About book War That Killed Achilles, The: The True Story Of Homer's Iliad And The Trojan War (2009)
This is a very detailed analysis of the Trojan war in literature, questioning not whether it happened, but how accurate the background information in it is in comparison to more verifiable information from the time. It looks at artifacts, documents etc, and compares information in those to things like the region discussed in the Iliad, the metals, animal use, communities, military structure etc. It’s quite fascinating, even though it obviously doesn’t validate the overall story of the Iliad. For the Trojan war nerds of the world. Analyzing the Iliad always feels like college to me, but not in a bad way. This book adds enough historical detail and opinions I disagreed with to make me think and reconsider, which was entirely enticing. The translation of the Iliad differed from the one I studied, which provided a dissonance that also required rethinking and eventually digging up my old copy and studying it. I recommend, if you're a Greek history nerd or a fan of Homer, but if you're not one of those wee groups, unlikely to intrigue.
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I only gave it 5 stars becacuse I can not give it more. Gripping, insightful, poetic, elegant.
—Dan
11 Oct 2010 - came upon this book while browsing the tables in the 38th St Tacoma Borders.
—Sara
The Iliad is a tough nut to crack. This book is a great guide through the Iliad.
—jade
