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
2260 Neoptolemus observation by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies in 2015, and 2016, gave a concurring period of 8.18 and 8.199 hours with a corresponding amplitude of 0.14 and 0.03 magnitude (). According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, "Neoptolemus" measures between 71.65 and 81.28 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.051 and 0.0650. The "Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link" adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0650 and a diameter of