Must Know: The Iliad

There are some important events that are not mentioned in the books but if you know them will make you understand things better. Plus they're interesting, so I'm going to put them here:

Seems like weddings back then were more like nude parties.
Only Athena seems to be the only one who didn´t
knew it was a clotheless party.

First Important Event

     The Nereid Tetis was coveted by both Zeus and Poseidon until they get to know a prophecy about her which says that the kid Tetis will give birth shall be more powerful than his father. So, for obvious reasons, they start to fear she marries a god which makes her give birth to a son more powerful than them so Zeus- who incidentally has a record for eating a wife with a similar prophecy- marries her to a human, Peleus.

Second Important Event

     Helen was the daughter of Zeus with a human and is considered the most beautiful woman ever existed in that period of time so obviously had lots of suitors, so many that his unknowingly non-biological father didn't know what to do. Odysseus, who was also a suitor, seeing that he had almost no probability of marrying Helen opts to help her father in exchange of his help to marry his niece, Penelope. He makes the suitors vow they will let Helen choose her own husband and that if anyone was to try to steal Helen from his husband all the suitors will come to his help. Helen chooses Menelaus, the king of Sparta.

Third Important Event

Everytime I think of Eris I remember
the one that appeared on Billy and Mandy.

     In the wedding of Peleus and Tetis, all the gods were invited except one: The Goddess of Discord, Eris. It is hinted that Zeus actually wanted her to get mad and didn´t invited her on purpose so that she in revenge left a golden apple adressed to "the most beautiful". Three proud godesses stood up trying to acknowledge the apple. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite couldn't stop fighting for it so Zeus made a shepherd make the choice. This shepherd was Paris Priamida, who was in the care of other people after being prophetized that he would destroy Troy (later on his parents will take him home again just to see it come true). 

     The goddesses trying to win him over promised him different things. Hera promised him the greatest empire, Athena lots of victorys and prowess in battles, and last Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman. Paris was actually known for being a flirt so maybe it isn't so strange that he favoured Aphrodite.

     He went as a guest to Sparta and while Menelaus wasn't there made Helen fall in love with him with the help of Aphrodite and- thinking that was not good enough- stole lots of gold, jewerly, etc of his house. Thus coming back to Troy with the news of a likely iminent war with the achaeans.

Last Names

Another thing to know that will help understand greeks is that their last name seems to be the name of their fathers.

     Some examples: 

          Achilles, son of Peleus ---> Pelion Achilles

          Odysseus, son of Laertes ---> Odysseus Laertiada

          Diomedes, son of Tideus ---> Diomedes Tidida

          Menelaus, son of Atreus ---> Atrida Menelaus

          Agamemnon, son of Atreus ---> Atrida Agamemnon

          Zeus, son of Cronos ---> Zeus Cronion

Sometimes the last name was first and sometimes last, I think it got something to do with how it sounded best. Hope that the last names are the same ones in english.

Hope its useful. Happy reading.