk not to me neither of knees nor parents; would that I could be as sure of being able to cut your flesh into pieces and eat it raw, for the ill you have done me”; and “the Achaeans shall give him [Patroclus] all due funeral rites, while dogs and vultures shall work their will upon yourself” (both from book 22). The same Hector whom Achilles had refused to fight until now, stating that Hector had done him no wrong, going so far as calling him “glorious Hector” in book 9; is now unworthy of even a burial: why? such is the grief Hector has inflicted upon Achilles. Achilles then returns to his camp and refuses to bathe, until Patroclus has been given a proper funeral. He even talks about publicly shaving head, a gesture reserved only for the most severe grief in Greek society, saying that: “for so long as I live no such second sorrow shall ever draw nigh me” (book 23). Later, when Theits visits Achilles, he’s described as cradling Patroclus’s body: with his hand on Patroclus’s breast while with the other he tenderly holds his [Patroclus’s] head. In the whole of the epic, there isn’t another depiction of such intimacy between men. Then the ghost of Patroclus appears to Achilles, requesting him to perform his last rites, he pleads: “a last request - grant it, please. Never bury my bones away from yours, Achilles, let them lie together” (book 23). In response Achilles agrees, and in his longing for being with Patroclus again, he says: “Draw closer to me, let us once more throw our arms around one another, and find sad comfort in the sharing of our sorrows” (book 23). The ghost of Patroclus disappears and Achilles spends the rest of the night weeping. Towards the end of book 23, when he’s performing the last rites for Patroclus, Achilles places a lock of his own hair into Patroclus’s hand. The metaphorical and emotional aspect of this action can’t be overstated; this was his promise to Peleus, that when he returned home to Pythia, Achilles would offer a lock of his own hair to river Spercheius (the river of Pythia), as a gesture of gratitude of having made it back home. Such promises of actions performed in honour of deities being a strong theme in Greek religion (Mycenaean to Hellenistic period). He has now not only given up any hope or expectation of going home, but instead places the lock of his hair in hands of a person who he would want to be reunited with. Patroclus is his home. By making this sacrifice to Patroclus, Achilles is making a public statement of his devotion, elevating Patroclus to almost a deity like personal deity. Never before or since in the entire Greek classical literature would you see another example that parallels anything close to the intimacy and depth of the connection that’s depicted between Achilles and Patroclus. When Achilles dies, his remains are buried with Patroclus’s remains. Please let’s respect the their dignity and their love.

Subscribed decent video packing so much information in a 36 minute video can't wait to see what else you have made

Great video. Where was told was perfect. I really enjoyed this.

I'm glad you included the first part of the Aeneid in the end of this, the birth of Rome. I hope you cover that in future. Great video.

Now this is what you call a presentation.... Splendid job

Really cool summary, good for a history class or refreshing the memory. I was saddened by hector's death...

This is astonishing. Thank you for the awesome video.

This is incredible! Truly excellent work sir, thank you.

This is the best channel on RU-vid. Love your content 😀

Great job and story telling 👏

Definitely earned a sub!! Keep it up my man 💪🏾

Exceedingly well done. Thank you for this.

Excellent. I enjoyed your telling of the Iliad with many surprising facts I was not aware of. Thanks

Thank you so nice presented !!!

Very informative and interesting. Love it.

Really enjoyed your version of the epic story .. thank you !

Excellent storytelling! Subscribed

This is much easier to follow than the book, thank you 😊

Im really hyped for the odyssey video. Very good work :)

beautifully made video great work

Omg, I love your channel!!!!!!! Please keep these coming

Hands down the most underrated channel on youtube

"Achilles' lifelong friend, Patroclus" Sure, that's one way to describe their relationship.

Amazing stuff bud your a inspiration ;) Legend

Well this was a tour de force. Thank you for your amazing work!

This is a really good documentary. Please make more of these type of videos (ie , ancient Greece/Rome).

Gotta love this channel

Love this channel, Quality content 💯

Brilliantly done!!!

I found so many similarities between Greek and Indian mythology today from this video .

This stuff is amazing man wow

Liked, subscribed, and commented. Such amazing content!

Amazing video, Keep up the good work!

I never really read The Iliad but this was a great rundown and I didn't realize Odysseus was actually gone for 20 years not just 10

This is really a truly colossal triumph, packed full of superb images, & expertly narrated! Thank you!!!

Thank you for serving this epic in such a simple way

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASTOUNDING BIOGRAPHY!! MAY YOU SEE THE LAND OF THE BLESSED !!!

This was explained brutally well

I came from your Genghis Khan video and now i am still watching your videos

Best Trojan war video I’ve ever seen amazing job bro

Omgbthos was amazing. THANK YOU for the visual family tree it helped so much

Can’t wait for a video on the Odyssey

Very good summary of a very complicated story. (Although I would have left out the Aeneas bit, as that's generally understood to be a self-serving retcon from the Romans). And I liked that in illustrating the Judgement of Paris, it chose a painting that accurately showed only Aphrodite naked, unlike most paintings of the subject.

Whew; to say that Priam was " prolific " IS UNDENIABLY A GREAT UNDERSTATEMENT.

Apart from that,a fantastic video..well done man...l know how much work it takes to tell this stery

This a tragic tale of when simping goes wrong. Also, Apollo played himself by cursing Cassandra for not wanting to be with him. He even guided captain simp's arrow to Achilles' only weak spot, just to have everyone laugh at her prophecies about burning the Trojan horse. His jealous rage lead to the downfall of Troy in the end.

Definitely earned my subscribe buddy. Looking forward to the myths of the Legendary Kratos 😎

thank you for these great videos

This was amazing 😻

The paintings dammm 🤌🏻🤌🏻

I went in search for copper and instead landed on GOLD! Pure GOLD!!

Incredible job. Thanks!