Sack of IlionSack of Troy

One of the fragmentary remains of the Epic Cycle which was written by Arktinus (Arctinus) of Miletus and describes the actual destruction of Ilion (Troy) by the Greek army.

Only a few passages of the original two books survive; they give insight into the final assault on the city and the actions of a few of the combatants such as Aias (Ajax) and Neoptolemus; Hektor’s (Hector’s) son, Astyanax, was thrown from the city walls and Hektor’s wife, Andromakhe (Andromache) was taken as a slave by Neoptolemus; Aias apparently went insane and was in danger of being killed by his own men until he took refuge in the temple of Athene (Athena).

For the complete translations of the Epic Cycle I recommend the Loeb Classical Library volume 57, ISBN 0674990633; you can sometimes find this book at the library or you can order it from the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.