The Wall and the Duel

"exchange presents, that it may be said... 'They fought with might and main, but were reconciled and parted in friendship.'"

Book VII centers on a monumental duel between Hector and Ajax the Great, representing the peak of heroic chivalry. As night falls, the focus shifts to the collective ritual of burying the dead and the construction of the massive Achaean wall and trench—a defensive turning point in the war.