Memnon and Sub-Saharan Africans in the Greek Epic and Archaic-Period Artistic Tradition

Memnon and Sub-Saharan Africans in the Greek Epic and Archaic-Period Artistic Tradition. Memnon, king of the Ethiopians, brought troops to assist the Trojans in the Trojan War The lost Greek epic Aethiopis, roughly contemporary with Homer's works, related this Ethiopian tradition Memnon is portrayed in archaic-period Greek vase paintings

Did you know Homer references Memnon, king of the Ethiopians, calling him the most handsome of all men? The lost epic Aethiopis expanded on this tradition of sub-Saharan African warriors aiding Troy. Archaic Greek vase paintings depict Memnon too. The Greek term "Ethiopian" literally meant "burnt-faced," and ancient Greeks often considered these figures strikingly beautiful.

Key Facts

• Memnon, king of the Ethiopians, brought troops to assist the Trojans in the Trojan War
• The lost Greek epic Aethiopis, roughly contemporary with Homer's works, related this Ethiopian tradition
• Memnon is portrayed in archaic-period Greek vase paintings
• Homer mentions Memnon in the Odyssey, calling him the most handsome of all men
• The Greeks used the term Ethiopians for sub-Saharan Africans, meaning 'burnt-faced'
• Ancient Greeks traditionally believed Ethiopians to be good-looking
• There is an ancient Greek tradition of sub-Saharan Africans participating in the Trojan War
• In the Iliad, Helen is called 'white-armed,' a term for nobility in women

Source: Ancient Historian Reviews Nolan's ODYSSEY by World of Antiquity