ABSTRACT
This chapter presents important aspect which has received less attention from scholars, namely Achilles' place in the account of the causes and origins of the Trojan War. Zeus took pity and decided to unburden the all-sustaining earth from the weight of men, by stirring up the great conflict of the Trojan War so that death would alleviate that burden. In the epic tradition, both Achilles and Helen are mentioned in this preceding moment when Zeus conceives of the war, before the birth of either. Achilles would be born of the marriage between Peleus and Thetis, and to learn more about his childhood the reader must leave aside the Greek sources for a moment to focus on Roman literature and art. A fundamental text on Achilles' childhood and the care he receives from Chiron is Pindar Nem. The poet employs the coexistence of a human and a semi-human teacher to delve into the complex personality of Achilles.
