The Trojan War

(Hardback)

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Description

For ancient Greece and Rome, the Trojan War provided a powerful mythic history. In this single source, these two great civilizations were able to find two sets of heroes, two distinct sets of virtues, and two eternal poets: Homer and Vergil. In this broad and varied account, the reader will have the opportunity to investigate the shadowy historical foundation that underlay the poetic environment of Achilles and Aeneas, as well as to examine how the poetic experience altered the understanding of the Trojan War for the many cultures and civilizations that were touched by its narrative and mythic power. Designed as an accessible introduction to this critical element in the Western tradition, The Trojan War offers an engaging mixture of descriptive chapters, biographical sketches, and annotated primary documents. An overview of Troy and the world of the late Bronze Age is presented in the first chapter, and is followed by sections on: finding Troy and the Trojan War; Homer and the epic tradition; the force of legend; and Troy in the twenty-first century. An annotated bibliography and index are also included in this work.

Reviews

Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and two-year technical program students; general readers * Choice *
Was it Iphigeneia or Penthesileia whom Achilles slew in battle Is Memnon just a nickname for Agamemnon And how did all those Hittites get in there For those of us who have trouble telling Antenor from Andromache, Thomas and co-author Conant sort out the events and characters of Homer's account, and give us the background to appreciate his themes. They describe the contexts of the late Bronze Age, the efforts by scholars to find what turned out to be the real Troy, the influence of Homer in the epic tradition, the force of legend, and the implications of the story of Troy for the present day. They include a photo essay, a chronology, compilations of biographies of characters and original documents, a glossary, and an annotated bibliography. * Art Book News Annual *
This is an accessible book, admirably suited to its target readship. A copy in a school or departmental library would provide an excellent introduction to the nature of oral epic and to the problems (with some possible solutions) of identifying places, events and characters in Homeric epic, and a valuable resource for students researching coursework. * Journal of Classics Teaching *
This guide provides an in-depth discussion of the ancient civilizations of the Aegean. The main focus is to explain plausible evidence that supports the growing body of scholarship, which holds that Troy and the Trojan War existed not only in oral tradition, but also in fact.Although this guide will certainly not be light fare for the casual reader, those studying the ancient and classical worlds, will not be disappoined. Recommended. * Library Media Connection *

Author Bio

Carol G. Thomas is Professor of History at the University of Washington and the author or co-author of Citadel to City-State: The Transformation of Greece, 1200-700 BCE (with Craig Conant), Makedonika, Classical Greece, and Progress into the Past: The Rediscovery of Mycenaean Civilization. Craig Conant is the co-author of From Citadel to City-State (with Carol G. Thomas).