The mystery of Achilles’ death

Abstract

This paper will seek to explore the problem of Achilles’ death as foreshadowed in the Iliad. Through the works of authors ranging from Homer to John Tzetzes, associated with iconographic evidence, it will establish three potential versions of the episode and evaluate the extant evidence for a canonical “Achilles’ heel” in ancient literature, in order to reveal what our extant sources do tell us about the hero’s final moments in life.