In this episode we cover book 16 of the Iliad and the entire character arc of Patroclus. I touch on the complexities of Achilles situation and how he expresses his inner turmoil, but eventually does relent and let Patroclus fight. I also go over the character of Sarpedon, and how the poet has been preparing him for this book. Lastly, the death of gentle Patroclus and the peculiar way that it occurs rounds out this episode. Does Achilles relinquish his wrath here? Who is Euphorbus and why is he afforded a piece of the glory? Listen and find out!

Sources used for the episode:

* Hofmeister, T. P. (1995). “Rest in Violence”: Composition and Characterization in “Iliad” 16.155-277. Classical Antiquity, 14(2), 289–316. https://doi.org/10.2307/25011024

* Allan, W. (2005). Arms and the Man: Euphorbus, Hector, and the Death of Patroclus. The Classical Quarterly, 55(1), 1–16. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3556236

* Scodel, R. (1989). The Word of Achilles. Classical Philology, 84(2), 91–99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/270264

* Gaca, K. L. (2008). Reinterpreting the Homeric Simile of “Iliad” 16.7-11: The Girl and Her Mother in Ancient Greek Warfare. The American Journal of Philology, 129(2), 145–171. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27566700

* Owen, E. T. (1946). Story of the Iliad. In University of Michigan Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946780

Hello Everyone!

Another episode where I answer some listener questions and ramble on about whatever else I’ve been reading on Homer! This time I discuss, in broad strokes, how Homer is foundational to our western notion of literature, the attitude of women in Homer to their (usually) unfortunate fates, and lastly about a book I’ve been reading that has changed the way I see the Homeric poems: The Singer of Tales by Albert Lord.

I’m definitely going to need more air time to talk about this book, it’s got a few things to say…

Here is an article that I discuss from Prof. Joel Christensen’s great blog about how the ancient Athenians may have used the authority of Homer to settle a land dispute with their neighbours.

* Sententiae antiquae, V. a. P. B. (2015, June 27). Messing More with Homer: Megara, Salamis, Athens and Solon. SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE. https://sententiaeantiquae.com/2015/06/27/messing-more-with-homer-megara-salamis-athens-and-solon/

This episode resumes where we last left Zeus, as he was taking a very deep nap upon Mt. Ida. The fighting is renewed and the hope for the Achaeans dwindling. The Trojans push the Achaeans back farther than ever before, and things are beginning to look dire. In this book I cover some interesting linguistic remnants in a description about Hera’s punishment, as well as how the final revealing of the plot of the story affects our enjoyment of it. Finally, I say a few words on the Iliad’s most unlucky hero, Melanippos, may he rest in peace x3.

Source used for this episode:

* Beckwith, M. C. (1998). The “Hanging of Hera” and the Meaning of Greek ἄκμων. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 98, 91–102. https://doi.org/10.2307/311338

* Lord, A. B. (2000). The singer of tales. Harvard University Press.

Hi everyone!

Thought I’d try going off the cuff for an episode and answering a question posed on the substack chat! This might be a good way for me to produce more stuff for you to listen to between the main episodes. I think it could be fun to get some dialogue and questions going back and forth online, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!

In this first episode I answer a question on whether the seduction of Zeus episode is an interpolation to Homer, I also talk about horses in the Iliad, and finish off with some of my thoughts on the trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey. Enjoy!

Also here are some sources used for the episode, and some interesting articles I found:

* Dué, C. (2009). Recapturing a Homeric legacy. Center for Hellenic Studies ; Distributed by Harvard University Press.

* Chevaux et cavaliers dans l’Iliade “Horses and Riders in the Iliad” Michel Woronoff. https://books.openedition.org/pur/25517

* Franko, G. F. (2005). The Trojan Horse at the Close of the “Iliad.” The Classical Journal, 101(2), 121–123. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30038644

* Davison, J. A. (1952). The Homeric Horse [Review of Le Cheval dans l’Iliade, by É. Delebecque]. The Classical Review, 2(3/4), 149–151. http://www.jstor.org/stable/701882

The fighting reaches a new pitch, and things look dire for the Achaean leaders. They do what they can, and so does Hera. Book 14 and its famous ‘Dios Apate’ appear strange nestled between bouts of gruesome fighting, but like many things that seem out of place in the Iliad, it serves a wider purpose. In this episode I explain why this strange event belongs where it does, and how it explores on of the Iliad’s more prominent themes: the gulf between the gods and mortals.

Sources used for this episode:

* Golden, L. (1989). ΔιἘς ἀπάτη and the Unity of “Iliad” 14. Mnemosyne, 42(1/2), 1–11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4431774

* Griffin, J. (1980). Homer on life and death. Oxford University Press.

The Trojans have broken through the wall, and the fighting is fierce! Zeus takes a brief reprieve from supervising the battle, and Poseidon has a chance to step in and aid the Achaeans. He empowers the Aiantes, and the Cretans Idomeneus and Meriones, the former of which excels in battle this book. There is some humorous banter between the two Cretan heroes, but after putting jokes aside the two enter the fray. While not much appears to occur, this book connects with larger themes in the Iliad like the continuous cycle of violence that the heroes are caught in, as well as the pervading wrath of Achilles that drives the Iliad. Achilles wrath is reflected ‘mise en abyme’ style to us through the clever use of Trojans characters and traditions.

Sources used in this episode:

* Kirk GS. Book 13. In: Janko R, ed. The Iliad: A Commentary. Cambridge University Press; 1991:39-148.

* The Best of the Achaeans: Concepts of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry, by Gregory Nagy. Accessed online from The Center for Hellenic Studies, http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebook:CHS_NagyG.The_Best_of_the_Achaeans.1999.

* Fenno, Jonathan. “THE WRATH AND VENGEANCE OF SWIFT-FOOTED AENEAS IN ILIAD 13.” Phoenix, vol. 62, no. 1/2, 2008, pp. 145–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25651702. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

In this episode we cover the teichomachia, or the battle around the walls of the Greeks. This book contains some great similes and we also hear a great speech from Sarpedon on why the heroes fight, which connects both Hector and Achilles. Hector is on display this book, and it all points to his moment of triumph when he picks up a big rock. His breach of the wall is contrasted with the beginning of the book when we are told how the gods destroyed the wall after the war. I touch on why this happens, and why we are privy to its destruction in the first place.

Sources for this episode:

* Maitland, Judith. “Poseidon, Walls, and Narrative Complexity in the Homeric Iliad.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 1, 1999, pp. 1–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/639485. Accessed 25 June 2025.

* PORTER, JAMES I. “Making and Unmaking: The Achaean Wall and the Limits of Fictionality in Homeric Criticism.” Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), vol. 141, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41289734. Accessed 25 June 2025.

* Scholia quote came from the blog SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE, here: https://sententiaeantiquae.com/2017/09/11/tension-and-precarity-the-iliads-simile-of-the-weaving-woman/

* (if you like Homer go check out Joel’s blog and also substack, he’s really good)

In this episode we return to proper Iliadic form: battle. After the night raid both sides are ready to go. We cover the Aristeia of Agamemnon, and also that of Hector. I also go over why Diomedes features so prominently in this book. Lastly, I touch on the connections between book 11 and the last two, which we’re surprising to me! Just goes to show that there is always something new to learn about this tale.

Sources:

* Rabel, Robert. “The Theme of Need in ‘Iliad’ 9-11.” Phoenix, vol. 45, no. 4, 1991, pp. 283–95. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1088100. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

In this episode I cover the black sheep of the Iliad, one of the strangest books in the poem: the night raid of Diomedes and Odysseus, or the Doloneia. We cover Diomedes and Odysseus brave expedition to spy on the Trojans, and meet the colorful character Dolon, if only for a brief while. I also discuss some ways that scholars have criticized this book for its awkwardness of place and subject, but also show some modern evidence that Book 10 is part of a larger theme of ‘Ambush’ and that computers think it is actually very ‘Iliadic’.

Sources:

* Dué, Casey, and Mary Ebbott. 2010. Iliad 10 and the Poetics of Ambush: A Multitext Edition with Essays and Commentary. Hellenic Studies Series 39. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebook:CHS_Due_Ebbott.Iliad_10_and_the_Poetics_of_Ambush.2010.

* Pavlopoulos, J., Konstantinidou, M. Computational authorship analysis of the homeric poems. Int J Digit Humanities 5, 45–64 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42803-022-00046-7

Continuing from the last episode, we cover the 2nd half of Iliad book 9. Having already heard from Odysseus and Achilles, we hear from a new character: Phoenix. He delivers the longest speech in the entire poem, detailing 3 paradeigmatic stories on why Achilles should return to battle. Achilles replies, and lastly we hear from straight-talking Ajax. Achilles position is beginning to look a bit unreasonable by the end of the book, which closes with very little accomplished on the embassies part. Lastly, I dive into the key changes that occur within Achilles to close out this amazing chapter!