A story of war, honour, and destiny, The Iliad is one of the greatest epics in history. Written by Homer and featuring legendary figures like Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon, it captures the drama and devastation of the final days of the Trojan War.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Edith Hall to explore the origins, themes, and lasting influence of The Iliad. Together, they dive into the poem’s portrayal of fate and prophecy, its vivid depictions of gods and warriors, and the explosive conflict between Achilles and Hector. Edith also reveals how The Iliad’s language carries an apocalyptic tone - offering insight into how the poem was understood in the ancient world and why it still resonates today.Hear Professor Edith Hall on our Atlantis episode: https://shows.acast.com/the-ancients/episodes/atlantisPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on
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It's one of the greatest epics in history, a 24-book story regarded as one of the most influential pieces of literature ever written. The Iliad. Centred around just before the end of the fabled, the legendary Trojan War,
The Iliad covers the stories of famous heroes of mythology like Achilles, greatest of the Greek warriors, Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks, but also the rival of Achilles. Trojans like Hector, prince of Troy, Priam, the king, Hecuba, the queen, not to mention Paris, another prince whose golden apple judgement sparked the Trojan War.
And his lover, Queen Helen, Helen of Sparta or Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships. Beautifully written, the Iliad features several famous episodes from the Trojan War. How Achilles refused to fight for the Greeks and sulked in his tent after Agamemnon took his slave girl Briseis for his own.
before the death of Achilles' greatest friend Patroclus, sends Achilles back into battle. Berserk. Something that climaxes with his great duel against Hector outside the walls of Troy. The Iliad is a complex tale of wrath and resistance, of friendship and honour, of fate and prophecy, of gods and heroes. And today on the Ancients, we're going to explore it. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.
Now the Iliad is a massive topic for us to cover in one episode. We're going to tackle it as best we can and we wouldn't have time to explore it book by book from book 1 to 24. We're going to do it thematically. We're going to explore everything varying from the origins of the Iliad some 3,000 years ago to the main characters of the epic and how complex their stories are and much more.
Now, my guest today is Professor Edith Hall from Durham University, a leading academic on ancient Greek literature and philosophy, including the Iliad. Edith has a new book coming out about the Iliad and how apocalyptic some of its language is. I really do hope you enjoy. Edith, it is great to have you back on the podcast. And I'm thrilled to be back here again.
And last time we did the massive topic of Atlantis, we've got you on for another big one today. The story of the Iliad. First of all, Edith, what exactly is the Iliad?
The Iliad is one of the oldest Greek epics. It is probably the oldest, depending on how old Hesiod's are. It's older than the Odyssey slightly. It was probably put together in the form we've got it in the middle of the 8th century BCE. but it had been in development since at least the 14th century. It is over 16,000 lines long, and they're long lines.
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