The Iliad by Homer

Dear Students,

In order to understand Western literature and culture, the Iliad by Homer is another piece that should be read by sophomores. The Iliad is mainly about the Trojan War, the ten-year siege on the city of Troy and the rivalry between Achilles and king Agamemnon.

But the Iliad is not just an epic poem about an ancient war, gods and goddesses but also a masterpiece, a classic, a canonical text, a love story and more than that it is history providing an insight to the ancient Greek society and the Trojan War.

It is a thrilling fact that Troy is known to be located near Canakkale-Turkey where the remains can be visited. Additionally, the Iliad as a complete original writing is displayed in Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace in Turkey.

For further information you can check these webistes:

The Topkapı Palace: http://topkapisarayi.gov.tr/en

The Iliad displayed at Topkapı Palace, video: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/author-homers-260-pages-book-the-iliad-telling-the-story-news-footage/1016655010

The Iliad displayed at Topkapı Palace, article: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/kultur-sanat/8-asirlik-ilyada-topkapi-sarayinda-/1227334

Archeological Remains: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849

The Iliad as movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znTLzRJimeY

For further reading on the Iliad you can check these works:

Oxford Readings in Homer's Iliad By Douglas L. CairnsOxford University Press, 2001

Reading Epic: An Introduction to the Ancient Narratives By Peter TooheyRoutledge, 1992

Ransom, Revenge, and Heroic Identity in the Iliad By Donna F. WilsonCambridge University Press, 2002

Tradition and Design in the Iliad By C. M. BowraClarendon Press, 1958

Somewhere I Have Never Traveled: The Hero's Journey By Thomas Van NortwickOxford University Press, 1996

                                            The Iliad by Homer, with notes, at Istanbul Topakı Palace