Episode 36: Mustering Forces at Aulis, or The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

In this episode we cover the mustering of the forces at Aulis, Agamemnon’s great mistake, and the resulting sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia. In the second book of the Iliad, Homer gives a catalog of Greeks who assembled at Aulis to prepare for war, listing both the heroes and whence they hailed. In 2014 and 2015, UNH student Jack Vachon created a digital database of the towns, and we provide the map produced from that database, highlighting the location of Aulis.

A graphic showing most of the Greek towns and heroes that participated in the Trojan War, produced by UNH student Jack Vachon (2015) using GIS mapping technology.

Volute krater vase from between 370 B.C. and 350 B.C. in Basilicata, Italy. This piece depicts the sacrifice of Iphigenia, with her being replaced with a doe by Artemis. Currently housed in the British Museum.

The sacrifice of Iphigenia in the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii (now in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples). To the left, Agamemnon, head covered in shame; Iphigenia carried off by attendants; Calchas, the priest, stands to the left. In the upper register, the hunting goddess Diana to the right watches Iphigenia, saved at the last minute, riding a deer.

Credits:

Written by Conner Floyd and R. Scott Smith

Voice Acting: Jackson Scheele

Sound Engineering: Jackson Scheele

Music: Jared Sims, Brooklyn Tea