A thrilling study of the greatest of all epic poems, by one of the world's leading classicists

Homer's Iliad is the famous epic poem set among the tales of Troy. Its subject is the anger of the hero Achilles and its dreadful consequences for the warring Greeks and Trojans. It was composed more than 2,600 years ago, but still transfixes us with its tale of loss and battle, love and revenge, guided throughout by the active presence of the gods. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving but great questions remain: where, how and when it was composed and why it has such enduring power?

In this compelling book Robin Lane Fox addresses these questions, drawing on a life-long love and engagement with the poem. He argues for a place, a date and a method for its composition, giving us a sense of alternative approaches and grounding his own in discoveries about long heroic poems composed elsewhere in the world, and the ever-growing evidence of archaeology.

Unlike other books on the Iliad, this one combines the detailed expertise of a historian with the sensitivity of a teacher of it as poetry. Lane Fox goes on to consider hallmarks of the poem, its values, implicit and explicit, its characters, its women, its gods and even its horses. He argues repeatedly for its beautiful observation and addresses its parallel use of what is, to us, the natural world. Thousands of readers turn to the Iliad every year. In this superbly written and conceived tribute, Lane Fox expresses and amplifies what old and new readers can find in it. It is pervaded, he argues, by a poignant hardness which is not just a poetic trick. It is a deeply held view of the world.

• We started tracking this book on April 15, 2023.
• This book was £12.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 7 times in the past 840 days.
• The current price of this book is £4.99 last checked 12 hours ago.
• The lowest price to date was £4.99 last reached on July 6, 2025.
• This book has been £4.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was £17.00 last reached on July 16, 2024.
• This book has been £17.00 one time since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionPoetry & DramaPoetryEpic
• Literature & FictionHistory & CriticismMovements & PeriodsMedieval
• Literature & FictionPoetry & DramaPoetryAncient, Classical & Medieval

• Publication Date: July 13, 2023
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 438 Pages
• File Size: 108 KB