The world that Homer shows in the Iliad is a violent world, where war is not only a way to get rich, but also the arena in which a man demonstrates his worth. The Greek army assembled before the walls of Troy shows the weaknesses and strengths of the Homeric world. Greece is not a single nation, and the Greek military reflects this. They are a collection of small city-states with a common culture and language, capable of coming together for great enterprise, but also capable of breaking apart over petty squabbles. Common culture is based on the acceptance of characteristics considered virtuous: xeineia, or hospitality; Agathos, the successful warrior; oikos, which means of noble birth; keleos, glory; the pine, honor, which is a central motif throughout the Iliad; and finally, the ultimate virtue of arête, which represents goodness or excellence and encompasses the other virtues. For Homer, a good man must come from a noble family, strong, courageous in battle and rich. Earthly possessions show that a man has initiative and the esteem of others. But the most important qualification to be considered a good man is honor, because honor is acquired and not born. In the Homeric world, honor is qualified by power. In the Iliad, power is measured in several ways. When Nestor attempts to mediate between the enraged Achilles and Agamemnon, he argues that "power and glory [are] given by Zeus himself" (Book I, line 294). A king is the pinnacle of nobility, even if he is the king of a small, poor Greek town. Being king depends on chance of birth and not ability, and is a sign of the favor of the gods. Because the gods smiled upon him, “a king holding a scepter has an honor beyond the rest of men” (Book I, line 293). In the Greek army...... middle of paper ......capable of edge, of kindness. The ethical values ​​reflected in the Iliad should be taken seriously because they are not only plausible, but also consistent with the times. and location. Homer tells the story of a society where men expect to fight and probably die in battle, where courage is required of all men, and where honor and glory are seen as steps toward Excellency. What makes the Iliad a masterpiece of Western civilization is not only its moving story, but above all the impartial representation that Homer gives of the Homeric world, because the Trojans are never described as being inferior to the Greeks. The Greeks, even their greatest military heroes, are considered imperfect human beings. In conclusion, what Homer presents in the Iliad is a worldview rather than the local perspective of a distant war. Ultimately, Homer seems to be saying that all men can aspire to virtue..