A Companion to Ancient Epic

"For those who are interested in Greek and Roman epic, the book is a treasure-house of splendid variety.... The editor and the publisher both deserve praise for a very fine volume." (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society) "Blackwell's Companion to Ancient Epic does just what the title suggests: it accompanies readers on journeys of exploration in this huge (in every sense) field. Just as importantly, the Companion will show new readers why they might want to immerse themselves in these poems.... The many highlights in this Companion demonstrate the value of asking scholars to write for non-specialists. That endeavor provides a stimulus for new levels of focus and clarity; even ideas and materials that may be familiar become fresh again when they are presented in such succinct distillations." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

John Miles Foley is the Curators and Byler Professor of Classical Studies and English at the University of Missouri. He is the founder and Director of the Center for Studies in Oral Tradition. He is the author of The Theory of Oral Composition (1988), The Singer of Tales in Performance (1995), Homers Traditional Art (1999), and How to Read an Oral Poem (2002).

List of Figures ix Notes on Contributors x Acknowledgments xvi Abbreviations of Ancient Authors and Works xvii Abbreviations of Modern Reference Works xxiii Map: The ancient epic territories xxv Introduction 1 John Miles Foley Part I Issues and Perspectives 7 1 Epic as Genre 9 Richard P. Martin 2 The Indo-European Context 20 Joshua T. Katz 3 Epic and Myth 31 Lowell Edmunds 4 Performance 45 Minna Skafte Jensen 5 Epic and History 55 Kurt A. Raaflaub 6 The Epic Hero 71 Gregory Nagy 7 The Gods in Epic, or the Divine Economy 90 Bruce Louden 8 Women in Ancient Epic 105 Helene P. Foley 9 Archaeological Contexts 119 Susan Sherratt 10 The Physical Media: Tablet, Scroll, Codex 142 Michael W. Haslam 11 Ancient Reception 164 Robert Lamberton 12 Translating Ancient Epic 174 Richard Hamilton Armstrong 13 Analogues: Modern Oral Epics 196 John Miles Foley Part II Near Eastern Epic 213 14 Comparative Observations on the Near Eastern Epic Traditions 215 Jack M. Sasson 15 Mesopotamian Epic 233 Scott B. Noegel 16 Epic in Ugaritic Literature 246 N. Wyatt 17 Hittite and Hurrian Epic 255 Gary Beckman 18 Persian/Iranian Epic 264 Olga M. Davidson 19 The Challenge of Israelite Epic 277 Susan Niditch Part III Ancient Greek Epic 289 20 Near Eastern Connections 291 Walter Burkert 21 Homers Iliad 302 Mark W. Edwards 22 Homers Odyssey 315 Laura M. Slatkin 23 Hesiod 330 Stephanie Nelson 24 The Epic Cycle and Fragments 344 Jonathan S. Burgess 25 Apollonius of Rhodes 353 D. P. Nelis 26 Quintus of Smyrna 364 Alan James 27 Nonnus 374 Robert Shorrock 28 Epic and Other Genres in the Ancient Greek World 386 R. Scott Garner 29 Homers Post-classical Legacy 397 Casey Du Part IV Roman Epic 415 30 The Origins and Essence of Roman Epic 417 Joseph Farrell 31 Early Republican Epic 429 Sander M. Goldberg 32 Lucretius 440 Monica R. Gale 33 Virgils Aeneid 452 Michael C. J. Putnam 34 Ovid 476 Carole E. Newlands 35 Lucan 492 Shadi Bartsch 36 Valerius Flaccus 503 Andrew Zissos 37 Statius 514 William J. Dominik 38 Silius Italicus 528 Raymond D. Marks 39 Claudian 538 Michael H. Barnes 40 Latin Christian Epics of Late Antiquity 550 Dennis E. Trout 41 Epic and Other Genres in the Roman World 562 R. Jenkyns 42 Virgils Post-classical Legacy 574 Craig Kallendorf Bibliography 589 Index 651