The Iliad

Homer is the name ascribed by the Ancient Greeks to the semi-legendary author of the two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the central works of Greek literature. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread being that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. The modern scholarly consensus is that these traditions do not have any historical value.The importance of Homer to the ancient Greeks is described in Plato's Republic, where he is referred to as the protos didaskalos, "first teacher", of tragedy, the hegemon paideias, "leader of learning" and the one who ten Hellada pepaideuken, "has taught Greece". Homer's works, which are about fifty percent speeches, provided models in persuasive speaking and writing that were emulated throughout the ancient and medieval Greek worlds. Fragments of Homer account for nearly half of all identifiable Greek literary papyrus finds in Egypt.

"From the very first lines of Joe Sachss translation of the Iliad, you will feel yourself transported directly to the scene of a tumultuous war, landed on the Dardanian shores along with the long-suffering Achaeans, and invited inside the great walls of Troy, with occasional glimpses of the heights of Olympus. There you will not be a distant, isolated and wary spectator observing events told from and of a distinct century about strangers whose lives in no way coincide with ours, but a fellow world-citizen who happens to be wandering on the same soil and under the same blazing sun, where you will gain a deeper grasp of the ties that span that distance and reveal what it always was and is to be a human being. The translation shows a rare sensitivity to the fact that the language of Homer is one that nurtured the thinking of Plato and Aristotle."Lale Levin Basut, Yeditepe University

The IliadTranslator's Preface

Introduction

Introduction
The Spelling and Pronunciation of Homeric Names
Maps
1. Homeric Geography: Mainland Greece
2. Homeric Geography: The Peloponnese
3. Homeric Geography: The Aegean and Asia Minor
Inset: Troy and Vicinity

Homer: The Iliad

Book 1: The Rage of Achilles
Book 2: The Great Gathering of Armies
Book 3: Helen Reviews the Champions
Book 4: The Truce Erupts in War
Book 5: Diomedes Fights the Gods
Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy
Book 7: Ajax Duels with Hector
Book 8: The Tide of Battle Turns
Book 9: The Embassy to Achilles
Book 10: Marauding Through the Night
Book 11: Agamemnon's Day of Glory
Book 12: The Trojans Storm the Rampart
Book 13: Battling for the Ships
Book 14: Hera Outflanks Zeus
Book 15: The Achaean Armies at Bay
Book 16: Patroclus Fights and Dies
Book 17: Menelaus' Finest Hour
Book 18: The Shield of Achilles
Book 19: The Champion Arms for Battle
Book 20: Olympian Gods in Arms
Book 21: Achilles Fights the River
Book 22: The Death of Hector
Book 23: Funeral Games for Patroclus
Book 24: Achilles and Priam

Notes

The Genealogy of the Royal House of Troy
Textual Variants from the Oxford Classical Text
Notes on the Translation
Suggestions for Further Reading
Pronouncing Glossary