Today we explore the Odyssey against notion of veracity when dealing with artistic adaptations. These include notes on the historicity, aesthetics, and translation. Finally, we explore the nexus between canonising a work of art and how it affects representation over time, with a few personal opinions.  

Primary Sources

The Odyssey - Homer (translated by Robert Fagles)

The Odyssey - Homer (translated by Emily Wilson)

The Aeneid - Virgil (trans. David West)

Secondary Sources

Hattusili: the Hittite Prince Who Stole an Empire - Trevor Bryce

Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites - Trevor Bryce

1117 B.C. The Year Civilisation Collapsed - Eric Cline

Love, War and Diplomacy - Eric Cline

Children of Athena - Charles Freeman

Alexander to Actium - Peter Green

Byzantium Unbound - Anthony Kaldellis

The Greeks: Lost Civilisations - Philip Matyszak 

The Brotherhood of Kings - Amanda Podany

Weavers Scribes and Kings - Amanda Podany

The Hittites - Damien Stone 

The Hellenistic Age - Peter Thonemann

Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings - Toby Wilkinson

Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature - Emily Wilson

Modern Depictions

The Odyssey (1968) - 8 episode European/Italian Broadcast

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - Coen Brothers film recasting elements of the Odyssey in the Deep South of the USA

The Simpsons (S13 Ep. 14) - A Comedic look at the Odyssey with Homer Simpson cast in the role of the Odysseus

The Return (2025) - Depicting the final few books of the Odyssey when Odysseus finally washes up on the shores of Ithaka

The Odyssey (2026) - Christopher Nolan's vision of the Odyssey