Trojan War cycle

The Trojan War cycle was a collection of eight Ancient Greek epic poems that related the history of the Trojan War.

• The eleven books of the Cypria recount the events leading up to the Trojan War and the first nine years of the conflict.
• The Iliad accredited to Homer picks up after the Cypria and focuses on Achilles and his rage against king Agamemnon. It ends with the death of the Trojan prince Hector, who is killed by Achilles in revenge for the death of his dear friend Patroclus.
• The five book Aethiopis is said to have been written by Arctinus of Miletus. It covers the other aspects of the war, focusing especially on Penthesilea the Amazon and Memnon. It also contains the events immediately after Achilles' death.
• The Little Iliad believed to have been written by Lesches covers the events after Achilles' death including the building of the Trojan Horse.
• The Iliupersis covers the sacking of Troy by the Greeks.
• The Nostoi covers the return home of the main Greek force, focusing mainly on Agamemnon and Menelaus.
• The Odyssey also accredited to Homer covers the long voyage home of Odysseus.
• The Telegony covers the life of Odysseus after his return home up until his death and the end of the age of heroes.

Only two of the eight volumes still survive: the Iliad and the Odyssey. Even in their day, these were considered to be the greatest works in the cycle. Many fragments and quotations survive from the other works. The tales told them are also recounted by other sources, most notably Virgil's Aeneid which recounts the sacking of Troy with far greater brilliance than the Iliupersis is believed to have done.

The exact list of works in the cycle is also in question. It has been argued that the Aethiopis, Little Iliad and Iliupersis should be considered one work. Another work, the Titanomachy, which begins with the creation of the world and describes the war between the Titans and the Gods, is believed by some to also be included as part of the cycle.