Forschungsprojekt ::

Homer and the monuments again: relics of the past and the epic tradition

Dieses Projekt ist Teil des Forschungsprojektes Überreste der Vergangenheit in antiken Gesellschaften

Projektbeschreibung

The proposed research explores the role of relics in the ancient reception of the Homeric epics. (1) "Archaeological" evidence was crucial already in antiquity for establishing the historical/fictional character of the Homeric poems; therefore Homeric scholarship provided an important incentive to the development of a antiquarian periegesis. (2) The proliferation of Homeric relics made available "Homer" for many Greek communities and thus established him as a truly Panhellenic author. (3) The modern discussion about the archaeological finds at Hissarlik and their relation to "Homer" continues important aspects of ancient reception: The ancient visitors to the Troas made desperate efforts to pin down on the ground the events told in the Iliad. These practices, however, have been inspired by the very visual and very objective character of the poems themselves.

Wesentliche Teile der Forschungsleistung wurden während einer von der British Academy finanzierten Visiting Fellowship am Department for Classics & Ancient History der Durham University im Herbst 2009 erbracht.