And he forged on the shield two noble cities filled
with mortal men. With weddings and wedding feasts in one
and under glowing torches they brought forth the brides
from the women’s chambers, marching through the streets
while choir on choir the wedding song rose high
and the young men came dancing, whirling round in rings
and among them flutes and harps kept up their stirring call
women rushed to the doors and each stood moved with wonder.
And the people massed, streaming into the marketplace
where a quarrel had broken out and two men struggled
over the blood-price for a kinsman just murdered.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 18, lines 572-582. The first of the two cities forged on Achilles’s shield by Hephaestus is a peaceful city with joyous wedding celebrations, dancing and music. There is also a marketplace with people disputing over what blood money should be paid for a murder. The city is metaphorically symbolic of a city in Greece.