Allegories of the Odyssey (Hardcover)

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were central to the educational system of Byzantium, yet the religion and culture of the Homeric epics-even the ancient Greek language itself-had become almost unrecognizable to Byzantine Greek readers coming to the texts nearly two millennia later. The scholar, poet, and teacher John Tzetzes (ca. 1110-1180) joined the extensive tradition of interpreting Homer by producing his Allegories of the Iliad, dedicated to the foreign-born empress Eirene. Tzetzes later composed the Allegories of the Odyssey, a more advanced verse commentary, to explain Odysseus's journey and the pagan gods and marvels he encountered. Through historical allegory, the gods become ancient kings deified by the pagan poet; through astrological interpretation, they become planets whose positions and movements affect human life; through moral allegory Athena represents wisdom, Aphrodite desire. This edition presents the first translation of the Allegories of the Odyssey into any language.

General

Imprint:	Harvard University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library
Release date:	November 2019
Authors:	John Tzetzes
Translators:	Adam J Goldwyn • Dimitra Kokkini
Dimensions:	203 x 133 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	384
ISBN-13:	978-0-674-23837-4
Languages:	English
Subtitles:	Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > Classical, early & medieval Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
LSN:	0-674-23837-0
Barcode:	9780674238374

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