Still crouching, Aineas rises, carrying up a huge boulder to crush his enemy as Achilles closes in on him with his glittering sword thirsty for blood. Bouncing up and over Aineas’ back, the spear buries itself in the battlefield.

Horrified, Aineas leaps back, deflecting Achilles’ spear by squatting low and holding the shield high. Next, Achilles hurls his spear and hits Aineas’ shield where it is thinnest, sending up a sound of screeching as the spearhead strikes the plate. Constructed of five layers, the spear pierces the two outer layers of bronze, but the middle layer of thick gold deflects the ashwood spear of Aineas. Achilles grips his shield strongly, holding it out from his body in case the spear might drive through it, but this is unnecessary. Then, Aineas drives his spear into Achilles’ shield and a loud clanging noise resounds upon the impact. Source: Wikimedia CommonsExchanging proud words of warning, Achilles and Aineas are each determined to gain honor at the expense of the other. Swearing he will not halt this day until he has made all the Trojans sick of war, Achilles races onto the field of battle with a great shout, driving his team of well-bred war horses straight into the front line, in search of Hektor.ĭueling warriors depicted on an Attic Black-figure Neck Amphora, ca. With a warriors’ instinct, Achilles shrugs and flexes, jumping and dodging, pivoting and testing both fit and balance, finding his new armor as light as wings. Seething with righteous, passionate anger, Achilles buckles on his new armor and picks up the shield, hardly glancing at it he is focusing only on killing Hektor. (Author’s Note: This content is significantly updated and expanded in my new book, Reconstructing the Shield of Achilles, now available on !)

In haste to deliver the flashing gear bestowed by Great Hephaistos. Who, clutching the armor, flew like a hawk sweeping down from snowy Olympos, His work completed, the Famous Smith bore the arms to Achilles’ mother, Then a helmet he wrought, close fitting and grand, of gold with a flashing crest,Īnd complex designs all wondrously made, and leg greaves of supple tin. He fashioned, as well, a blazing breastplate, besides the massive shield

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