Archaeology and the Iliad

Archaeology and the Iliad: The Trojan War in Homer and History
by Eric Cline [Compact Disc 939.21 Cli]

Umberto Eco once wrote that humans are more passionate about the truth of their myths and of fiction than they are about the truths of their own history. Never has this played out more popularly than the search for the city of Troy, immortalized in the epic poem of the blind bard Homer. Professor Cline's lectures on the history of The Iliad, Homer, the area around what most consider to be Troy, and the men who sought to find Priam's palace there are lively, informative and delivered with care for the subject. He describes a world vastly more complicated than one that would or could go to war over a beautiful woman (even is she is so beautiful that her face launched 1,279 ships - Professor Cline counted). The lectures bring to life a world that has handed much to our own, and with them come reminders of the fragility of history and humanity. It is well worth seven evenings' listening. -- recommended by Sarah E.J. - (formerly of) Bennett Martin Public Library


[ official Eric Cline web page at George Washington University ]

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