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The Elegy for Bian He: A Story of Loyalty and Sacrifice: General Overview

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Mourning and Honoring Fallen Comrades in Ancient Texts

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Mourning and Honoring Fallen Comrades in Ancient Texts

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​​Mourning and Honoring Fallen Comrades in Ancient Texts

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Ancient Mesopotamia for Kids | Learn all about the history of ancient Mesopotamia

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Ancient Mesopotamia for Kids | Learn all about the history of ancient Mesopotamia

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Ancient Mesopotamia for Kids | Learn all about the history of ancient Mesopotamia

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Mesopotamian religion refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the various peoples living in Ancient Mesopotamia (around the area of modern Iraq). It dominated the region for a period of 3500 years until the 1st century BCE (about two thousand years ago).

Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic, worshipping over two thousand different gods, many of which were associated with a specific city-state within Mesopotamia such as Sumer, Akkad, Assur, Nineveh and Babylon. Some of the most significant of these gods were Anu, Ea, Enlil, Ishtar, Ashur, Shamash, Tammuz, Adad/Hadad, Sin, Dagan, Ninurta, Nisroch and Marduk.

Some historians claim that Mesopotamian religion is the worlds oldest faith, although there are several other claims to that title. What we know about Mesopotamian religion comes from archaeological evidence uncovered in the region, particularly literary sources, which are usually written in cuneiform on clay tablets and which describe both mythology and cultic practices. However, other artefacts can also be used as the Mesopotamians' "entire existence was infused by their religiosity, just about everything they have passed on to us can be used a source of knowledge about their religion."

The peoples of Mesopotamia were not one united nationality, but members of various different city-states. In the fourth millennium BCE, when the first evidence for what is recognisably Mesopotamian religion can be seen, the Sumerians appeared in Mesopotamia, although it is not known if they migrated into the area or whether they were some of the original inhabitants. They settled in southern Mesopotamia, which became known as Sumer, and had a great influence over many of the Mesopotamian peoples and their culture. Meanwhile, in the north, in an area known as Akkad, a civilisation known as the Akkadians arose, who spoke a semitic language that was distinct from that of the Sumerians.

Gradually there was increasing blending between the Sumerian and Akkadian cultures and deities, with the Akkadians typically preferring to worship fewer deities, but elevating them to greater positions of power. In circa 2300 BCE the Akkadian king Sargon the Great conquered all of Mesopotamia, though this Akkadian empire collapsed after two centuries. Then, around 1800 BCE, the leader of the city-state of Babylon, King Hammurabi, conquered much of Mesopotamia, but this Babylonian empire collapsed a century later due to attacks from mountain-dwelling people known as the Kassites. Following this, Mesopotamia became divided largely between two powerful city-states; the Babylonians to the south and the Assyrians to the north, although eventually, in the 7th century BCE, Assyria fell to its enemy.

In the 6th century BCE, Mesopotamia was invaded by the Persian empire, then ruled by Cyrus the Great, but the Persians maintained and did not interfere in the native culture and religion, however under their control, the foreign aramaic language began to rise in predominance. Then, two centuries later, the Greek emperor Alexander the Great overthrew the Persians and took control of Mesopotamia itself, heralding the end of the era of ancient Mesopotamia.

There are no specific written records explaining Mesopotamian religious cosmology that survive to us today. Nonetheless, modern scholars have examined various accounts, and created what is believed to be an at least partially accurate depiction of Mesopotamian cosmology. In the Epic of Creation, dated to 1200 BCE, it explains that the god Marduk killed the mother goddess Tiamat and used half her body to create the earth, and the other half to create both the paradise of šamû and the netherworld of irṣitu. A document from a similar period stated that the universe was a spheroid, with three levels of šamû, where the gods dwelt, and where the stars existed, above the three levels of earth below it.

Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic, thereby accepting the existence of many different gods, both male and female, though it was also henotheistic, with certain gods being viewed as superior to others by their specific devotees. These devotees were often from a particular city or city-state that held that deity as its patron deity, for instance the god Enki was often associated with the city of Eridu, and the god Marduk was associated with Babylon. Whilst the full number of gods and goddesses found in Mesopotamia is not known, K. Tallqvist, in his Akkadische Götterepitheta (1938) counted around two thousand four hundred that we now know about, most of which had Sumerian names. In the Sumerian language, the gods were referred to as dingir, whilst in the Akkadian language they were known as ilu and it seems that there was syncreticism between the gods worshipped by the two groups, adopting one another's deities.

The Mesopotamian gods bore many similarities with humans, and were anthropomorphic, thereby having humanoid form. Similarly, they often acted like humans, requiring food and drink, as well as drinking alcohol and subsequently suffering the effects of drunkenness. In many cases, the various deities were family relations of one another, a trait found in many other polytheistic religions. The historian J. Bottéro was of the opinion that the gods were not viewed mystically, but were instead seen as high-up masters who had be obeyed and feared, as opposed to loved and adored. Nonetheless, many Mesopotamians, of all classes, had names that were devoted to a certain deity; this practice appeared to have begun in the third millennium BCE amongst the Sumerians, but also was later adopted by the Akkadians as well.

Initially, the pantheon of deities was not ordered, but later Mesopotamian theologians came up with the concept of ranking the deities in order of importance. A Sumerian list of around 560 gods that did this was uncovered at Fâra and Tell Abû Ṣalābīkh and dated to circa 2600 BCE, ranking five primary deities as being of particular importance. One of the most important of these early Mesopotamian deities was the god Enlil, who was originally a Sumerian divinity viewed as a king of the gods and a controller of the world, who was later adopted by the Akkadians. Another was the Sumerian god An, who served a similar role to Enlil and became known as Anu amongst the Akkadians. The Sumerian god Enki was later also adopted by the Akkadians, initially under his original name, and later as Éa. Similarly the Sumerian moon god Nanna became the Akkadian Sîn whilst the Sumerian sun god Utu became the Akkadian Šamaš. One of the most notable goddesses was the Sumerian love deity Inanna, who was later equated with the Akkadian Ištar. With the later rise to power of the Babylonians in the 18th century BCE, the king, Hammurabi, declared Marduk, a deity who before then had not been of significant importance, to a position of supremacy alongside Anu and Enlil.

Perhaps the most significant legend to survive from Mesopotamian religion is the Epic of Gilgamesh, which tells the story of the heroic king Gilgamesh and his wild friend Enkidu, and the former's search for immortality which is entwined with all the gods and their approval.

There are no known Mesopotamian tales about the end of the world, although it has been speculated that they believed that this would eventually occur. This is largely because Berossus wrote that the Mesopotamians believed the world to last "twelve times twelve sars"; with a sar being 3,600 years, this would indicate that at least some of the Mesopotamians believed that the Earth would only last 518,400 years.

The ancient Mesopotamians believed in an afterlife that was a land below our world. It was this land, known alternately as Arallû, Ganzer or Irkallu, the latter of which meant "Great Below", that it was believed everyone went to after death, irrespective of social status or the actions performed during life.

Cultic Practice

Worship and Sacrifice

The pagan Mesopotamians venerated images of their gods, which it was believed actually held the essence or personality of the deity that they represented; this is evident from the poem How Erra Wrecked the World, in which Erra deceived the god Marduk into leaving his cult statue.

A number of written prayers have survived from ancient Mesopotamia, each of which typically praise the god that they are describing above all others. These poems often show that praising these gods was often based on fear rather than joyful celebration.

Magic and witchcraft

In parts of Mesopotamian religion, magic was believed in and actively practiced. At the city of Uruk, archaeologists have excavated houses dating from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE in which cuneiform clay tablets have been unearthed containing magical incantations.

Images for kids

The goddess Ishtar, winged and wearing a version of the horned cap of divinity. Detail of the so-called "Ishtar vase", early 2nd millennium BC ( Louvre AO 17000)

In Spanish: Religión en Mesopotamia para niños

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Ancient Mesopotamian religion Facts for Kids

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Learn Ancient Mesopotamian religion facts for kids

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Friendship in Ancient Literature: The Bond of Gilgamesh and Enkidu

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Friendship in Ancient Literature: The Bond of Gilgamesh and Enkidu

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Imagine it is a dark and cloudy night. It is raining. You can't see the moon or the stars. When suddenly a lightning bolt explodes the tree a little ways down the street. How do you feel? Now imagine you don't have the benefit of the science of weather that we have today, and you don't know what caused the lightning bolt. What might have caused it? If you lived in ancient Mesopotamia, you would probably think that some force greater then man had done it. You would call this force a god. The Mesopotamians had gods for everything. If you got sick one of the gods was mad at you. If your door stuck and was hard to open maybe you weren't paying enough attention to the gods. If two fields were side by side and one was growing with tall thick crops and the other full of weeds then the gods favored the one and disliked the other. You couldn't see the gods (at least normal people couldn't.) But the ancient Mesopotamian people believed that the gods ruled every aspect of their life.

The gods were unpredictable. You never knew what the gods might do. Thus, it was the responsibility of every individual to do everything they could at all times to keep the gods happy. Kings were not gods. Kings were mortals, just like the common man. In this, at least, all men were equal in ancient Mesopotamia. All men, including the king, were supposed to spend their time appeasing the gods.

Ancient Sumer: The ancient Sumerians were a very religious people. They believed that everything that happened good or bad was a result of their gods. They worked hard to make their gods happy. This was quite difficult since their gods, and they had hundreds of gods, were not a happy bunch. In fact they were downright grumpy. So the Sumerians spent a lot of their time and effort seeking new ways to please their gods. This kept them very busy because they believed in super powerful gods, like the god of the sky and the god of the sea. They believed in little tiny gods, like the household god who watched over the broom in their house, or the god in the tree out back who watched over that particular tree. They believed everything had a god tucked into it or was responsible for it. Each of these magical creatures had special powers. They did not all have the same special powers, but they all had powers. These magical creature did have one thing in common. They were immortal, which means they could live forever. To the ancient Sumerians, it was vitally important to keep every single god happy - every single one - because the Sumerian gods could and did interfere in the people's lives every day.

Ancient Babylon: The ancient Babylonians were a lot like the Sumerians. The Babylonians built their civilization in southern Mesopotamia. They started out as just another city, but soon took over the entire southern region. They built their civilization on the ruins of ancient Sumer. The Babylonians had long ago had adopted the Sumerian culture, government, economy, urban living, writing (cuneiform), law, and religion. They had the same bunch of gods, with some more added to them. The Babylonians differed from the Sumerians in that their gods had a hierarchy. Marduk, who to the Sumerians was just another god, was the leader of the gods to the Babylonians. The other gods worked for Marduk, with some being much more important than others. Like the Sumerians, the Babylonians spent time and effort in trying to make their gods happy. The city of Babylon was built to honor the great god Marduk.

Ancient Assyria: The Assyrians worshiped most of the same gods as Sumerians. Like the Babylonians, they added more gods. They recognized Marduk as an important god, but he was not the most important. To the Assyrians, the most important god was the god Ashur. They built buildings in their towns and decorated them with dragons and demons to protect themselves from the gods.

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The Gloomy Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia - Mesopotamia for Kids

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Imagine it is a dark and cloudy night. It is raining. You can't see the moon or the stars. When suddenly a lightning bolt explodes the tree a little ways down the street. How do you feel? Now imagine you don't have the benefit of the science of weather that we have today, and you don't know what caused the lightning bolt.

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Mesopotamia and Beyond

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Find out how oracle bones could foretell the future! Meet Confucius, the great teacher. Read ancient stories like Nian the Monster, Wang the Peddler, and Loawnu the Wise. Discover how paper was invented. Learn about Taoism and the Ugly Duckling. Walk the Great Wall of China. Travel and trade along the dangerous Silk Road! Meet magical creatures. Guess the meaning of two ancient Chinese fables. Discover guardian dragons. Explore daily life in the Xia, Shang, Chou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties. Welcome to Ancient China!

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Find out how oracle bones could foretell the future! Meet Confucius, the great teacher. Read ancient stories like Nian the Monster, Wang the Peddler, and Loawnu the Wise. Discover how paper was invented. Learn about Taoism and the Ugly Duckling. Walk the Great Wall of China. Travel and trade along the dangerous Silk Road!

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The Role of Jade in Ancient China: Its Cultural and Historical Significance

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The Role of Jade in Ancient China: Its Cultural and Historical Significance

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The Role of Jade in Ancient China: Its Cultural and Historical Significance

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Kids History: The Zhou Dynasty of Ancient China

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Kids learn about the Zhou Dynasty of Ancient China including the Eastern and Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn Period, and the Warring States.

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The ancient Chinese honored their many gods and personal ancestors every day. They believed in magical dragons and monsters. They had many superstitions and held many festivals to honor their beliefs. They even held an annual birthday party for ghosts, so ghosts would be honored and remembered too.

Ancient Chinese Gods & Goddesses: For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese believed in many gods and goddesses. They had important gods and little tiny gods. Gods had personalities. For example, the ancient Chinese kitchen god was a tattletale. Each year, right before the new year, the kitchen god reported all behavior of the household to his boss, the Jade Emperor. The ancient Chinese believed if you left sweets as offerings for the kitchen god on the kitchen hearth right before he gave his report, his report would be glowing! The Jade Emperor would reward the family's good behavior with good luck. Since the kitchen god could not eat these treats, the family could eat them after they were offered to the kitchen god.

Ancestor Worship: The ancient Chinese believed their ancestors watched over them, and would protect them, provided they prayed in the right way. Kings and queens used oracle bones to allow their ancestors to answer their questions.

Ancient Chinese Festivals: They held many festivals to honor their gods and ancestors. Chinese New Year started many thousands of years ago. It was a festival for remembering ancestors, for feasting, and for giving gifts of "red envelopes" of lucky money. Another popular festival was the lantern festival. (Both of these festivals are still observed and enjoyed today!)

Good Dragons: The ancient Chinese believed in magical dragons. They believed dragons were caring and looked after things provided they received proper attention, prayer, and thanks. There were different dragons to guard the wind, the rain, the rivers, and precious metals. That is why dragons were so often painted on pottery. The ancient Chinese wanted to give the pot good luck, but they also wanted to honor their dragons.

Bad Monsters: The Legend of Nian. The ancient Chinese also believed in monsters. Sometimes they prayed that the monster would go away, but that rarely worked. Ancient Chinese monsters were notorious for ignoring prayers. But the villagers had to do something. You could not let a monster hang around causing trouble. To solve this problem and others, people would visit the village wise woman for advice.

Loawna, the Wise Woman: Long ago, in Xia times, each village had a "wise woman". You could go to the village wise woman with your questions and problems, and she could possibly get an answer for you. Sometimes, she knew the answer already because village wise women were very, well, wise.

Ancient Chinese Superstitions: The ancient Chinese did many things to protect themselves from evil and to make sure they would have a happy life. They believed in the power of prayer, but they also believed in the power of placement. For example, they believed their front door had to face south if they wanted a happy life.

Both Confucianism and Taoism are very old ancient Chinese beliefs. They are not religions but are instead ways of behaving and ways of thinking about things.

It was not until T'ang times, during the Imperial Age of China, that Buddhism was added to the mix. Buddhism a religion. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism became known as the Three Doctrines or the "Three Teachings". In Tang times, a man might honor his ancestors by following the rigid rules of social behavior as dictated by Confucianism, attend a Buddhist pageant, and practice Taoist breathing exercises, all in the same day. These three doctrines were an important part of daily life.

But religion, during the Ancient Age of China, was focused every day on honoring the many gods and goddesses of ancient China combined with ancestor worship.

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Religion in Ancient China - Gods, Dragons, Monsters, Superstitions, the Three Teachings, and Parties for Ghosts! - Ancient China for Kids

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The ancient Chinese honored their many gods and personal ancestors every day. They believed in magical dragons and monsters. They had many superstitions and held many festivals to honor their beliefs. They even held an annual birthday party for ghosts, so ghosts would be honored and remembered too.

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Morality in Chinese Literature: Understanding Important Life Lessons

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Morality in Chinese Literature: Understanding Important Life Lessons

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​​Morality in Chinese Literature: Understanding Important Life Lessons

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Kids learn about the Epic of Gilgamesh from Ancient Mesopotamia. Oldest know literature in the world.

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History for kids - Free history network for kids

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In ancient times, a large population of China was that of farmers. The kings, nobles, and merchants formed a small percentage of the total population. There was a wide gap between the economic condition of farmers and that of the kings Daily life in ancient China was heavily influenced by Confuciani…

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The Significance of Bian He’s Story in Chinese Folklore and Its Comparison to Other Historical or Legendary Figures

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The Significance of Bian He’s Story in Chinese Folklore and Its Comparison to Other Historical or Legendary Figures

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The Significance of Bian He’s Story in Chinese Folklore and Its Comparison to Other Historical or Legendary Figures

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The Trojan War was a fight that happened in the Bronze Age.

It happened between Troy and Mycenaean, Greece.

The war has been found to be happening around 1,180 B.C., which might be when it happened in the story of Homer, who created the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey."

The Myth Behind the Trojan War

A long time ago, when the gods were still living on earth, they had a big feast to celebrate the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. All of the gods were invited except for Eris (the goddess who always causes quarrels). Keep reading to learn more Trojan War facts.

The wedding feast was a success. Then Eris, another goddess, came in. She was angry because she was not invited. Eris brought a golden apple that said: "For the fairest" on it. All of the other goddesses thought they should have this prize because they were very beautiful. They argued about it for years, but no one could decide between them.

The gods asked a human to judge between them. This human was Paris, a prince, son of the king of Troy.

The goddess Hera showed up to see if she was granted the golden apple. Athena, the goddess of war and intelligence, also came. Finally, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, decided she also deserved the golden apple for her.

Aphrodite promised Paris to give him the most beautiful woman in the whole world. He only needed to provide her with the apple.

The three goddesses were waiting for Paris' decision. Paris then marched straight to Aphrodite to gift her with the beautiful golden apple.

Helen of Troy turned out to be the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment. She was married to a king from Greece.

Paris came to visit, and at night he stole Helen away because he had help from Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The Greeks sailed over to Troy to try and get her back, but it wasn't easy because Troy was a strong city with thick walls and brave fighters. There were many heroes, but Hector was the bravest because he was kind and honorable.

The son of Thetis, the goddess of water, was Achilles. He was strong and well-trained. Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, made his armor and swords.

And he was no ordinary fighter. When he was a baby, his mother took him to the River Styx, where the gods go when they die. She dipped him in that water so that he would be invulnerable. His skin could not be broken except for on his heel. You see, his mother held onto Achilles' heel so tightly that it couldn't get wet while she dipped him.

The Trojan War began when these heroes and armies got together to get Helena back to her husband. So the myth told the story of a real war between the Greeks and the Trojans in the past.
Read more about the Ancient Greece
The Trojan War Fact: Ten Years of War

The king of Mycenae led the Greek army. This army came from many different cities and regions, including:

We don't know how many people there were, but Homer says there were tens of thousands.

In Homer's Iliad, there are many exciting events. They happen in the 10th year of the Trojan War.

King Agamemnon took away a woman called Briseis. Achilles became angry and took his troops, then went home and didn't fight anymore.

In the fighting that followed, the Trojans were able to gain ground and set up camp close to the Greek ships.

Achilles' friend Patroclus went to battle in Achilles' armor. He was trying to make the Greeks happy and scare the Trojans.

At first, the plan worked. But then Patroclus was killed by the Trojan prince Hector.

When Achilles saw this, he wanted to make sure that Hector paid for what he did. He became friends with Agamemnon again, and they went back to fighting together.

Achilles came back to battle. The Greeks had more success this time. Achilles killed Hector with the new armor from his mother.

Achilles was very angry. He did not want to let Hector's body go for the funeral ceremony.

Achilles dragged Hector's body behind his chariot. This made the family of Hector very sad.

But the gods were good on Hector's family. They protected Hector's body from being harmed. The god Hermes helped Priam, who was upset, get into the Greek camp without being seen.

Priam begged Achilles to give him his son's body. Achilles' need for revenge went away, and he agreed. It was a good decision because it showed some humanity in the hero and gave order back to the world.

The funeral of Hector could now happen. The Iliad ends at this point.

The Trojan War lasted for 10 years. Many people died in the war, including Hector and Achilles. The end of the war came with a gift: a huge wooden horse waiting outside Troy one morning.

The Trojan War Fact: The Trojan Horse

The Greek armies retreated from their camp one morning. They had left a huge horse made of wood just outside the city of Troy.

The Trojans opened the gates and fell into the trap. They took the gift horse inside their city. The horse opened up, and a group of Greek people climbed out.

They robbed Troy from inside and got away with everything they could steal. Thus the Trojans lost the war.

The Trojan Horse was the trick that helped end the war. It is very famous and is one of the most well-known military tricks known.

Helen went back with Menelaus. She didn't want to be a widow again, so she left and went back to Sparta with him. When he died, she was forced into exile on Rhodes Island.

Odysseus' Journey Home

After the Trojan War, many Greeks went home. They didn't enjoy easy trips back.

The gods were angry because many people committed bad things in Troy. Few people got home safely or lived to enjoy their return.

The most difficult and long journey is that of Odysseus, as told in Homer's Odyssey. He had to travel all over the Mediterranean Sea. Poseidon, the God of the Sea, tormented him all along his journey.

Odysseus faced many problems on his journey. He was in the storm, and he also had a shipwreck. Many people wanted to hurt him, like the one-eyed giant Cyclops and the Sirens with their song.

Odysseus finally comes home, only to find many men in his house who want to marry his wife. They think he is not alive.

After 10 years at sea, Odysseus also overcomes the last challenge. He is reunited with his wife, Penelope. He also kills the suitors that had no right to be there.

The Iliad and the Odyssey

There is not much written about Homer, the author of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," two long poems about the Trojan War. Homer may have written and sung his stories for kings and festivals. He wasn't the only one to do this, but he was famous because he had a lot of stories.

These poems were told from one person to another. Then people started writing them down.

The Real Troy

Was there a Trojan War? Ancient people were interested in telling the truth. They thought that the events happened for a large part.

The legacy of the war was present in Greek lives. Even a thousand years later, Alexander the Great made sure to visit the remains of Troy on his way to conquer Asia. He supposedly picked up some armor left there from the time of the war.

The Romans were also fascinated by the story. They came from a Trojan warrior called Aeneas, who made his way to Italy. Virgil wrote about him in an epic poem, the Aeneid.

In the 19th century, people found the rest of what is supposed to have been Troy in modern-day Turkey. They did this by digging on a hill.

A German archaeologist named Heinrich Schliemann did some excavations. He found some things, and he claimed they were treasures of Helen and Priam.

Yet, when archaeologists looked more closely at the site and did research, they found that it was probably Troy. But the size of it is not what Homer said.

The city seemed to show signs of destruction. Archaeologists had a hard time with the existence of other settlements on top of one another. They were connected to the Mycenaean world in Greece.

The site is probably a place where the Greeks raided the territory of Troy. This raid was just part of a war. The raid became famous because it happened before Mycenaeans' world collapsed.

People told the story, and the great myths of the Trojan War came out of it. The Iliad is the best. The Iliad is followed by its sister narrative, Homer's Odyssey.

These stories tell about ten years after Odysseus left Troy to go home. That means that the heroes achieved their wish for immortal glory.

Sources

P.S. If you enjoyed what you read and are a teacher or tutor needing resources for your students from kindergarten all the way up to high school senior (or even adults!), check out our partner sites KidsKonnect, SchoolHistory, and HelpTeaching for hundreds of facts, worksheets, activities, quizzes, courses, and more!

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The Trojan War Facts for Kids - History for Kids

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The Trojan War was a fight that happened in the Bronze Age. It happened between Troy and Mycenaean, Greece. The war has been found to be happening around 1,180 B.C., which might be when it happened in the story of Homer, who created the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey."

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Kids learn about Greek Mythology and the gods, goddesses, and heroes of Mount Olympus including Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Aphrodite, the Titans, Heracles, Achilles, Apollo, Artemis, and fun facts.

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Trojan Horse

The Trojan Horse was something that is very known to Ancient Greek mythology.

This was a story that involves Athens and Sparta.

War

During the Trojan War, Greece fought against the city of Troy.

This battle started in the 13 th century and started because the prince of Troy, Prince Paris, took the Spartan queen, Queen Helen from her husband.

The Trojan War is something that no one is really sure if it happened or not but if it did, it was over jealousy.

According to the legend, Queen Helen fell in love with Prince Paris and they decided that they would be together.

When the Spartan king, King Menelaus found this out, he was angry, and he demanded that Queen Helen come back to him.

The Trojans decided that they would fight against the King so that she did not have to go back.

Many of the Greeks decided that they would fight on King Menelaus' side and they went to the Aegean Sea so that they could fight against Troy.

According to legend, this is when Achilles fought.

There were thousands of warriors there, so many that they needed over 1,000 different ships to get all of the men there.

Troy

Troy was a powerful city and it knew how to defend itself form enemies.

They even had a wall that went all away around the city so that invaders could not come into the land.

If someone came up to the wall, the Trojan army would shoot them with arrows before they were even able to get into the city.

The Trojan army was safe inside of their walls and they were able to defeat enemies as they entered their city.

Fighting

During this time, the Greeks had wanted to invade the walls of Troy and to force them to tear them down.

They tried and tried and never were able to find a way inside of the walls.

The Greeks could not even seem to find a way to get into the wall, it was as if the city was completely encompassed with the wall, no one in and no one out.

Idea

Later, after the Greeks were ready to give up, Odysseus, one of the Greek generals had an amazing idea.

He thought that if they could trick the Trojans and get into the city, then they could fight them and win.

Odysseus had an idea and he had the Greeks build a huge horse that was wood and was hollow in the century. This was a beautiful horse and was very strong and heavy.

They took the horse and left it outside of the gates of Troy.

Even though the Trojans were very careful, they brought the horse in.

But this was a trick. The Greek warriors decided that they would leave the horse and pretend to go away.

Once they went away, the Trojan army brought the horse inside of the city.

The horse was the center of display in their city and they thought that it was a peace gift from the Greeks.

Later that night, when everyone was sleeping, the Greeks that had been hiding inside of the horse rushed out and defeated Troy.

Myth

No one is really sure if this was a real thing or if the Trojan horse was a myth.

Even though Troy was a city that wanted to fight with Greece, no one is really sure if the legend is true and if they won the war because of the trojan horse or if the legend was made up.

Facts About the Trojan Horse:

According to legend, Aeneas escaped when the city of Troy was burning and went to a Roman State.

The war is written in the Iliad, which is a poem by Homer.

The gods were supposedly there to take sides and to help Athens win the war.

Some of the famous fighters during this war were Achilles, Hector and Paris.

The Troy's thought that the Trojan horse was a sign of surrender from the Greeks.

Some believe the war happened but that the Trojan horse story is probably just a story.

What Did You Learn?

1. What was the Trojan horse? The Trojan horse was a horse that was taken to Troy.

2. Why was the horse important? The Trojan horse was hollow, and the Greeks hid inside until the Troy's brought it in and were asleep.

3. What did the Trojan horse do? The Trojan horse allowed the Greeks to defeat the city of Troy.

4. Why did the war happen between Troy and Greeks? The war happened because the Troy prince wanted to marry the queen of Sparta that was married to the King.

5. Was the Trojan horse real? No one knows if the Trojan horse is real or if it is a legend.

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The Trojan Horse was something that is very known to Ancient Greek mythology. This was a story that involves Athens and Sparta. War During the Trojan War, Greece fought against the city of Troy. This battle started in the 13th century and started because the prince of Troy, Prince Paris, took the Spartan queen, Queen ...

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There is an old saying - Beware of Greeks bearing gifts! That old saying goes back in time 2,500 years to the city-state of Sparta in ancient Greece.

As the story goes ......

Once upon a time, there was an ancient city on the coast of Turkey named Troy. It was located across the Aegean Sea from the Greek city-state of Sparta. When the king of Sparta heard that his wife, the beautiful Helen, had been kidnapped by a prince of Troy, he called on the other Greek city-states to help him get her back. His call was answered. A thousand Greek ships set sail for Troy.

The city of Troy was protected by a high wall built around the city. Some parts of the wall were 20 feet high! There were gates in the wall to let people in and out but it provided great defense for the people of Troy. It gave the Trojan warriors a relatively safe place to stand, while they rained arrows down on the people below, who were trying to break into the city.

At the time of this story, Greek warriors had been trying to breach the wall around Troy for about ten years. The Greeks could not find a way in, and the Trojans did not seem able to drive the Greeks away.

Things looked pretty hopeless until Odysseus, a famous ancient Greek general, thought of a trick. It was the custom back then to leave a peace offering behind to admit defeat. Odysseus suggested the Greeks build a huge, heavy, beautiful wooden horse, and leave it outside the gates of Troy. Then, the entire Greek army would pretend to leave, as if they were headed for home. But it was a trick. The horse would be hollow. Thirty men would be hiding inside. The very best Greek artists got busy carving the giant wooden horse, adding great detail, because everything in the Greek world had to be as beautiful as possible.

When it was done, the Greek warriors pretended to sail away, leaving the horse behind. The people of Troy rushed outside, cheering their victory! They dragged the heavy horse inside the city gates and put it on display, which is just what the Greek general thought they would do - gloat.

That night, while the Trojan people were sleeping, the men hiding inside the wooden horse climbed out and opened the gates. The waiting Greek army entered Troy. That was the end of Troy.

Is this old legend true? It certainly is famous. It is known as the legend of the Trojan horse.

Heroes of Troy - animated

The Trojan Horse (cartoon video for kids)
Apollo and Cassandra & the Trojan War Aphrodite, Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships, and the Trojan War - myth, loosely retold 3 Stories: The Trojan Horse, Troy, and Helen
(click on download, that means play audio stories now)
Did ancient Troy really exist? (animated, short video for kids)
What happened to the great Greek general Odysseus after the Trojan War?

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There is an old saying - Beware of Greeks bearing gifts! That old saying goes back in time 2,500 years to the city-state of Sparta in ancient Greece. Once upon a time, there was an ancient city on the coast of Turkey named Troy.

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The ancient city of Troy was located in northwestern Anatolia (now in Turkey), a short distance from the Aegean Sea. The city holds an enduring place in both literature and…

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Kids learn about Greek Mythology and the gods, goddesses, and heroes of Mount Olympus including Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Aphrodite, the Titans, Heracles, Achilles, Apollo, Artemis, and fun facts.

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The Funeral of Patroclus: A Detailed Overview

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The Funeral of Patroclus: A Detailed Overview

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Greek myths: Brave heroes and courageous warriors

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Greek myths: Brave heroes and courageous warriors

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Mourning and Honoring Fallen Comrades in Ancient Texts

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​​Mourning and Honoring Fallen Comrades in Ancient Texts

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In ancient China, wars had at least three different purposes. Within the Chinese realm, one region often wanted to gain control over another.

Later, the empire sought to expand and defend its frontiers. Also, the war was the means for usurpers to change places with an existing dynasty of rulers.

In the first millennium BCE, Chinese armies comprised tens of thousands of soldiers. In the first millennium CE, the number of soldiers reached hundreds of thousands.

Over time, weapons and equipment became more technologically advanced. As a result, wars became more destructive.

Chariots replaced cavalry; bows gave way to crossbows and, much after the ancient era, catapult and stones got replaced by real bombs.

The Chinese intellectuals were essentially against wars, but sometimes it was hard to avoid conflicts - and that's especially true for those ancient times.

Here is the list of important wars involving ancient China

Gojoseon-Yan War

This conflict took place near the end of the 4th century BCE. The army of feudal state of Yan, led by General Qin Kai, conquered the Gojoseon kingdom and the Liaodong Peninsula

Qin's wars of unification

During the second half of 3rdcentury BCE, the Qin state became the most powerful among the Seven Warring States. Its ruler, Ying Zheng, in 230 BCE launched a series of campaigns against the other six major states - Han, Yan, Wei, Zhao, Qi and Chu.

The result of this war is the unification of China and its transformation into the Qin empire.

Qin's campaign against the Xiongnu

The Qin emperor, Shi Huang, believed that the Xiongnu tribes were a possible threat to the empire.To prevent a threat from that tribe, in 215 BCE, the emperor sent an army led by General Meng Tian to attack them.Chinese army conquered the Ordos region and forced the Xiongnu away from their land.

The Qin Empire expanded their territory at the expense of the Xiongnu. On the other hand, different Xiongnu tribes realized they needed to make an alliance to defend from the Qin in the future.

At the end of this war, the Chinese built the Great Wall of China around the newly conquered region.

Qin campaign against the Yue tribes

The Yue were a tribe of wealthy, successful traders who lived on the coasts of the Yangtze River.Emperor Qin Shi Huang wanted access to the resources that they had - mild climate, maritime trade routes, fertile land, luxury tropical products, and a safe distance from the warring sides.

The emperor sent an army on the Yue five times (between 221 and 214 BCE) before he managed to defeat them.

Chu-Han Contention

During the period between 206 and 202 BCE, right after the fall of the Qin dynasty, two large forces fought for supremacy over China.

The Han forces defeated Western Chu, and the Han leader, Liu Bang, became the first emperor of the new dynasty of Han.

The southward expansion of the Han dynasty

Both Qin and Han emperors were determined to conquer the southern territories, including those that now belong to Northern Vietnam.

Between 135 and 109 BC, the Han armies invaded the Yue tribes of Minyue, Nanyue, and Dian. Those tribes were later either assimilated of displaced.

Han-Xiongnu War

Between 133 BCE and 89 CE, the Han Empire fought a series of battles against the Xiongnu alliance.Emperor Wu dealt with the frequent Xiongnu raids on the northern border by attacking the Xiongnu and suppressing them further, while expanding the frontier of China.Then the Han expelled the Xiongnu from other areas too.

The Han Empire grew stronger and expanded its political influence into Central Asia. The Xiongnu, on the other hand, weakened and the alliance between the tribes broke.The Southern Xiongnu surrendered in 50 CE, and the Northern Xiongnu fell in 89 CE.

The war between Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu

The two warlords, Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu, fought for supremacy between 197 and 199 CE. It ended with the capitulation of Zhang Xiu's forces.

Goguryeo-Wei War

The Korean kingdom of Goguryeo attacked the Chinese state of Cao Wei in 242 CE. Two years later, the Chinese started a series of invasions and eventually destroyed the Goguryeo capital of Hwando.Goguryeo king managed to escape, but he no longer presented any threat to the Chinese.

The uprising of the Five Barbarians

Between 304 and 316, leaders of five ethnic groups, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Jie, and Di, attacked the army of Jin dynasty - one at a time - and ended it.These peoples then established their own sixteen independent kingdoms.

Q&A
Which one out of the Seven Waring States managed to unify China thorough the "war of unification" and create an empire?
It was the Qin state.
What was the name of the ethnic group that was most often a target of Chinese armies in ancient history?
The Xiongnu
What did the Chinese do after expelling the Xiongnu from the Ordos region?
They build the Great Wall of China.

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In ancient China, wars had at least three different purposes. Within the Chinese realm, one region often wanted to gain control over another. Later, the empire sought to expand and defend its frontiers. Also, the war was the means for usurpers to change places with an existing dynasty of rulers.

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Ancient Mesopotamia is a region in southwest Asia where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are and it supported one of the first human civilisations.

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All about Ancient China || #ancientchina #history #ancienthistory

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