ACROSS THE WINE-DARK SEA

A third of the 15,693 lines of the Iliad detail battle scenes; but anyone familiar with Homer knows that there are no naval battles described in the text. Why is that? And what was the role of ships in the Trojan War? This article addresses these questions.

By Christa Steinby

A proper starting point for this discussion is the famous passage in book 2 of the Iliad containing a catalogue of ships. Homer offers a long list of vessels with which the Greek soldiers travelled to Troy. The passage contains some 300 lines: Homer names the commanders, explains areas from which they came, and mentions the number of ships sent and how many men were onboard. Here is an example (Iliad 2.495-510, trans. A.T. Murray): “Of the Boeotians Peneleos and Leïtus were captains, and Arcesilaus and Prothoënor and Clonius; these were they that dwelt in Hyria and rocky Aulis and Schoenus and Scolus and Eteonus with its many ridges, Thespeia, Graea, and spacious Mycalessus; and that dwelt about Harma and Eilesium and Erythrae; and that held Eleon and Hyle and Peteon, Ocalea…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XV.3

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