Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited [Hardcover]

J. V. Luce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0300074115 | ISBN-13: 978-0300074116 | Edition: First

In this text, an authority on Homeric texts takes us on a tour of the main localities that Homer paints in his "Iliad" and "Odyssey". Providing numerous photographs of the terrain and quoting liberally from the two epics, J.V. Luce argues that Homer's descriptions of the ancient landscape, far from being poetic fantasies, are accurate in every detail. Luce surveys what Homer tells us about the environs of Troy and Ithaca, applying the developing science of narratology to Homeric depiction of landscape. He also incorporates information about Troy that has been obtained in the past two decades, in particular geophysical information about the alluviation of the Trojan plain and archaeological data about Troy that reveals that the fortified area of the city was ten times as large as previously supposed. Tracing the ebb and flow of the battle as described in the "Iliad", Luce shows how Homer's account is consistent with this picture of the plain. He also demonstrates that the topography of Ithaca is sketched with such accuracy that Homer must have had firsthand knowledge of the terrain. Luce's book offers a contribution for specialists and a companion for readers of Homer or visitors to the ancient sites.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Luce's] arguments--aided by superb color photographs . . . are fundamentally convincing. -- Peter Green, New Republic

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First edition (December 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300074115
• ISBN-13: 978-0300074116
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,677,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A user-friendly argument for the identity of Homeric sites., March 24, 1999

By 

Dr. Linda L. Clader (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited (Hardcover)

Amply illustrated with photos and maps, Luce's book updates the archaeological and literary arguments for the identification of sites in and around Priam's Troy and Odysseus' Ithaca. The author reviews the history of the speculations about Troy and Ithaca, following a largely chronological pattern, from earliest visits by the likes of Strabo to the often romantic but fiercely held opinions of students of Homer to the theories and excavation reports of modern, scientific archaeologists. He then adds his own first-hand observations from visits to the sites, as well as the results of his sifting through the Homeric poems and the research of other scholars. The result is a lively and readable evocation (a "celebration, indeed) of the terrain described in the epics, covering such specifics as exactly where Achilles might have chased Hector during their final duel, where Eumaeus the swineherd's hut was, where the suitors anchored in their ambush of Telemachus, and just where Andromache and Hector were standing when Hector prayed for a heroic future for his infant son. Luce hypothesizes that the poet Homer was himself a visitor to these sites, and throughout the book assumes Homer's descriptions to be factual until proven otherwise. Although I believe that the oral tradition could have provided Homer the kind of details Luce claims must have come from the poet's own visit, nevertheless I found the author's conclusions persuasive, and the getting there a terrific review of a centuries-old treasure hunt. This book offers a good basis for a visit to the Homeric sites, which is what prompted me to read it, or excellent background for students or teachers of the Homeric epics.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vibrant argument for the reality of Homer's Troy, November 12, 2002

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited (Hardcover)

J.V. Luce's "Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited" is a vibrant presentation of his contention that Homer was personally familiar with the geographical realities of the primary settings of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Luce supports his theory by a detailed examination of the landscape (and sea) of Troy and Ithaca in ancient times (both in the Thirteenth Century BCE when the Trojan War probably occurred and also in the Eighth Century BCE when Homer most likely composed his great poems) and at the present day. In so doing, Luce takes cognizance of archaeological studies of recent years, notably the work done at Troy by Manfred Korfmann who has demonstrated to the satisfaction of most that extent of Bronze Age Troy was much greater than walled citadel located on the mound of Hisarlik identified over a century ago. Strong arguments are presented that the words of Homer accurately present a picture of physical reality, right down to small geographical features such as the "swelling of the plain" in front of Troy and the "crag of the ravens" on Ithaca. And in arguing for his case that Homer walked the ground he would later describe, Luce also presents a persuasive case that, in the case of the Trojan War at any rate, Homer was also describing events firmly rooted in history. Luce's analysis of the location of the Greek camp is especially noteworthy in this regard. The volume is well illustrated by numerous excellent photographs taken by the author.

For anyone intrigued by Homer's poems and the historical events behind them, Luce's book should be on their "must have" list.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you Love Homer -- BUY THIS BOOK, May 2, 2002

By 

Graham Henderson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited (Hardcover)

This book is a treasure. And no reader of the Iliad or the Odyssey (or indeed lover of classical Greek culture) should be without it. It is an easy read. It is amply illustrated. There are good maps and wonderful photographs.

Luce's thesis is that Homer had actually visited the places he wrote about in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Luce writes to counteract what he refers to as the trend ro regard Homeric accounts of landscape and locality as "poetic constructions". Luce's states that firmly believes Homer's paramount concern with respect to local description was "truth to life".

His point is that Homer's various descriptions accord with the ACTUAL landscape one would have seen had one been standing where the narrator of the view stood. And because there is such concordance, it means that either Homer himself or people he had spoken to must have stood, for example, where Helen stood when she gazed out over the marshalling of the Greek troops. Or have seen the "twin sources...of the Scamander." Luce believes he has actually found these two pools.

A truly astonishing example of this is the concordance between the "Homeric topography" of Hera's journey from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida and "real world topography". The point that needs to be made here is that the ancient Greeks has extraordinarily crude maps -- it wasn't as though Homer could rely on a map for his geography - he needed to have BEEN there.

Luce documents his thesis in extraordinary detail with reference to Homer, ancient writers, more recent commentators and archeological finds. He includes many many excerpts from Homer -- translated with startling beauty by himself. Luce himself visited virtually every single site he writes about and some of the most compelling evidence lies often in his own photographs. Most of these photographs are in gorgeous colour and my one regret is that this book was not coffee-table sized. It should have been.

Luce's major task is to make the case for modern day Hisarlik as the site of ancient Troy. And this occupies a central portion of the work. But considerable attention is spent on Ithica and Odysseus journey's as well.

What shines out through all of this is Luce's love of his subject. I must confess that at times I felt the thesis became strained as he sought to fit even the most unlikely Homeric descriptions into the geography of Greece and Turkey. But any reservations became quickly banished with the turn of a page.

After reading this book, you will start planning your trip. Indeed this book could become a vertiable vacation planner. Buy it.