Priam first kills Priam's son Polites in front of his father as he seeks sanctuary on the altar of Zeus. Priam rebukes Neoptolemus, throwing a spear at him, harmlessly hitting his shield. Neoptolemus then drags Priam to the altar and there kills him too. It has been suggested by Hittite sources, specifically the Manapa-Tarhunta letter, that there is historical basis for the archetype of King Priam. The letter describes one Piyama-Radu as a troublesome rebel who overthrew a Hittite client king and thereafter established his own rule over the city of Troy (mentioned as Wilusa in Hittite). There is also mention
Whom the Gods Would Destroy and leaves. When they are alone, Neoptolemus compliments Helios' fighting and then goes to sleep. In the fall of 1924 Powell began studying Virgil's "Aeneid" in Latin class at the Episcopal Academy, on Philadelphia's Main Line, and became fascinated by the characters and story of the Trojan War. Forty-four years later he climbed around the site of ancient Troy as part of his research for the book. Whom the Gods Would Destroy Whom the Gods Would Destroy is a novel written by Richard P. Powell. It was published in 1970 by Charles Scribner's Sons, NY. The title is currently out