A Companion to Ancient Epic

A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman epic. It offers a multi-disciplinary discussion of both longstanding ideas and newer perspectives.

• A Companion to the Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic traditions
• Considers the interrelation between these different traditions
• Provides a balanced overview of longstanding ideas and newer perspectives in the study of epic
• Shows how scholarship over the last forty years has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre
• Covers recently introduced topics, such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition
• The editor and contributors are leading scholars in the field
• Includes a detailed index of poems, poets, technical terms, and important figures and events

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 Homer’s Iliad 302
Mark W. Edwards

22 Homer’s 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 Homer’s Post-classical Legacy 397
Casey Dué

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 Virgil’s 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 Virgil’s Post-classical Legacy 574
Craig Kallendorf

Bibliography 589

Index 651

"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), Homer’s Traditional Art (1999), and How to Read an Oral Poem (2002). Epic was the master-genre of the ancient world: it was central to group identity, education, literature, and culture. Yet modern understanding of ancient epic is not static, and scholarship over the last few decades has transformed the ways that we conceive of and understand the genre, introducing topics such as the role of women, the history of reception, and comparison with living analogues from oral tradition.

A Companion to Ancient Epic presents for the first time a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman epic. It offers a multidisciplinary discussion of both long-standing ideas and newer perspectives.

A key feature of the volume, designed to make the book as useful as possible, is the index of poems, poets, technical terms, important figures, and other relevant literary and artistic works. The Companion will be required reading for all students of ancient literature.