The World of Homer
-
Select format
-
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- May 2025
- June 2025
- ISBN:
- 9781009582834
- 9781009582889
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.76kg, 370 Pages
- Dimensions:
- Weight & Pages:
You may already have access via personal or institutional login
Show more authors 
You may already have access via personal or institutional login
Book description
Epic poetry, notably the Iliad and the Odyssey, stands as one of the most enduring legacies of ancient Greece. Although the impact of these epics on Western civilization is widely recognized, their origins remain the subject of heated debate. Were they composed in a single era or over the course of centuries? Were they crafted by one or by many poets? Do they reflect historical reality? These and other important questions are answered in this book. Using a fresh, dynamic approach, Michael Cosmopoulos reconstructs the world of the Homeric poems and explores the interplay between poetry, social memory, and material culture. By integrating key insights from archaeology, philology, anthropology, and oral tradition, he offers a nuanced perspective of the emergence and early development of Greek epic. His wide-canvas approach enables readers to appreciate the complexity of the Homeric world and gain a deeper understanding of the intricate factors that shaped these magnificent poems.
Reviews
‘'A tour de force by a mature and versatile scholar who, like Dante's Virgil, guides us through the archaeological, historical and oral literary evidence surrounding the two great Homeric song poems. Michael Cosmopoulos helps us recognize the enduring human truths that the Iliad and Odyssey still hold for us.
Tom Palaima - Robert M. Armstrong Professor of Classics, University of Texas
‘Rich in factual detail, Michael Cosmopoulos's book is a beautiful synthesis of the overall ‘world of Homer,' viewed by a multidisciplinary expert who has succeeded in communicating his vast knowledge of Homeric archaeology, anthropology, and philology with non-experts as well as experts.'
Gregory Nagy - Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Contents
Contents
Metrics
Altmetric attention score
Full text views
Full text views helpTotal number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...
* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
Usage data cannot currently be displayed.
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.
Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.