The Fall of Troy (Forgotten Books) Review
The Fall of Troy (Forgotten Books) Feature
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology, and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer. The Iliad relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy, while the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the Achaean leaders. Other parts of the war were told in a cycle of epic poems, which has only survived in fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets like Virgil and Ovid. (Quote from wikipedia.org)
About the Author
Quintus Smyrnaeus (or Quintus of Smyrna) was a Greek epic poet whose Posthomerica, following "after Homer" continues the narration of the Trojan War.
The dates of Smyrnaeus's life are controversial, but they are traditionally placed in the latter part of the fourth century. "His date is approximately settled by two passages in the poem, viz. vi. 531 sqq., in which occurs an illustration drawn from the man-and-beast fights of the amphitheatre, which were suppressed by Theodosius I. (379-395 A.D.); and xiii. 335 sqq., which contains a prophecy, the special particularity of which, it is maintained by Koechly, limits its applicability to the middle of the fourth century A.D."
Some scholars suggest an earlier date in the 3rd or even the 2nd century, arguing that his Posthomerica shows an influence from the "Second Sophistic", the school of Greek orators who flourished in the first and second centuries. According to his own account (xii. 310), he began composing poetry in his early youth while tending sheep near Smyrna (pr
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