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Characters from The Iliad in ancient art

The ancient Greeks were enormously innovative in many respects, including art and architecture. They produced elaborate illustrations on everything from the glorious Parthenon to a simple wine cup. Given its epic nature and crucial role in Greek education, many of the characters in the Iliad can be found in ancient art. From the hero Achilles to Hector’s charioteer, these depictions provide great insight into Greek culture and art. Here’s a brief slideshow of images from Barry B Powell’s new free verse translation of The Iliad by Homer which depict many of the prominent characters.

 

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  1. Lisa Hill

    Thanks for this post: I love looking at ancient Greek art and it’s really nice to see it linked in this way to the Iliad (which I’ve read three times now, but I’m still tempted by a new translation!)

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