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Amazons, Achilles, and a wooden horse: the struggle for Troy moves toward its final destruction.
The Fall of Troy by Quintus Smyrnaeus continues the epic story of Homer. Its world is one of myth and war, with Amazons and Achilles among its central figures. Troy stands at the heart of a story whose very title announces what is at stake.
This epic poem brings together the Amazons, Achilles, the Wooden Horse, and the final destruction of Troy. Read it for the sweep of a legendary conflict, or follow the named figures and scenes that give this continuation of Homer its shape.
What you’ll discover
- Beyond Homer's epic Follow the story onward with Quintus Smyrnaeus as your guide to Troy.
- The Amazons at Troy Meet the Amazons within an epic shaped by myth and conflict.
- Achilles in the story Encounter Achilles among the central figures of this continuation of Homer.
- The Wooden Horse Reach the Wooden Horse within the larger story of Troy's destruction.
- A city at stake Read an epic whose focus is the fall of Troy itself.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy Homer, Greek myth, and big battle scenes, or if you wonder what happens after the Iliad and want the whole Trojan story in order.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Troy waits for another defender
- Even Achilles has a last day
- The armor prize divides the Greeks
- A son carries his father's strength
- Forgiveness brings the archer back
- Cunning takes the place of force
- Fate stands above the gods
- Grief crosses the battle lines
- Arrivals and losses shape the war
Who’s who
- PenthesileiaAmazon queen and daughter of Ares who comes to Troy to cleanse a stain of guilt and swears she will defeat Achilles.
- AchillesThe greatest Greek warrior, mourning Patroclus and certain that no man can kill him, though his mother has told him otherwise.
- MemnonKing of the Ethiopians and son of the Dawn, who comes to rescue Troy and treats old men with courtesy.
- AiasHuge, loyal warrior who protects Achilles' body and is crushed when the armor goes to his rival.
- OdysseusClever Greek leader who wins Achilles' armor, fetches helpers for the war, and devises the plan of the wooden horse.
- NeoptolemusYoung son of Achilles, brought from Scyros, who longs to prove himself worthy of his father's armor.
- PhiloctetesSkilled archer left in pain on Lemnos, whose bow of Hercules is needed to end the war.
- CassandraPriam's daughter, who foresees Troy's ruin truly, yet no one believes her.
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The Fall of Troy
by Quintus Smyrnaeus · 300
An Amazon queen rides into Troy to kill Achilles, and her arrival sets a chain of fateful newcomers in motion.
Challenging5–10 hours to read20 languages
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In short
What happens to a city when its best defender is dead and the enemy champion still walks the plain? The Fall of Troy begins right there, just after Hector's funeral, with the Trojans cowering behind Priam's walls like cattle afraid of a lion.
The Fall of Troy at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 25 min4 h 15 min fast, 6 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 77,000 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- about AD 300by Quintus Smyrnaeus
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A warrior queen brings Troy one day of hope
After Hector dies, the Trojans hide inside Priam's city like cattle afraid of a lion. They fear Achilles, who has killed so many of their men. Their mood changes when Penthesileia arrives with twelve princesses. She is a daughter of the war god Ares, and she shines among her companions like the moon among the stars.
She killed her sister Hippolyte by accident while aiming at a stag, and she hopes battle will quiet the Furies that haunt her. Priam welcomes her like a daughter, and she boasts that she will kill Achilles and burn the Greek ships.
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Details
- First published
- 300
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 55 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Quintus Smyrnaeus. The Fall of Troy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-fall-of-troy.
Quintus Smyrnaeus. (2026). The fall of Troy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-fall-of-troy (Original work published ca. 300)
Quintus Smyrnaeus. The Fall of Troy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-fall-of-troy.
@book{quintussmyrnaeus2026fall,
author = {Quintus Smyrnaeus},
title = {The Fall of Troy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-fall-of-troy},
note = {First published ca. 300}
}
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What is The Fall of Troy by Quintus Smyrnaeus about?
It is a Greek epic in fourteen books that continues the story of the Trojan War from Hector's death to the sack of the city, including the Amazons, Achilles' death, the wooden horse, and the Greeks' stormy voyage home.
Is The Fall of Troy a sequel to the Iliad?
Yes in a sense. The poem begins right after Hector's funeral, where the Iliad closes, and fills in what came next in the legend. Its author wrote in Homer's style and borrowed his language and his habit of long similes.
Who is Penthesileia in the poem?
She is the queen of the Amazons and a daughter of the war god Ares. She comes to help Troy after Hector's death, hoping to cleanse her guilt for killing her sister by accident, and she faces Achilles in the first book.
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