Greece Books

As John Miles Foley states in its preface, _Homer's Traditional Art_ is at its most fundamental level a response to the question "What difference does oral tradition make to our understanding of the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_?" That an ancient Greek oral tradition is intertwined with the fabric of the Homeric texts is now almost universally held by scholars to be a fact, but how does this traditional influence manifest itself and with what significance for us today? In formulating his answers to these questions, Foley first provides a foundation of comparative evidence, homemade proverbs, and basic observations on oral traditional texts in general and then proceeds to demonstrate the particular relevance of such items for Homeric poetry in particular. Throughout the book, the essential concepts are formulated in such a way as to be accessible for general students of varying backgrounds, while many insights useful to the professional Homeric scholar appear as well, especially in the substantial endnotes and appendices (including a comparative treatment of the Old English _Deor_).

Thus, Chapter 1 discusses the nature and dynamics of Homer's "signs" (Gk. _semata_), that is, elements within the poetry that index traditional meanings and knowledge, thereby reaching beyond their immediate or literal contexts in order to convey further implications for a tradition-aware audience. This indexing process (termed "traditional referentiality") can be found at every level of the poetry, from the smallest formula to the entire Homeric register as a whole. Chapters 2-4 provide comparative evidence for Homer via South Slavic oral poetry. After first reviewing the scholarly debates over the analogy, Chapter 2 then examines the parallel from the perspective of the singers themselves. Chapter 3 continues this examination and investigates the similarities and differences between the specialized languages of Homer and the South Slavic _guslari_. Chapter 4 then discusses the traditional referentiality of South Slavic poetry as it pertains to story-patterns, typical scenes, and formulas.

Having created a comparative framework from which to proceed, Foley uses the following sections of this book to explore the effects of oral tradition in the Homeric poems themselves. Chapter 5 focuses on the traditional story-pattern of the Return Song and its implications for Penelope's characterization and the unity of the _Odyssey_ (and the particular importance for its ending). Chapter 6 then examines the typical scenes of feast especially in the _Odyssey_) and lament (limited to the _Iliad_), while Chapter 7 details the nature of traditional referentiality in relation to Homeric phraseology. All of these observations on _Homer's Traditional Art_ then culminate in Chapter 8 in which Foley provides a close reading of an extended passage of the _Odyssey_ (from Book 23) that incorporates each of the traditional perspectives established in the preceding chapters and gives a very clear "sign" of his own, demonstrating the difference that an understanding of Homer's underlying oral tradition can make.

The title says it all. This book gives the reader information on Homer the Man, Homer the poet, a discussion of the Iliad and the Odyssey, general background information, etc. As a Homerphile, I really enjoyed it. Don't be put off by the fact that it's a translation from German -- the writing (translation) is very good, very smooth. The bibliographies contain references in English and French as well as German. I'd like to read some more of Latacz' work. This book is for the general reader, not for the ancient Greek expert.

This is a great piece of literature, describing a slice of the struggle of the Greeks to conquer Troy.

Walter Burkert analyzes human behaviour, religion, rituals, sacrifices and myths from a fundamental biological viewpoint of intraspecies aggression and violence.

Human behaviour
Man's biological evolution was accomplished during the age of the hunter. His terrifying violence is a derivation of the behaviour of the predatory animal. `A male community is biologically analogous to a pack of wolves.' The only groups able to assert themselves were those held together by collective killing in the hunt and by an inviolable social order.
Human aggression and violence have marked the progress of our civilization. One can even say that `all orders and forms of authority in human society are founded on institutional violence.'

Religion
Religion is a stabilizing factor of the first order in society. But, blood and violence lurk fascinatingly at its very heart. Christianity is confronted with murder at its very core.
In ancient times, the sacred act done at the sacred place by the consecrating actor consisted in slaughtering sacrificial animals. The act of piety is `bloodshed, slaughter and eating.'

Rituals
Sacrificial rituals were all about encountering death and affirmed life (food). `The gruesome evil at work in the rituals fulfilled a function, i.e., to preserve a social structure over the course of generations.' The bull to be slaughtered reflects the ancestral king or the universal father; a young animal, a child or a maiden.

Myths
Myths frequently explain and justify social orders and establishments. Their most exciting themes come from the realm of sexuality and aggression, the perils of death and destruction. They have their counterpart in sacrificial killings.

Eleusis
The Korè myth describes the sacrifice of a maiden transformed in agrarian terms. It is a description of the agricultural cycle. The Korè is the grain that must go under earth so that, from this seeming death, the new fruit can appear. `Hunger threatens when the Korè disappears, but to the delight of gods and men, she returns, and with her blessing of grain from Demeter.'

Based on an enormous amount of bibliographical material, Walter Burkert delved deeply into and exposes the hidden meaning and functions of ancient, sometimes secret, rites. He unmasks the dark side of man and human civilization.
This book is a must read for all Greek scholars and for all those interested in the history of mankind.

This book may be the single most profound meditation on what it takes to launch and sustain a democratic society. Overcoming the (often defensive) drive to dominate (rule or be ruled) has proven an immensely difficult task for ruling elites and the populations over whom they rule. The few times a culture has succeeded in attempting this exceptionally difficult task, their vulnerability has rendered them highly susceptible to a paranoia that ends up self-destructive. In both conceptually abstract and historically concrete terms, Sagan has given us an extremely valuable way to think about a topic of central importance to our time.
Richard Landes, Boston University

This book deals with the Greek War of Independance of 1821. What set this book apart is that although it deals with a historical account, the author Harry Mark Petrakis, gives life to the fabled warriors of the independance War. It really made an impression on me, because, when one reads a history book, all one is doing is basically reading an event that happened, and being re-told. This book, re-tells the event, but puts you in the front seat, you live and breath amongst the heroes, and are thrown in the heat of the battle, and the bitter sweet defeat. Overall, although fictitional with what transpired during these events, it was great to be part of the book.

This is my first try of writing a book review, I really hope I can bring across how much I enjoyed reading House of the Muses, Serial One.
The graphics are amazing and the story line is very catchy. I couldn't put it down and I am desperately waiting for Serial Two to become available.

Highly recommended!!

This is a wonderful book which describes the way Ancient Greeks planned and built their cities, fortresses, harbours, etc. It explains the cultural roots of Greek architecture and the importance of the public buildings, especially the agora. The drawings and plans (there are plenty of them) are excellent and the bibliography is a good guide if you want to know more about the subject.

This book was a great help to me as I was reasearching ancient greece for a school project. Though it's for children, it has a ton of useful information. I highly recomend it, if not for a project then just for a nice read :)

More than what I expected! Every artist should have one - it relates history periods to cultures then units all the arts together so you can have perfect understanding of it as a whole. Really fantastic! Full of information!