Phrygians (play)
| Phrygians | |
|---|---|
Priam begs Achilles from a 2nd-century Roman sarcophagus, Archaeological Museum of Ioannina | |
| Written by | Aeschylus |
| Chorus | Phrygians |
| Characters | Achilles Priam Hermes Briseis ? |
| Date premiered | c. 499–455 BC |
| Original language | Ancient Greek |
| Subject | Hector's ransom |
| Genre | Greek tragedy |
| Setting | Achilles' hut near Troy |
The Phrygians (Ancient Greek: Φρύγες) or The Ransoming of Hector (Ancient Greek: Ἕκτορος Λύτρα) is a lost ancient Greek tragedy by Aeschylus, the renowned Athenian tragedian who flourished in the early half of the fifth century BC. The Phrygians was the third and final play of the Achilleis, a theatrical trilogy which adapted the core events of the Iliad; Achilles' anger at Agamemnon, the death of Patroclus at the hands of Hector, Achilles' grief and revenge against Hector, and finally Priam ransoming the body of his slain son.
Very few fragments remain from the lost drama and the trilogy overall, making its reconstruction hard. It is not clear what year the tetralogy premiered or what place it got in the festival, though it seems to have been very popular in antiquity.