Achilles appears on the scene charging like a boar and slaughters the sons of the King of Thebes-Under-Plakos in order to take their cattle.
By the so-called 9th year of the Trojan War, Achilles claims to have destroyed 23 cities, using the Trojan coastline as a jumping off place for attacks on other cities in order to take women, treasure, and cattle, which provided a break from monotony, in addition to loot and food. The frequent attacks also hurt Troy. Achilles treated his royal victims' corpses respectfully. In Achilles' attack on Thebes-Under-Plakos, Chryseis was taken and given to Agamemnon as a prize. Achilles also attacked Lyrnessus where he killed the brothers and husband of Briseis, and then took her as his prize. The share each man had of the plunder was called his "geras". This prize could lead to fights. Such raids allowed the war to go on and on.
The Trojan War: A New History, summary pages:
Introduction | 1. War for Helen | 2. The Black Ships Sail | 3. Operation Beachhead | 4. Assault on the Walls | 5. The Dirty War | 6. An Army in Trouble | 7. The Killing Fields | 8. Night Moves | 9. Hector's Charge | 10. Achilles Heel | 11. The Night of the Horse | Conclusion
