We initiate a year of exploring Homer by reading his scintillating epic poem presenting a few days near the Trojan War’s end: The Iliad. While the poem highlights battle and military matters, human complexities also emerge: conflict between military and domestic realms; women as war prizes or prized family members; the role of gods; concepts of heroism; ways of warfare; the oral tradition; creation of poetry; and more. The aim is to appreciate from multiple perspectives The Iliad’s exquisite poetry and its multilayered ideas about war, peace, and related themes. A greater understanding of Greek thinking, pivotal in the development of Western culture, provides valuable insights into our own views about these complex social issues and why this remarkable ancient poem continues to influence our contemporary ideas and creativity.
