Iliad 10 and the Poetics of Ambush

The opening lines of this book follow what seems to be a traditional pattern in which a pressing situation causes an inability to sleep, which in turn results in the formulation of ... Continue reading

εὗδον In Homeric diction, past tense verbs frequently lack the past tense augment of later Greek. For more on the augment in Homer see on 10.47 below. εὗδον In Homeric diction, pas ... Continue reading

Ἀτρείδην Ἀγαμέμνονα ποιμένα λαῶν The epithet ποιμένα λαῶν ‘shepherd of the warriors’ is used most often of Agamemnon, to whom it is applied twelve times in the Iliad and three ti ... Continue reading

ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀστράπτῃ πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο/…/ὡς πυκὶν᾽ ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀνεστενάχιζ᾽ Ἀγαμέμνων This simile has been condemned by previous editors as bad poetry and used as evidence that ... Continue reading

τρομέοντο Zenodotus, the first head of the library at Alexandria and a well-known Homer scholar, knew of the reading φοβέοντο here, according to the scholia that survive in our me ... Continue reading

Agamemnon sees and hears that the Trojans are also awake, and this fact is confirmed later at 10.299–300. These lines convey a nighttime sensory experience: Agamemnon can see the f ... Continue reading

Ἰλιόθι πρὸ In a very early stage of the Greek language, prepositions were adverbs, and their placement is thus far more flexible in Homeric Greek than in Classical Greek. Here π ... Continue reading

πυρὰ πολλὰ τὰ καίετο These fires that Agamemnon wonders at now were ordered by Hektor to be set earlier in the evening (see Iliad 8.507–511). In his orders Hektor says that he wan ... Continue reading

βουλή See on 10.43–44 below. βουλή See on 10.43–44 below. ... Continue reading

ἐλθέμεν is an Aeolic infinitive form (Chantraine 1988, GH I §237). Although the language of Homer is primarily Ionic in nature, Aeolic dialect forms make up a considerable percenta ... Continue reading

μῆτιν The plan that Agamemnon hopes Nestor will construct is called simply mētis. In Iliad 9.423, Achilles had in fact advised the Achaeans to come up with a “better mētis” (μῆτιν ... Continue reading

ἔνδυνε περὶ στήθεσσι χιτῶνα Here begins the first dressing scene of the book, which, as we have argued above (see “The Poetics of Ambush”), signals to the audience an entry into t ... Continue reading

See above at 10.1ff on the use of the verb ἔχε here. Verses 25–31 are a much more compressed version of the theme of the inability to sleep that leads to nighttime action, and they ... Continue reading

παρδαλέῃ μὲν πρῶτα μετάφρενον εὐρὺ κάλυψε In this second of the dressing scenes, Menelaos puts on a leopard skin. Outside of Book 10, the only hero who wears an animal skin is Par ... Continue reading

αὐτὰρ ἐπὶ στεφάνην κεφαλῆφιν ἀείρας / θήκατο χαλκείηνMenelaos wears a helmet that is unsuited to a spying mission or ambush. It is bronze, which, as we hear about the spear points ... Continue reading

ποικίλῃ The leopard skin is further described as poikilos, which in this case has meaning for its physical qualities: the spotted pattern makes it “intricate.” But, as we saw with ... Continue reading

βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν This familiar Homeric expression is a good, straightforward example of a formula with a fixed metrical position. There is flexible variation within the formula: it can ... Continue reading

βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος See below on 10.283 for more on this epithet, which is applied in Iliad 10 to both Menelaos and Diomedes. βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Μενέλαος See below on 10.283 for more o ... Continue reading

ἠθεῖε This word cannot be precisely translated into English. Its contexts suggest that it conveys both the affection and respect of younger person for an older one (as of Paris an ... Continue reading

νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην We find night likewise described in 10.142. Ambrosia, the food of both the gods (see e.g. Odyssey 5.93, 5.199, 9.359) and their divine horses, is used by the g ... Continue reading

χρεὼ βουλῆς ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ … κερδαλέηςHere again we see a parallel with Iliad 9. Compare Nestor’s words at 9.74–76: πολλῶν δ’ ἀγρομένων τῷ πείσεαι ὅς κεν ἀρίστην/βουλὴν βουλεύσῃ· μάλα ... Continue reading

οὐ γάρ πω ἰδόμην, οὐδ’ ἔκλυον αὐδήσαντος / ἄνδρ’ ἕνα τοσσάδε μέρμερ’ ἐπ’ ἤματι μητίσασθαι See also below at 10.289–290 and 10.524 for more on μέρμερα ἔργα. Agamemnon gives importa ... Continue reading

οὐ γάρ πω ἰδόμην, οὐδ᾽ ἔκλυον Note the augment on ἔκλυον. Egbert Bakker (2005) has argued that in Homeric diction the verbal augment has a primarily deictic function, and signifie ... Continue reading

These lines were athetized by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus, two great directors of the library in Ptolemaic Alexandria in the second century BCE. Aristarchus was consi ... Continue reading

ΑἴανταThe Ajax being referred to here is the son of Telamon. (See below on 10.110–113.) Evidence from the Venetus A scholia indicates that Aristarchus may have known a reading Αἴαν ... Continue reading

Ἰδομενῆα κάλεσσονIt is significant that Idomeneus figures prominently here among the chief heroes, since he is the speaker of the most explicit description of ambush warfare in Hom ... Continue reading

ἐλθεῖν ἐς φυλάκων ἱερὸν τέλος ἠδ᾽ ἐπιτεῖλαιA night watch is explicitly set up in Iliad 9.80–88, where the guards assemble and take their post armed. There, we hear that the guard c ... Continue reading

Ἰδομενῆος ὀπάων / ΜηριόνηςThe relationship between Idomeneus and Meriones fits into an Indo-European mythical paradigm of the hero and his charioteer. In such relationships, the ch ... Continue reading

βοὴν ἀγαθὸς See below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. βοὴν ἀγαθὸς See below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. ... Continue reading

ἀβροτάξομενThere are two different spellings of this verb (found only here in our Homeric texts) in the textual tradition: ἀβροτάξομεν and ἀμβροτάξομεν. Sources are nearly evenly d ... Continue reading

αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ ῥ᾽ ἰέναι μετα See above on 10.32. αὐτὰρ ὁ βῆ ῥ᾽ ἰέναι μετα See above on 10.32. ... Continue reading

ποιμένα λαῶν See above on 10.3. ποιμένα λαῶν See above on 10.3. ... Continue reading

εὐνῇ ἔνι μαλακῇ· παρὰ δ᾽ ἔντεα ποικίλ᾽ ἔκειτοNestor and Diomedes are described in the state in which they are found sleeping by the others, with the result that each is characteriz ... Continue reading

ὀρφναίηνSee on 10.41 above. ὀρφναίηνSee on 10.41 above. ... Continue reading

ἠέ τιν᾽ οὐρήων διζήμενος, ἤ τιν᾽ ἑταίρωνThe idea that someone would be out at night looking for a mule (τιν᾽ οὐρήων) seemed odd to Alexandrian scholars, as it might to us. The A sc ... Continue reading

χρεώ As each hero is roused from sleep the theme of the great need the Achaeans find themselves on this night is emphasized. We saw in 10.43 that Agamemnon speaks to Menelaos of th ... Continue reading

φθέγγεο, μὴ δ᾽ ἀκέων ἐπ᾽ ἒμ᾽ ἔρχεο See “The Poetics of Ambush” on the sensory aspects of the night. In 10.67, Agamemnon told Menelaos to call out (φθέγγεο as here) wherever he wen ... Continue reading

καμάτω ἁδηκότες The meaning of ἁδηκότες can be easily gleaned from context, but its derivation is disputed. This formula appears four times in this book (here, 10.312, 10.399, and ... Continue reading

μάχεσθαι With the use of this verb ‘to fight’, we can see that the anxiety is so great among the Achaeans that they fear large-scale attack, and not just a spying mission or an am ... Continue reading

Γερήνιος ἱππότα ΝέστωρSee Frame 2009 for an in-depth exploration of the epic tradition about Nestor and how it is encapsulated in the phrase hippota Nestor. That Frame could write ... Continue reading

Ἀτρείδη κύδιστε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον On Nestor’s address of Agamemnon, see on 10.144 below. Ἀτρείδη κύδιστε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγάμεμνον On Nestor’s address of Agamemnon, see on 10.144 ... Continue reading

Leaf suggests that these lines “are at least somewhat out of place” because Achilles has just refused to return. This statement follows his argument that it is obvious that Iliad 1 ... Continue reading

ἠμὲν Τυδέιδην δουρὶ κλυτὸν ἠδ’ ὈδυσῆαThis line shows that, as we would expect, Diomedes and Odysseus are closely linked in the formulaic diction. For more on Odysseus and Diomedes ... Continue reading

Αἴαντα ταχὺνThe swift Ajax is the son of Oileus, as we see also in Iliad 14.520–522: Ὀϊλῆος ταχὺς υἱός· οὐ γάρ οἵ τις ὁμοῖος ἐπισπέσθαι ποσὶν ἦεν/ἀνδρῶν τρεσσάντων, ὅτε τε Ζεὺς ἐν ... Continue reading

πονέεσθαιThere is a cluster of three occurrences of this verb: here, in 10.117, and in Agamemnon’s response in 10.121. It is also used in 10.70, and the noun from which it is deriv ... Continue reading

πολλάκι γὰρ μεθίειDouglas Frame (2009:214–216) demonstrates that “giving way,” especially in deference to his brother, is a traditional characteristic of Menelaos. In addition to h ... Continue reading

χλαῖνανNestor does not put on an animal skin, but rather an impressive cloak (khlaina). For the traditional language of these dressing scenes, compare 10.21–22. See also below on 1 ... Continue reading

βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναιSee on 10.32. βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναιSee on 10.32. ... Continue reading

Ὀδυσῆα Διὶ μῆτιν ἀτάλαντονThis is not the first time that Odysseus’ name is mentioned in Iliad 10 (see 10.109), but it is the first place that he appears in the narrative, and the ... Continue reading

φθεγξάμενος· τὸν δ᾽ αἶψα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθ᾽ ἰωήNote the emphasis on the sound of Nestor’s voice as he rouses Odysseus from sleep. On the aural aspects of this episode, see above pp. ... Continue reading

On the theme of “need,” see above on 10.85. On the theme of “need,” see above on 10.85. ... Continue reading

νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίηνIn the Venetus A, the oldest complete medieval manuscript of the Iliad, ὀρφναίην is written in the margin next to νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην at this line (see Figure 5) ... Continue reading

διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη πολυμήχαν’ ὈδυσσεῦNestor, who is the most diplomatic of the heroes in the Iliad, addresses Odysseus in connection with both his lineage and with two of his tradi ... Continue reading

τοῖον γὰρ ἄχος βεβίηκεν ἈχαιούςSee also above on 10.85. The sorrow (akhos) that Nestor cites here is of course ultimately the result of the withdrawal of Achilles and its disastrou ... Continue reading

πολύμητις ὈδυσσεὺςOn Odysseus’ associations with mētis, see on 10.5–9 and on 10.137 above. Polumētis ‘who is crafty in many ways’ is one of Odysseus’ most commonly used epithets. O ... Continue reading

ποικίλον ἀμφ᾽ ὤμοισι σάκος θέτοAgamemnon and Diomedes each wear a lion skin, Menelaos wears a leopard skin, Nestor wears a khiton and khlaina, and all take a weapon (egkhos or doru ... Continue reading

ἐκτὸς ἀπὸ κλισίης σὺν τεύχεσινDiomedes and his comrades are so ready for battle that they are not even inside their tent. Agamemnon had earlier stated his concern that the Trojans ... Continue reading

ἔγχεα δέ σφιν/ ὀρθ᾽ ἐπὶ σαυρωτῆρος ἐλήλατο, τῆλε δὲ χαλκὸς / λάμφ᾽ ὥς τε στεροπὴ πατρὸς ΔιὸςTheir spears are planted in a kind of palisade, perhaps as a defense while they sleep on ... Continue reading

ὄρσεο The manuscripts are divided between this reading and ἔγρεο. The scholia indicate that Aristarchus had both readings: ὄρσεο· διχῶς ὁ Ἀρίσταρχος, ἔγρεο καὶ ὄρσεο [A intermargi ... Continue reading

Τυδέος υἱέSee on 10.144 above. See also Schnapp-Gourbeillon 1981:96–100 for more on Diomedes’ patronymic and his youth. Τυδέος υἱέSee on 10.144 above. See also Schnapp-Gourbeillo ... Continue reading

The third-century CE scholar and poet Diogenes Laertius relates an anecdote (6.53) that features the hexameter line μή τίς τοι εὔδοντι μεταφρένῳ ἐν δόρυ πήξῃ. This verse is probabl ... Continue reading

ἑέσσατο δέρμα λέοντος / αἴθωνος μεγάλοιο ποδηνεκὲς, εἵλετο δ᾽ ἔγχοςVerse 177, after the caesura, and 178 are also used to describe what Agamemnon wears in 10.23–24, which is indica ... Continue reading

βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναιSee on 10.32. βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναιSee on 10.32. ... Continue reading

As we discuss in the introductory essay “The Poetics of Ambush,” this simile emphasizes the sounds that are made in the dark, as well as describing a scenario of being on the defen ... Continue reading

δυσωρήσωνται is another hapax legomenon, appearing only in Iliad 10, but we can understand why it might only appear once in our extant Homeric epics from the simile’s interaction w ... Continue reading

τάφροιο διέσσυτοThe act of crossing the ditch for the meeting conveys a spatial significance to the need the Achaeans feel and the plan they will construct to meet it. In Iliad 7, ... Continue reading

ἐν καθαρῷ, ὅθι δὴ νεκύων διεφαίνετο χῶροςAnother significant feature of the landscape on this night is the number of corpses left on the battlefield. No truce has been allowed this ... Continue reading

θυμῷ τολμήεντι For the importance of a “daring (or enduring) heart” for spying missions or ambush, see below on 10.231, 10.244, and 10.248, as well as “The Poetics of Ambush.” θυμ ... Continue reading

Fenik (1964:41) excoriates these lines, calling the idea that the Trojans might retreat into the city “wholly fatuous,” and he uses them to inquire “whether some special grounds, o ... Continue reading

καὶ ἂψ εἰς ἡμέας ἔλθοι / ἀσκηθὴς When he proposes the spying mission, Nestor includes the crucial completion of the mission: namely, that the spy return to report what he has foun ... Continue reading

κλέος ‘glory in song’ and δόσις ‘gift’ are not incompatible rewards in Homeric epic. Throughout the Iliad material prizes are a physical manifestation of a warrior’s place in the s ... Continue reading

βοὴν ἀγαθὸςSee below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. βοὴν ἀγαθὸςSee below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. ... Continue reading

ἒμ’ ὀτρύνει κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρIn a simile in Iliad 12, when Sarpedon is about to make his attack on the Achaean wall, we see a lion on ambush (Iliad 12.299–308). The lion is h ... Continue reading

On the significance of the verb ἕπομαι, which is also used of gods who “accompany” heroes, see on 10.285. On the significance of the verb ἕπομαι, which is also used of gods who “ac ... Continue reading

Anthony Edwards (1985:22) identifies two leaders as a common feature of the Homeric ambush, and so Diomedes’ request for a partner may already indicate that the spying mission that ... Continue reading

We can compare this list with the list of those willing to duel with Hektor (after Nestor’s rebuke) in Iliad 7.162–168. These lists comprise a kind of subtheme that occurs in these ... Continue reading

Αἴαντε As discussed above on 10.53, at one time this dual referred to the fighting team of Ajax and Teucer, which would be a most appropriate meaning here. The dual, then, could m ... Continue reading

ὁ τλήμων ὈδυσεὺςOn this epithet, Milman Parry offers the following:The epithet τλήμων, found twice in the Iliad, presents a particular interest because it never occurs in the Odyss ... Continue reading

Τυδείδη Διόμηδες ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷFor commentary on this full line formula of address, see on 10.144 above. Τυδείδη Διόμηδες ἐμῷ κεχαρισμένε θυμῷFor commentary on this full li ... Continue reading

τὸν ἄριστονAgamemnon tells Diomedes to choose the “best” man. The question of who is the “best of the Achaeans” is a theme that runs throughout the Iliad, as Gregory Nagy has shown ... Continue reading

The narrator makes clear that Agamemnon is referring to his brother Menelaos when he advises Diomedes not to choose his partner based on social status. See above on 10.30–31 and 10 ... Continue reading

This verse was omitted altogether in the text of Zenodotus (that is to say, it was not present in his text). It was present in the texts of Aristarchus, but he athetized it. The A ... Continue reading

βοὴν ἀγαθὸς See below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. βοὴν ἀγαθὸς See below on 10.283 for more on this epithet. ... Continue reading

This verse is also used at Odyssey 1.65 (and compare how the phrasing of Odyssey 1.66 is similar to that of 10.244). There, it is Zeus speaking in response to Athena, saying that h ... Continue reading

ἂν ἔπειτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆος ἐγὼ θείοιο λαθοίμηνDiomedes chooses Odysseus to go with him on the expedition, and that choice is marked in the formulaic language by a shift to the dual from 10. ... Continue reading

πρόφρων κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρAt both 10.220 above and 10.319 below, the formula ἔμ’ ὀτρύνει κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ (“my heart and audacious spirit rouse me”) is used when Diomed ... Continue reading

φιλεῖ δέ ἑ Παλλὰς ἈθήνηOn the relationship between Odysseus and Athena, see on 10.275. φιλεῖ δέ ἑ Παλλὰς ἈθήνηOn the relationship between Odysseus and Athena, see on 10.275. ... Continue reading

ἐκ πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο Petegorsky points out that this particular image calls to mind “the background of Achilles’ challenge to the Achaeans to avert the danger that threatens the shi ... Continue reading

ἄμφω νοστήσαιμεν, ἐπεὶ περίοιδε νοῆσαιOdysseus’ primary heroic identity is concerned with nostos ‘homecoming’, which is the subject of the epic devoted to him. (See Nagy 1979:35 an ... Continue reading

πολύτλας δῖος ὈδυσσεύςIn this book Odysseus is also referred to as ὁ τλήμων Ὀδυσεὺς (“that enduring Odysseus,” 10.231 and 10.498; cf. Iliad 5.670 and Odyssey 18.319). Although Odys ... Continue reading

Τυδείδη μήτ᾽ ἄρ με μάλ᾽ αἴνεε μήτε τί νείκει· / εἰδόσι γάρ τοι ταῦτα μετ᾽ Ἀργείοις ἀγορεύεις Gregory Nagy sees this response by Odysseus as a meta-commentary on the epic tradition ... Continue reading

μάλα γὰρ νὺξ ἄνεται, ἐγγύθι δ᾽ ἠώς, / ἄστρα δὲ δὴ προβέβηκε, παρῴχηκεν δὲ πλέω νὺξ / τῶν δύο μοιράων, τριτάτη δέ τι μοῖρα λέλειπταιThe amount of time that the events of Iliad 9 and ... Continue reading

According the scholia in the Venetus A, Zenodotus “did not write” this line. For more on the Alexandrian editorial procedures, see on 10.240 above. According the scholia in the Ven ... Continue reading

The passage that begins here functions much like an arming scene. In a well-known article, James Armstrong (1958) shows how formulaic arming scenes are employed at climactic moment ... Continue reading

εἰπόνθThis is the first dual verb used for Diomedes and Odysseus. As soon as Odysseus agrees to be Diomedes’ partner, they are spoken of as a team, working together in every way. F ... Continue reading

ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ κυνέην κεφαλῆφιν ἔθηκεNowhere else in surviving Homeric epic do we find heroes putting on leather caps, but we must also recognize that no other expanded descriptions of ... Continue reading

θαλερῶν αἰζηῶν ‘flourishing, vigorous young men’: Botanic imagery is used here to describe the warriors whose heads are protected by these helmets. The imagery of the hero as a pla ... Continue reading

βιὸν ἠδὲ φαρέτρην On the bow as a particularly appropriate weapon for night attacks, see the arguments of McLeod 1988. The Townley scholia at this line explain that Odysseus takes ... Continue reading

ἔκτοσθε δὲ λευκοὶ ὀδόντες / ἀργιόδοντος ὑὸς θαμέες ἔχον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα As Hainsworth notes (1993 ad 10.261–265), “There is no doubt that a piece of bronze-age equipment is being re ... Continue reading

Ἀυτόλυκος was Odysseus’ maternal grandfather. According to some traditions (Apollodorus 1.112, Pausanias 8.4.6, Ovid Metamorphoses 13.146), Autolykos is the son of Hermes (thus mak ... Continue reading

πάντας ἀρίστουςIn Iliad 7, Hektor challenges whoever is the best of the Achaeans (Ἀχαιῶν … ἄριστος, 7.50) to a duel, which at first only Menelaos accepts, followed (upon the reproa ... Continue reading

βάν ῥ᾿ ἰέναι See on 10.32. βάν ῥ᾿ ἰέναι See on 10.32. ... Continue reading

ἐρῳδιὸν This bird is a night heron. The Venetus A scholia says that it is an auspicious sign for Diomedes and Odysseus as they depart for clandestine activities and appropriate to ... Continue reading

Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη Walter Burkert describes Athena this way: “More than any other Greek deity, Athena is always near her protégés—‘Goddess of Nearness’ is how Walter F. Otto described ... Continue reading

ἥ τέ μοι αἰεὶ / ἐν πάντεσσι πόνοισι παρίστασαιThis same formulaic language is used at Odyssey 13.300–301, when Athena asserts that she does indeed always stand by Odysseus in every ... Continue reading

πάλιν ἐπὶ νῆας ἐϋκλεῖας ἐφικέσθαιSee above on 10.211–212 and “The Poetics of Ambush” for more on the thematic similarities between nighttime missions and journeys and for the impor ... Continue reading

ῥέξαντας μέγα ἔργον, ὅ κεν Τρώεσσι μελήσειAn interlinear scholion on this line in the Venetus A indicates that Aristarchus understood this “great deed” to mean murdering Hektor. Se ... Continue reading

βοὴν ἀγαθόςThe epithet βοὴν ἀγαθός has been used four times in Iliad 10 already, for both Menelaos (10.36, 10.60) and Diomedes (10.219, 10.241), as it is used elsewhere for these h ... Continue reading

Διὸς τέκος ἈτρυτώνηAs an epithet of Athena, Ἀτρυτώνη is used within the epic tradition for direct address: in our texts, she is addressed this way either by Hera (Iliad 2.157, 5.71 ... Continue reading

Another rich epic tradition, one centered on the city of Thebes, is alluded to here, as it is at other places in the Iliad. The story of the Seven Against Thebes seems to have been ... Continue reading

σπεῖό … ἕσπεο Within the epic tradition this verb can have a marked meaning, signifying a god who accompanies a hero and gives him special protection or help. We see the same verb ... Continue reading

μειλίχιον μῦθονThe semantic range of μειλίχιος when used to describe words or speech is a broad one. Kind or gracious words are used to persuade or encourage. The adjective modifie ... Continue reading

This allusion provides a good illustration of the workings of the Iliad’s performance context. Diomedes says only that Tydeus is able to “mastermind astounding deeds” with Athena’s ... Continue reading

ὡς νῦν μοι ἐθέλουσα παρίστασο καί με φύλασσεAs we saw with the verb ἕπομαι on 10.285, Athena in particular is a goddess who stands by and protects the heroes she favors. She assert ... Continue reading

These lines are the same as those found in our texts at Odyssey 3.382–384. In the Odyssey, it is Nestor making the promise of such a sacrifice, again to Athena. Nestor prays to Ath ... Continue reading

It is a typical feature of Homeric poetry and its oral traditional nature to say again that they had both prayed even after the previous line, which closes Diomedes’ prayer, indica ... Continue reading

ὥς τε λέοντε δύωThere are other examples in our Homeric texts of a pair of lions together. Only in the case of Hektor and Patroklos fighting do we find a simile of two lions fighti ... Continue reading

βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμενSee on 10.32. βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμενSee on 10.32. ... Continue reading

ἀμ φόνον, ἀν νέκυας, διά τ᾽ ἔντεα καὶ μέλαν αἷμαAs we have already seen on 10.199, corpses and gore are a significant feature of the landscape on this night. The second half of thi ... Continue reading

οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδὲ Τρῶας ἀγήνορας εἴασεν Ἕκτωρ / εὕδειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἄμυδις κικλῄσκετο πάντας ἀρίστουςAt the beginning of Iliad 10, where Agamemnon cannot sleep because of worry, he looks out ... Continue reading

The identity of the ἄριστοι (10.300) whom Hektor calls together is explained by the following line: the leaders and rulers of the Trojans. On both sides, the leaders are regularly ... Continue reading

πυκινὴν ἠρτύνετο βουλήνSee above on 10.5–9 and 10.43–44 for more on the significance of πυκινός and planning in the ambush theme. This same phrase is used at Iliad 2.55, another ep ... Continue reading

μισθός Disapproving interpretations of this term have added to the negative reception of the character of Dolon, from the scholia in the Venetus B and Townley manuscripts through t ... Continue reading

The recorded textual multiforms for 10.306 provide a good example of how oral composition operates within its tradition. In 10.305, Hektor offers as the great gift a chariot and ... Continue reading

ἐριαύχενας ἵππουςParry notes that ἐρι- is the Aeolic prefix. The Ionic form, ἀρι-, has the same metrical value, and so we would expect such words to shift to the Ionic. But, Parry ... Continue reading

τλαίῃ See p. 75 and on 10.248 for the connection between this verb and ambush. τλαίῃ See p. 75 and on 10.248 for the connection between this verb and ambush. ... Continue reading

κῦδος ἄροιτοFor this use of arnumai with kudos or kleos, compare Iliad 4.95 and 5.3 and Odyssey 1.240. Just as Nestor promises both κλέος and a δόσις for whoever will undertake the ... Continue reading

καμάτῳ ἀδηκότεςSee on 10.98 for more on this phrase. καμάτῳ ἀδηκότεςSee on 10.98 for more on this phrase. ... Continue reading

ὡς ἔφαθ᾽, οἱ δ᾽ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ This is a whole line formula, which we find in nine other places in our texts: Iliad 3.95, 7.92, 7.398, 8.28, 9.29, 9.430, 9.693, 10 ... Continue reading

These four lines provide us a brief introduction to Dolon. We are given his father’s name (314), and we learn that his father was a herald (315) and that Dolon was his only son, bu ... Continue reading

πολύχρυσος πολύχαλκοςDolon is also described as wealthy: “rich in gold, rich in bronze.” These epithets are more commonly used of places in our texts, and Dolon is the only person ... Continue reading

ὃς δή τοι εἶδος μὲν ἔην κακός, ἀλλὰ ποδώκηςThese two characteristics are contrasted, one negative (ugly) and one positive (swift-footed). The phrase εἶδος … κακός is analogous to t ... Continue reading

αὐτὰρ ὃ μοῦνος ἔην μετὰ πέντε κασιγνήτῃσινDolon’s status as an only son may be a detail that increases the audience’s sympathy for his death. Although some modern scholars revile D ... Continue reading

Ἕκτορ ἒμ’ ὀτρύνει κραδίη καὶ θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ The same formula is used when Diomedes volunteers, with Nestor’s name in place of Hektor’s. See the commentary on 10.244 for the connectio ... Continue reading

As we know from 10.56, 10.126–127, 10.180, and 10.198–199, the council first gathers at the watch station and then crosses the ditch to hold their deliberations. Dolon’s suppositio ... Continue reading

Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ἐρίγδουπος πόσις Ἥρης At 10.5 Zeus is named only as “the husband of Hera with her beautiful hair” (πόσις Ἥρης ἠϋκόμοιο); here, his name is combined with the epithet phr ... Continue reading

ἐποχήσεται This verb is likewise used (in its only other appearance in our texts) at Iliad 17.449, when Zeus will not allow Hektor to take Achilles’ horses after he kills Patroklo ... Continue reading

ἀγλαϊεῖσθαι is a hapax legomenon: that is, this verb appears only here in our texts. Some critics who have argued that Iliad 10 is later and/or separate from the rest of the Iliad ... Continue reading

ὣς φάτο καί ῥ᾽ ἐπίορκον ἐπώμοσεIn the other instances of ἐπίορκον and related words in the Iliad it means a ‘false oath’: that is, one swears an oath and then violates it, or one i ... Continue reading

These lines function as an arming scene, as 10.254–272 did for Diomedes and Odysseus. Lord (1960/2000:89–91) uses arming scenes from Iliad 3.328–338, 11.15–55, 16.130–154, and 19.3 ... Continue reading

καμπύλα τόξαOdysseus, too, carries a bow on this night mission (which he will end up using only to whip the horses, see 10.260 and 10.500). McLeod (1988) argues that the bow is an ... Continue reading

ῥινὸν πολιοῖο λύκοιο There is a substantial history of reading a ritual significance to Dolon’s wolf skin, starting with Gernet (1936). Gernet (1936:190–191) argues that the traged ... Continue reading

κρατὶ δ᾽ ἐπὶ κτιδέην κυνέηνDolon’s helmet, like those worn by Diomedes and Odysseus on this night, is made of animal hide rather than metal, as is appropriate to maneuvers in the d ... Continue reading

οὐδ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλεν / ἐλθὼν ἐκ νηῶν ἂψ Ἕκτορι μῦθον ἀποίσεινBased on his experience with living singers composing in performance, Albert Lord notes that planning and a sense of the so ... Continue reading

βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι See on 10.32. βῆ δ᾽ ἰέναι See on 10.32. ... Continue reading

ἐφράσατοOdysseus does just what Diomedes had wanted from a partner (see above, 10.224–226): he observes first what Diomedes has not yet seen—the presence of another man out in the ... Continue reading

One aspect of these night missions that informs the poetics of the ambush theme is the lack of sure visual knowledge in the dark. Odysseus can see someone, but cannot yet be sure w ... Continue reading

προτιειλεῖν is a hapax legomenon. See on 10.331 for how to understand such a linguistic phenomenon in our texts and in this book in particular. προτιειλεῖν is a hapax legomenon. Se ... Continue reading

πὰρ᾽ ἒξ ὁδοῦ An ambusher may hide just off a road to attack someone traveling along it. In the Homeric epics we have another example of this strategy in one of Odysseus’ Cretan lie ... Continue reading

ἐν νεκύεσσι See on 10.199 and 10.298 for more on corpses as a feature of the landscape on this night. ἐν νεκύεσσι See on 10.199 and 10.298 for more on corpses as a feature of the ... Continue reading

ὡς ἄρα φωνήσαντεThe dual verb form reflects the poetics of teamwork that we see beginning on 10.243. So, although Odysseus is the only one quoted, the two ambushers are still spoke ... Continue reading

ἀλλ’ ὅτε δή ῥ’ ἀπέην ὅσσόν τ’ ἐπί οὖρα πέλονται / ἡμιόνωνThe distance of the mule’s plow range seems to take us out of the realm of war and into a farming setting, but when we look ... Continue reading

According to the Townley scholia, Aristarchus understood this elaboration on the length of the furrow as redefining the length meant here. It is not the length of a standard furrow ... Continue reading

Odysseus’ plan also works to their advantage in another way—because they are now behind Dolon, that is, because they are coming at him from the same direction he has just come, he ... Continue reading

ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἄπεσαν δουρηνεκὲς ἢ καὶ ἔλασσονAs at 10.351, here distance is expressed through comparison. Scott observes that in the Homeric epics, “Similes of distance are the mo ... Continue reading

As Diomedes and Odysseus start to pursue Dolon, they are compared to hunting dogs chasing after prey. Scott (1974:72–73) has identified hunting as a traditional subject matter for ... Continue reading

καρχαρόδοντε δύω κύνε εἰδότεThe dual forms that the text of the Venetus A manuscript records for the hunting dogs in this simile seem to emphasize the coordinated attack by the dog ... Continue reading

ἢ κεμάδ᾽ ἠὲ λαγωὸνProviding alternative possibilities is a traditional feature of Homeric similes (Muellner 1990:62–64). κέμας is a hapax legomenon, but λαγωός appears in two other ... Continue reading

This “chase scene” has language in common with the scene in which Achilles chases the fleeing Hektor in Iliad 22. The same formula is used for the departure of the one who will be ... Continue reading

ὃ πτολίπορθος ὈδυσσεὺςThis epithet, “sacker of cities,” is one that Odysseus often receives in the Odyssey, but he also shares it with other heroes, like Achilles, and war gods, su ... Continue reading

δουρίThis spear is the one Diomedes brings with him when he leaves his shelter at 10.178; it is not mentioned again in the arming scene at 10.255–295. δουρίThis spear is the one ... Continue reading

χλωρὸς ὑπαὶ δείουςAs a color for objects, χλωρός is somewhere on the yellow–green spectrum: in Homeric epic it is used to describe honey (Iliad 11.631; Odyssey 10.234) and also var ... Continue reading

This offer of ransom for being taken alive rather than killed is another example of both the traditional language of Iliad 10 and the Doloneia’s place within the Iliadic tradition. ... Continue reading

πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς See above on 10.148 for this epithet of Odysseus. πολύμητις Ὀδυσσεύς See above on 10.148 for this epithet of Odysseus. ... Continue reading

ἀλλ’ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξονThis same formula appears below at 10.405 and also at Iliad 24.380, when the disguised Hermes says it to Priam as he goes to the Achaea ... Continue reading

νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίηνThis is the reading of the Venetus A, as well as p46, but p425 has instead the phrase νύκτα δι᾽ ἀμβροσίην. See on 10.41 for the meanings of these two formulas. Se ... Continue reading

θοὴν διὰ νύκτα μέλαινανWe find this phrase also at Iliad 10.468, 24.366, and 24.653. In Iliad 24, the formula is used during Priam’s infiltration of the Achaean camp, and is associ ... Continue reading

Repetition is normal and natural within the system of oral composition-in-performance in which the Iliad was composed, and these lines repeat Hektor’s charge for the spying mission ... Continue reading

καμάτῳ ἀδηκότες See our discussion of this phrase on 10.98. καμάτῳ ἀδηκότες See our discussion of this phrase on 10.98. ... Continue reading

τὸν δ᾽ ἐπιμειδήσας προσέφη πολύμητις ὈδυσσεύςThe detail of a facial expression within this formulaic reply introduction raises important questions about how such formulas work. We ... Continue reading

These lines are the same as those at Iliad 17.76–78. There, Apollo, in disguise as Mentes, leader of the Kikones, warns Hektor not to chase after Achilles’ horses, which carried Pa ... Continue reading

See above on 10.384 for this formula. See above on 10.384 for this formula. ... Continue reading

Odysseus asks Dolon what Nestor had wanted them to find out, and in oral traditional style, he asks using the same words Nestor himself used: compare 10.409–411 to 10.208–210. Thus ... Continue reading

D.M. Gaunt argues that these lines are the point at which the theme changes from a spying mission, or “reconnaissance-story,” to “a direct attack” (1971:197). Gaunt postulates that ... Continue reading

ποιμένα λαῶνSee on 10.3 for more on the traditional epithet “shepherd of the warriors,” there applied to Agamemnon. ποιμένα λαῶνSee on 10.3 for more on the traditional epithet “s ... Continue reading

τοὶ γὰρ ἐγώ τοι ταῦτα μάλ’ ἀτρεκέως καταλέξωIn several sources the verb here is ἀγορεύσω (see textual commentary on the Venetus A for more detail). We see this whole-line formula e ... Continue reading

βουλὰς βουλεύει For the importance of “plans” in night and ambush contexts, see pp. 69–73 and also on 10.1ff, 10.43–44, and 10.302. At 10.302, Dolon’s spying mission is the plan t ... Continue reading

θείου παρὰ σήματι Ἴλου From the geneaology of the Trojan royal family that Aeneas tells Achilles at Iliad 20.213–240, we learn that Ilos was the son of Tros, the father of Laomedo ... Continue reading

The lack of watches among the allies creates a situation ripe for ambush, and we can at least consider the possibility that Dolon gives this information, as well as the information ... Continue reading

νόσφιν ἀπο φλοίσβουDolon describes the meeting place as being apart from the noise of the rest of the encampment. It seems likely that we should envision the Trojan meeting as clos ... Continue reading

ἥρωςThis term often is used as the sixth foot in a line (over twenty times in the Homeric epics), and is used as a vocative (in any metrical position, but most often in the first o ... Continue reading

See the textual commentary on p609 for its recorded multiform on this line. See the textual commentary on p609 for its recorded multiform on this line. ... Continue reading

Here, we see again the need for spatial information in a night ambush. Odysseus wants to know exactly the arrangements of the Trojan camp, and such knowledge will help not only his ... Continue reading

ΘύμβρηςThymbrē is located on the Trojan plain, where the Thymbrios river meets the Skamander in “the inner recesses of the Trojan plain southeast of Troy” (Luce 1998:124, with refe ... Continue reading

See the textual commentary on p609 for its recorded plus verse in this passage. See the textual commentary on p609 for its recorded plus verse in this passage. ... Continue reading

εἰ γὰρ δὴ μέματον Τρώων καταδῦναι ὅμιλονWe also find this use of καταδύω to mean ‘go behind enemy lines’ in an ambush theme at Odyssey 4.246: ἀνδρῶν δυσμενέων κατέδυ πόλιν εὐρυάγυι ... Continue reading

The scholia on this line in the Venetus A, Venetus B, and Townley manuscripts provide information on the multiform, traditional story of Rhesos. See the section on Rhesos in our es ... Continue reading

The horses of Rhesos are thematically significant in multiple ways. In one version of the story of Rhesos (see the Rhesos section of our essay “Tradition and Reception”), the so-ca ... Continue reading

The elaborate chariot and gold armor of Rhesos also mark him as an important and desirable target. Agamemnon’s armor includes gold (Iliad 11.25), as does the armor Hephaistos makes ... Continue reading

ὑπόδρα ἰδών is another formulaic facial expression that is part of speech introductions (compare 10.400). This look is given at least twenty-six times in the two epics, twenty time ... Continue reading

μὴ δή μοι φύξίν γε Δόλων ἐμβάλλεο θυμῷThe scholia in the Venetus A and B and Townley manuscripts on this line are all concerned with the fact that Diomedes calls Dolon by name, whe ... Continue reading

Diomedes kills Dolon before Dolon can touch him in a gesture of supplication. On supplication in Homeric epic, see Crotty 1994, Wilson 2002, and Naiden 2006. According to these ana ... Continue reading

Beheading the enemy, as gruesome or repulsive as it may seem to a modern audience, does occur several times in the Homeric epics, either as the method of killing or as an act carri ... Continue reading

ἀπὸ δ᾽ ἄμφω κέρσε τένοντεCompare the same phrase at Iliad 14.466, where a spear thrown by Telamonian Ajax cuts through the top vertebra of Arkhelokhos, effectively beheading him. ... Continue reading

φασγάνῳ ἀΐξαςThis formula is used to describe a particular cutting motion with the sword. ἀίσσω generally refers to any quick motion, but we can see from the few other uses of this ... Continue reading

If we compare these lines depicting the stripping of Dolon’s weapons and “armor” (the wolf skin) to the arming scene at 10.333–335 where he put them on, we find that different epit ... Continue reading

δόρυ μακρόνAs Sherratt 1990:811 points out, the single long thrusting spear (as opposed to lighter, smaller, paired throwing spears) is a weapon “most at home in the 13th century o ... Continue reading

In the prayers to Athena at the outset of the mission, both Odysseus and Diomedes emphasize their personal relationships with Athena in asking for her help and protection (see comm ... Continue reading

Gernet (1936:192–196) and Davidson (1979:64) both connect the hanging of the wolf skin in a tree with initiation rituals in which the initiate must remove his clothes, hang them on ... Continue reading

We see here another example of details appropriate to nocturnal actions. Odysseus and Diomedes could leave these spoils behind without worrying that someone else will take them dur ... Continue reading

θοὴν διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν See on 10.394 for this formula. θοὴν διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν See on 10.394 for this formula. ... Continue reading

τὼ δὲ βάτην προτέρωFor the use of the dual for a pair of ambushers working together, see on 10.254. τὼ δὲ βάτην προτέρωFor the use of the dual for a pair of ambushers working tog ... Continue reading

The sleeping arrangements of the Thracians seem quite orderly from this description, even though they are exhausted before falling asleep (see also the following note). One implica ... Continue reading

οἱ δ᾽ εὗδον καμάτῳ ἁδηκότεςSee note on 10.98 for more on καμάτῳ ἀδηκότες. There, we saw that this formula is especially connected to night themes, and that the weariness can be fro ... Continue reading

τῷ δ᾽ ἔμπνευσε μένος γλαυκῶπις ἈθήνηAthena breathes menos ‘force’ into Diomedes as he starts the slaughter. A similar expression is used for Apollo breathing menos into Hektor so t ... Continue reading

This compressed lion simile describing Diomedes’ slaughter of the Thracians calls our attention to the lion similes elsewhere in the Iliad that happen explicitly at night. The shep ... Continue reading

πολύμητις ὈδυσσεύςSee above on 10.148 for this epithet of Odysseus. πολύμητις ὈδυσσεύςSee above on 10.148 for this epithet of Odysseus. ... Continue reading

δυώδεκ᾽(α) Gernet (1936:200) argues that twelve victims is a number with ritual significance, and we can compare the sacrifices of twelve cows (Iliad 6.93 = 6.274 = 6.308) and twel ... Continue reading

τρισκαιδέκατονThe number thirteen seems to be almost a “round number” or to have a completing or capping aspect to it in Homeric diction. Just as the most important victim, Rhesos, ... Continue reading

διὰ μῆτιν Ἀθήνης This phrase has been considered problematic by ancient and modern critics alike. A comment in the Venetus A scholia objects that the ambush of Rhesos is happening ... Continue reading

This line was omitted by Zenodotus and Aristophanes, according to the A scholia, and athetized (but therefore included) by Aristarchus. Papyri such as p425 and the medieval manuscr ... Continue reading

ὁ τλήμων ὈδυσεὺςFor more on this epithet for Odysseus (and the whole phrase), see above on 10.231 and 10.248. Like πολύτλας, τλήμων is a distinctive epithet of Odysseus (see Parry ... Continue reading

Diomedes specifically chooses Odysseus as his ambush partner for his noos, his ability to perceive important things (see commentary on 10.224–226 and 10.247), and we have seen that ... Continue reading

ῥοίζησεν The A scholia explain that this verb means to “make a nonverbal sound, which we call συρίζειν,” a verb that means to whistle or hiss. Compare the related noun at Odyssey 9 ... Continue reading

κύντατονThis superlative adjective is found only here in the Homeric epics, but we should note that thirty manuscripts, according to Allen, have the comparative κύντερον instead, a ... Continue reading

μερμήριξεA type scene in which two options are pondered appears numerous times in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and this verb is a signal of that traditional scene (see also Aren ... Continue reading

Vermeule notes that these lines had at one time been taken as evidence of the “lateness” of the Doloneia, but that Spruytte’s (1977) reconstruction of a Bronze Age chariot shows th ... Continue reading

ἕως ὃ ταῦθ᾽ ὥρμαινε κατὰ φρένα, τόφρα δ᾽ ἈθήνηThis line is formulaically similar to the first four feet of Iliad 1.193 and the last two feet of Iliad 1.194 (ἧος ὃ ταῦθ’ ὥρμαινε κατ ... Continue reading

νόστου δὴ μνῆσαι We have seen (in “The Poetics of Ambush” and the commentary on 10.211–212 and 10.247) that the mission Diomedes and Odysseus undertake has thematic language in co ... Continue reading

One difficulty that has puzzled and divided commentators on Iliad 10 is the question of whether or not Odysseus and Diomedes do indeed take the chariot or whether they ride only th ... Continue reading

οὐδ᾽ ἀλαοσκοπιὴν εἶχ This phrase is used not of a human guard or spy, but always of a god in our texts. In addition to Apollo here, it is used of Poseidon twice (Iliad 13.10 and 14 ... Continue reading

ἕπουσαν See above on 10.285 for the use of this word to describe gods accompanying a hero on a mission. ἕπουσαν See above on 10.285 for the use of this word to describe gods accom ... Continue reading

The moment of initial discovery and reaction by Hippokoon is quite compressed. A contrast is provided by the tragedy Rhesos, in which Rhesos’ charioteer delivers a messenger speech ... Continue reading

ᾤμωξέν τ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔπειτα φίλον τ᾽ ὀνόμηνεν ἑταῖρονThe scholia in the Venetus A indicate that Zenodotus’ edition had this line following 10.519 and preceding 10.520. It is not clear fro ... Continue reading

μέρμερα ἔργα For this phrase, see also 10.47–48 and 10.289–290. The awakened Trojans wonder at the astounding deeds. They are astounding because a night raid is unexpected, perhap ... Continue reading

These lines use formulaic language that is employed elsewhere in the Homeric epics for chariot driving. See commentary on 10.513–514 for a discussion on the question of whether the ... Continue reading

μάστιξεν δ᾽ ἵππους In the intermarginal scholia in Venetus A, it is noted that “in others, ‘Odysseus whipped’” (ἐν ἄλλῳ “μάστιξεν δ’ Ὀδυσσεύς”), making it clear that Odysseus is t ... Continue reading

The Venetus A manuscript, like many others—including some of the oldest, such as the Venetus B and the Townley manuscripts—does not include the line that is canonically called 10.5 ... Continue reading

Νέστωρ δὲ πρῶτος κτύπον ἄϊε One aspect of the poetics of the night is the emphasis on senses other than sight, especially hearing. But as we see here, as well as in other examples ... Continue reading

This same line is also found at Odyssey 4.140, where Helen speaks it as she recognizes Telemakhos. Thus we may think of it as a formula used when a person interprets a sensory inpu ... Continue reading

Nestor says that he hears hoofbeats and hopes that that sound indicates a successful return for Odysseus and Diomedes, driving horses off from the Trojans (after all, they did not ... Continue reading

ἄριστοιSee commentary on 10.236. Nestor calls those who have gone on the spying mission the best men, a common designation in the ambush theme. ἄριστοιSee commentary on 10.236. N ... Continue reading

ἄρ(α)Egbert Bakker’s work on this particle, as on many other aspects of Homeric diction, illuminates both what it means and how it is used in performance. Bakker explains that ἄρα ... Continue reading

δεξιῇ ἠσπάζοντο ἔπεσσί τε μειλιχίοισι From the three uses of the verb ἀσπάζομαι in the Odyssey, we can see that it is used in contexts of welcoming someone who has just arrived af ... Continue reading

These lines use the same formulas as Iliad 9.672–673, although there it is Agamemnon (instead of Nestor) asking Odysseus what Achilles’ answer was to the embassy’s request that he ... Continue reading

Nestor’s greeting focuses on the horses with which Odysseus and Diomedes return. His statement that he has been active in battle but has never seen horses like these is particularl ... Continue reading

ἀκτίνεσσιν ἐοικότες ἠελίοιοNestor’s statement that the white horses “look like the rays of the sun” implies that they are particularly visible in the darkness, and it also has a te ... Continue reading

πὰρ δ’ ἑτάρους δυοκαίδεκα πάντας ἀρίστους We have seen in several places that, in the theme of ambush, it is the best, the aristoi, who are chosen for such missions. The thematic a ... Continue reading

τρισκαίδεκατον See above on 10.495 for more on the number thirteen within the tradition. There Rhesos is the thirteenth victim among the Thracians and the number caps the killing ... Continue reading

τάφροιο διήλασε μώνυχας ἵππους Crossing the ditch is once again a spatial indication that Odysseus and Diomedes have truly arrived back safely—and successfully, since Odysseus lead ... Continue reading

καγχαλόωνSee above on 10.400, where Odysseus smiles, for our discussion of how to understand facial expressions within their cultural context as well as their formulaic and episodi ... Continue reading

The end to the episode confirms what we have seen earlier: that the ambush theme is structurally similar to that of the journey, in that the return takes on a special importance. N ... Continue reading

First, the two rinse off in the sea and “cool off” (ἀνέψυχθεν); then, they take a bath in a bathtub. The latter is perhaps a hot bath, even though the language seen elsewhere in th ... Continue reading

ἀσαμίνθος appears only here in the Iliad, but ten times in the Odyssey (3.468 = 23.163, 4.48 = 17.87, 4.128, 8.450, 8.456, 10.361, 17.90, 24.370). Because it ends in –νθος, the wor ... Continue reading

τὼ δὲ λοεσσαμένω καὶ ἀλειψαμένω λίπ᾽ ἐλαίῳ / δείπνῳ ἐφιζανέτηνEven at the end of the mission, dual forms are used for the actions of Diomedes and Odysseus. Such dual verbs and the ... Continue reading

δείπνῳ ἐφιζανέτηνAn older style of criticism was concerned about the so-called “unity” of Iliad 9, because the members of the embassy have multiple meals within one evening (see al ... Continue reading