Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited

Rating:
Summary: A user-friendly argument for the identity of Homeric sites.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A vibrant argument for the reality of Homer's Troy
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: If you Love Homer -- BUY THIS BOOK
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: If you Love Homer -- BUY THIS BOOK
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Good in parts but badly bound
Review: This book is useful in that it gives a history of site identification from the Hellenistic period onwards, and a good review of archaeological surveys at Troy up to the 1990s.

Much of the book is devoted to proving that the Greek camp was not on the shores of the Hellespont but to the south-west of Troy.

Many photos are just too small for their purpose. For instance, the critical view of Samothrace beyond Imbros ought to have been photographed with a telescopic lens to make the point.

Although the book is a "hardcover" the pages are not sewn in but glued like a paperback. The spine was broken - and the pages loose - on the public library copy that I read. I wouldn't buy the book for this reason alone.