The Battle of Salamis was the first great (and unexpected) victory of the Greeks over the Persian forces under Xerxes, whose defeat had important consequences for the subsequent history and self-image of Europe. This battle forms the centre-piece of book VIII of Herodotus' Histories. The book also illuminates Greek views of themselves and of peoples from the East, the problematic relationships between different Greek states in the face of the invasion, and the role of the divine in history. This introduction and commentary pays particular attention to the history and culture of Achaemenid Persia and the peoples of its empire. It offers much help with the language of the text (which has been prepared for ease of reading), and deals with major literary and historical questions. It will be of especial use to intermediate and advanced Greek students, but also provides up-to-date scholarly materials for graduate students and professional classicists.

One of the most diverse books in the Iliad, Book III moves between intimate scenes in the heart of Troy and scenes serious and comic on the battlefield. It describes a major ritual in an elaborate oath-swearing, assigns a major role to divine intervention, introduces and characterises the main Trojan actors and reveals more about their Greek counterparts. The commentary discusses the styles of Homeric narrative, illustrating especially its economy and sophisticated handling of different time-scales. It situates the Iliad in its broad cultural and historical contexts, through consideration of the relationships between Greece and the Anatolian, Mesopotamian and ancient Indian cultures, particularly regarding shared story-patterns and ritual activity. An account is given of Troy's relationships with the Hittite empire and the vexed question of the historicity of the Trojan War. Also provided is a full historical account of Homeric language. The edition will be indispensable for students and instructors.

This book places the plays of Aristophanes in their contemporary context, asking what aspects of Greek, and especially Athenian, culture these comedies brought into play for their original audiences. It makes particular use of the structural analysis of Greek rituals and myths to demonstrate how their meanings and functions can be used to interpret the plays. This information is then used to suggest ways in which twentieth-century audiences may read the plays in terms of contemporary literary theories and concerns. This is the first book to apply the techniques of structural anthropology systematically to all the comedies. It does not impose a single interpretative structure on the plays but argues that each play operates with a range of different structures, and that groups of plays use similar structures in different ways. All Greek is translated.

The second part of the Odyssey takes epic in new directions, giving significant roles to people of 'lower status' and their way of life: epic notions of the primacy of the aristocrat and the achievements of the Trojan War are submitted to scrutiny. Books XIII and XIV contain some of the subtlest human exchanges in the poem, as Athena and Odysseus spar with each other and Odysseus tests the quiet patience of his swineherd Eumaeus. The principal themes and narrative structures, especially of disguise and recognition, which the second part uses with remarkable economy, are established here. The Introduction also includes a detailed historical account of the Homeric dialect, as well as sections on metre and the text itself. The Commentary on the Greek text pays particular attention to the exposition of unfamiliar linguistic forms and constructions. The literary parts of the Introduction and the Commentary are accessible to all.

The second part of the Odyssey takes epic in new directions, giving significant roles to people of 'lower status' and their way of life: epic notions of the primacy of the aristocrat and the achievements of the Trojan War are submitted to scrutiny. Books XIII and XIV contain some of the subtlest human exchanges in the poem, as Athena and Odysseus spar with each other and Odysseus tests the quiet patience of his swineherd Eumaeus. The principal themes and narrative structures, especially of disguise and recognition, which the second part uses with remarkable economy, are established here. The Introduction also includes a detailed historical account of the Homeric dialect, as well as sections on metre and the text itself. The Commentary on the Greek text pays particular attention to the exposition of unfamiliar linguistic forms and constructions. The literary parts of the Introduction and the Commentary are accessible to all.

The Battle of Salamis was the first great (and unexpected) victory of the Greeks over the Persian forces under Xerxes, whose defeat had important consequences for the subsequent history and self-image of Europe. This battle forms the centre-piece of book VIII of Herodotus' Histories. The book also illuminates Greek views of themselves and of peoples from the East, the problematic relationships between different Greek states in the face of the invasion, and the role of the divine in history. This introduction and commentary pays particular attention to the history and culture of Achaemenid Persia and the peoples of its empire. It offers much help with the language of the text (which has been prepared for ease of reading), and deals with major literary and historical questions. It will be of especial use to intermediate and advanced Greek students, but also provides up-to-date scholarly materials for graduate students and professional classicists.

This book examines the plays of the Greek comic writer Aristophanes and attempts to reconstruct the responses of the original audiences by using anthropological techniques to compare the plays with those Greek myths and rituals that share similar story patterns or subject matter. It is the first book to apply this type of analysis systematically to all the comedies, and also differs from earlier studies in that it does not impose a single interpretative structure on the plays. All Greek is translated.

One of the most diverse books in the Iliad, Book III moves between intimate scenes in the heart of Troy and scenes serious and comic on the battlefield. It describes a major ritual in an elaborate oath-swearing, assigns a major role to divine intervention, introduces and characterises the main Trojan actors and reveals more about their Greek counterparts. The commentary discusses the styles of Homeric narrative, illustrating especially its economy and sophisticated handling of different time-scales. It situates the Iliad in its broad cultural and historical contexts, through consideration of the relationships between Greece and the Anatolian, Mesopotamian and ancient Indian cultures, particularly regarding shared story-patterns and ritual activity. An account is given of Troy's relationships with the Hittite empire and the vexed question of the historicity of the Trojan War. Also provided is a full historical account of Homeric language. The edition will be indispensable for students and instructors.