HOMER: Selections from the Iliad
MTWF 1:30-2:20pm THO 334
Professor: Olga Levaniouk
olevan@u.washington.edu
Denny M262B, (206) 543-2266
Office hours: MW 4:30-5:30
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a course for those who are coming to Homer in Greek for the first time, and also for those who have started with the Odyssey and now would like to read some of the Iliad. We’ll start slow (especially since the beginning of the Iliad is so rich thematically, poetically and in terms of language) and then gradually pick up speed. After getting through 200 or so lines of Book 1, we will together choose what to read next—one or two episodes from the rest of the poem. Students will learn how to read Homeric hexameters and start learning about Homeric traditional phrases, poetic techniques, and above all the so-called “Homeric dialect,” the peculiar language of Greek epic which has its own long and intricate history. Students will be expected to acquire a fair amount of Homeric vocabulary and to become familiar with Homeric grammar as the need arises. Most students will find that Homer is easy to read (syntax in particular is more user-friendly than that of the Attic prose), but there is an initial period of getting used to the dialect.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Benner, A. Selections from Homer's Iliad. Foreword by M. Edwards. Norman 2001(First Edition 1903).
Cunliffe, R. 1977 A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect. Norman.
COMMENTARIES AND OTHER BOOKS YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL (NOT REQUIRED):
Bierl, A. and Latacz, J., eds . 2015. Homer’s Iliad: The Basel Commentary. (English edition translated by Benjamin W. Millis and Sara Strack and edited by S. Douglas Olson; first edition 2000). Berlin: De Gruyter.
Chantraine, P. 1958. Grammaire Homérique. Paris.
Kirk, G. (vols I-II), B. Hainsworth (vol. III), R. Janko (vol. IV), M. Edwards (vol. V), and N. Richardson (vol. VI), eds.1985-1993. The Iliad: A Commentary. Cambridge.
Lord. A. 1960/2000.The Singer of Tales. Cambridge, Mass.
Nagy, G. 1979. The Best of the Achaeans: Concept of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry.
Baltimore.
. 1996. Homeric Questions. Austin.
Snell et al., eds. 1995-2010. Lexikon des frühgriechischen Epos. Göttingen.
EVALUATION
Class participation 30%
Final writing assignment: 20%
Three quizzes (weeks 3, 6, 9) 50%
Final writing assignment will consist of a "commentary" (very broadly understood) on a selected passage.
NB: Reading for the week will be assigned each Friday; exact lines for each class may be known only a day in advance.
SOME USEFUL RESOURCES
- An (almost *too* useful) "reader", which includes Iliad 1.1-139.
https://furman-university-editions.github.io/Readers/Iliad/Iliad_1_part1.html
- Perseus, Scaife Viewer: https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-grc2:1.1-1.30/?highlight=%40%CF%88%CF%85%CF%87%E1%BD%B0%CF%82%5B1%5D
- Homer Multitext: digital editions https://www.homermultitext.org/digital/
- “The Chicago Homer” http://homer.library.northwestern.edu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- A dated, but conveniently organized bibliography: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/kal/fbhomer/
- Classical Inquiries (including the Homer Commentary in progress): https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Classical Continuum (articles on many aspects of the Classics, many on Homer): https://continuum.fas.harvard.edu/
- Listen to Homer sung Link
- Leonard Muellner on Homeric hexameter LinkLink
- M. Janse, "The Metrical Schemes of the Hexameter"
- R. Wachter, Homeric Grammar
- R. Nünlist, Homeric meter
- O. Hackstein, The Greek of Epic
- Jenny Clay, Homer’s Trojan Theater/Homer Visualized
COFFEE TABLE
SOME GOOD READS AND LISTENS ONLINE (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
B. Fortson on Indo-European Language and Culture Link
C. Watkins, Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans Link
G. Nagy and L. Muellner, “Intro to Homeric Greek: Poetry of Grammar, Iliad 1-9.” Link
L. Muellner on the anger of Achilles
G. Nagy on Achilles in the Iliad and the Odyssey
G. Nagy, L. Muellner and D. Frame on the dialects in Homeric epic
M. Wood, In Search of Trojan War Link
T. Palaima at National Hellenic Museum
E. Cook on Contemporary Relevance of the Iliad
- “The Iliad: Beauty, Brutes, and Battles” (The Forum podcast from the BBC) Link
- G. Nagy, Homeric Questions. Link
- A. Lord, The Singer of Tales.Link
- L. Slatkin, The Power of Thetis, chapter 2. Link
- C. Dué, Homeric Variations on a Lament by Briseis: Link
- G. Nagy, “The Homeric Iliad and the Glory of the Unseasonal Hero.” Link
- G. Nagy, “Achilles as Epic Hero and the Idea of Total Recall in Song” Link
- CHS Open House with Casey Dué: “Homer and the Bronze Age” Link
- E. Cline, The Trojan War, a very short introduction, parts II. 2 and III (NB: read for archaeology, not Homer) Link Link
- J. Burgess, J. 2001. “The Epic Cycle and Homer,” chapter 3 of The Tradition of the Trojan War in Homer and the Epic Cycle (available online through UW libraries).
- Alice Oswald, Memorial: a Version of Homer’s Iliad Link
- Alice Oswald reads from Memorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvJBxie9Dlw10/26
- C. Alexander, "No Hostages" (from the War that Killed Achilles) Link
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G.Nagy, “Achilles and the Poetics of Lament” Link
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Policies and links:
Phones: Please put your phone on vibrate and keep it out of the way during class. Please NEVER RECORD, AUDIO OR VIDEO, ANYTHING IN THIS CLASSROOM without first requesting permission from me and you peers.
AI: For this course, please do NOT use ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), or any other AI tools to assist you in translating the text. Please do not use these tools for writing your essay either (this includes using these tools to generate ideas or to rephrase or paraphrase yours or others’ work) unless you have a specific idea for how to use AI to do something you wouldn't be able to do otherwise. In the latter case, please talk to me.
Student conduct: The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Safe Campus (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.: Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others.
Disability Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.
Religious accommodations
“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..”
Learning Support:
- Many materials for the class are provided via canvas. If you do not have access to canvas please let me know and we'll find a way of getting the materials to you.
- Access and Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me so we can discuss your needs in this course.
- UW Academic Support: http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/more/campus-resources/Links to an external site.Links to an external site.
- UW Counseling Center: http://www.washington.edu/counseling/Links to an external site.Links to an external site.
Land Acknowledgment:
I am a white person of Jewish, Ukranian, Russian, Belorussian, and Polish descent, and I am teaching this course on the Seattle campus of The University of Washington, which occupies the traditional lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, the lands which touch the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, whose ancestors have dwelt here since time immemorial and who live here today.
You can learn more about the history and culture of the Duwamish people from the resources at duwamishtribe.org. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Real Rent Duwamish (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. offers a collection of resources to learn more about the practices of Land Acknowledgement here (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
If you have comments about this Land Acknowledgement, please let me know: olevan@uw.edu
Note on course image:
Fragment of an Attic black figure kantharos by Nearkhos as potter and painter (signed)
560 - 550 BC
Athens, National Archaeological Museum, NM 611
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69716881@N02/24297624528/in/album-72157662346479828
Copyright: Egisto Sani
Here is Egisto Sani's note on this photograph:
Fragments of a large black-figure kantharos depicting the harnessing of the chariot of Achilles (named by inscription: Αχιλ[λ]ε[υς]). They were found burnt in the debris created after the Persian Sack of he Athenian Acropolis. The inscription reading Nεαρχος με|γραφσεν κα̣[ι εποιεσεν]., identifies Nearchos as potter and painter. Chaitos (Χαιτος) and Euthoias (Ευθο̣ιας) are the horses names. The two names are not Homeric – (in the Iliad the horses are called Balius and Xanthus) but the painter shows knowledge of Homer by including the third horse (which in Homer was mortal), Pedasos. Some scholars suggest the horse names Chaitos and Euthoias are borrowed by the painter from names of famous race horses; the chariot race became a staple of the Panathenaea at this time.