How old is achilles

Exhibitions and events Who was Achilles? The Greek hero Achilles is one of the most famous figures in Greek myth and a key character in the Trojan War. British Museum 15 October Achilles was the son of Peleus, a Greek king, and Thetis, a sea nymph or goddess. Terracotta relief showing Peleus and Thetis, c. Thetis tries to resist marriage to Peleus by transforming her body into powerful elements such as fire and wild beasts, here a lion. Why was Achilles raised by a centaur?

Achilles instructed by Chiron in the Management of the Javelin. Print after Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Pastel on paper.

Getty Center, Los Angeles. Did Achilles have a male lover? Roman sarcophagus relief, depicting Achilles centre holding a helmet among the daughters of Lycomedes AD — Achilles wearing a dress as a disguise unsheaths a sword and is recognised. Etching after Peter Paul Rubens, — What did Achilles do in the Trojan War? Storage jar showing Ajax left and Achilles right playing a game. Drinking cup showing Briseis being taken from Achilles, who is depicted sulking with his cloak wrapped around him.

Henry Fuseli — , Achilles Lamenting for Patroclus. Drawing, Detail of a wine mixing bowl showing Achilles fighting Hector. Pietro Testa — , Achilles dragging the body of Hector around the walls of Troy. Etching, — Why does Achilles return the body of Hector? Storage jar depicting Achilles dragging the body of Hector behind his chariot. Iliad Late 18th century. What happens to Achilles after the end of the Iliad? Storage jar showing Achilles killing the Amazon queen, Penthesilea. How does Achilles die?

Engraved cornelian scarab depicting wounded Achilles. How has Achilles been reinterpreted throughout history? Etching and engraving, Because of the prophecy, Achilles was trained in different aspects of fighting since birth and no one was allowed to watch him practice. Achilles' father ran an orphanage on his island for exiled sons of high ranking nobles and Kings, although Patroclus suspected that the real purpose of it was to train up soldiers for Peleus' army as they became indebted to his hospitality and catering.

He is seen lazily playing with a lute and is dismissive of Patroclus. Achilles first began to notice Patroclus when he was studiously ignoring him- a surprise, since no one had ever ignored him before. To gain his attention Achilles steadily began moving closer during dinner times until eventually sitting at the same table; he throws a fig towards him to gain his attention.

Achilles found Patroclus hiding in a storeroom one day, as Patroclus did not want to go to his lessons with the other boys. Patroclus, not wanting to be punished by Peleus, asked Achilles to tell his father he was with him. So, because he does not like to lie, Achilles takes Patroclus to his lessons, and after they practice on Patroclus' mother's lyre for a bit they go and see Peleus. When Achilles speaks to his father, he says he has chosen Patroclus as his therapon, and that is that.

They become the best of friends. They begin to spend more time together and Patroclus becomes the first person beyond his father to witness him fight, eventually challenging him to duel; their friendship is fast following.

Later he and Patroclus share their first kiss, a chaste peck on the lips, however he runs away back to the palace shortly thereafter. The next time he is seen, Achilles announces that he is being sent away to Mount Pelion to train with Chiron and must leave Patroclus behind.

When Patroclus awakes the next morning he has already gone. Adinkra's answer also calculates that Achilles should have been about 23 when the Greeks landed at Troy and about 33 when he died in the last year of the Trojan War.

Assuming that Paris was a young man about 20 to 30 years old at the time of the Judgement of Paris, as he is usually depicted, And if Achilles was born after the Judgement of Paris, and if Achilles was 33 years old when he died as in Adinkra's answer, Paris should have been about 53 to 63 years old when he killed Achilles, soon before Paris died.

And the problem is that Paris is usually depicted as a young man about 20 to 30 years old, often in depictions of events in the last year of the Trojan War, such as scenes from the Iliad , or the death of Achilles. And that tends to imply that the age of Paris should have been a negative number when he ran off with Helen or when he made the Judgement of Paris!

So possibly some of the data used to estimate the age of Paris come from stories that are not part of the main myth cycle and can be disregarded. Even if one assumes that Achilles was born years before the Judgement of Paris, the gods taking many years after the marriage of Achilles's parents to find a naive mortal to trick into making the Judgement of Paris, the Judgement of Paris still has to be before Paris and Helen run off to troy, which has to be before the Greeks begin the Trojan War twenty years before the death of Paris and the Fall of Troy.

So if Paris was 20 to 30 years old at his death in the last year of the Trojan war, he should have been aged 0 to 10 years old at the time of the Judgement of Paris and the time he ran off with Helen to Troy. So I think that it would make chronological sense to depict Paris as a naive child when he is suckered into making the Judgement of Paris, and Paris and Helen as gullible children or at most teenagers when they follow the advice of the Goddess Aphrodite and her assurances that everything will work out all right "after all, what's the worst thing that could possibly happen" and run away to Troy.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. How old were Paris and Achilles at the time of the Trojan War?

Ask Question. Asked 5 years, 1 month ago. Active 1 year, 5 months ago. Viewed 16k times. Is there any mention in the Iliad, or any other ancient source of their ages? Improve this question. Are you sure the gods didn't let the whole golden apple situation fester a few years before finally giving up and calling in a mortal to make up their minds for them?

That's what dysfunctional families do. Also remember Helen was the bait Achilles was one of her suitors; that's why he was obliged to join the war against Troy.

Spencer Achilles was not one of Helen's suitors. If memory serves, Hesiod mentions he was too young to be a suitor. As for when the Judgement of Paris happened, in Apollodorus version it seems like it was immediately after Eris threw the apple: theoi. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. In this famous vase painting, he is depicted as beardless: You can read more about this vase at the Perseus site at Tufts.

In one, Phoenix says: It was to thee that the old horseman Peleus sent me on the day when he sent thee to Agamemnon, forth from Phthia, [] a mere child, knowing naught as yet of evil war Improve this answer. Community Bot 1. DukeZhou DukeZhou HaoSun time is a fuzzy thing in the Greek mythology. The Actual Duration of the War Towards the end of the Iliad , whose action takes place in the tenth and final year of the Trojan War, Helen says in Line of Book 24 that "this is now the twentieth year" since she departed from Lakedaimon [Lacedaemon] with Paris.

Akhilleus' [Achilles'] Age Just before the chaos at the first gathering ensues, the Epitome tells us 3. Paris's Age Like Akhilleus, Paris, when he was quite young, had a son.

Putnam's Sons, New York 2. Paris is at most 12 years older than Akhilleus based on their ages at death. Adinkra Adinkra 8, 40 40 silver badges 64 64 bronze badges. In the 1st version of this Answer I had only some vague notions ref.