Why did Achilles' parents try to stop him going to Troy?Ī prophecy had foretold that Achilles would die at Troy, so when the Greek leaders gather for their campaign to return the abducted Helen, Achilles' parents attempt to prevent him joining the expedition. There were no words in ancient Greek for 'homosexual' and 'heterosexual' and in classical Athens relationships between older, often married, men and younger men were a normal part of social life. In ancient Greece it was common for men to have sexual relationships with both men and women. Photo: Johannes Laurentius.Īlthough Homer doesn't explicitly cast them as lovers, their intimate relationship is crucial to the plot of the Iliad, and in other works of ancient literature the relationship between the two men is more explicitly referenced as a love affair. ©ANTIKENSAMMLUNG, STAATLICHE MUSEEN ZU BERLIN – PREUSSISCHER KULTURBESITZ. Drinking cup showing Achilles bandaging Patroclus' wound.