Homer and the Heroic Age

Book excerpt: How reliable is the tradition embodied in the Homeric poems? Their basic historicity was widely accepted in the ancient world: Thucydides and Plato used Homeric data in reconstructing early Greek history and territorial claims could be supported by reference to the epic traditions. Does research in more modern times support this view? Professor Luce examines in detail the world of Homer through the literary and archeological evidence. In the years since Schliemann's first soundings on the site of Troy, archeological investigations in Greek lands and on the Aegean coast of Turkey have been numerous and productive. The most important result of this activity has been the establishment of a tantalizingly cogent basis for the Greek heroic legends. In this most readable survey Professor Luce displays the evidence for and the interpretations of a truly golden Heroic Age. -- From publisher's description.