The written word has the power to generate ideas, inspire revolutions, and change the way we view ourselves and our place in history.

This series from the University of Auckland looks at the life history of influential authors, their style and beliefs, and the works they created.

Thursday 11 August

Homer’s Odyssey

Presented by Dr Matthew Trundle 
PhD, MA, BA

The wanderings of Odysseus on his return from the Trojan War are among the best known stories of Greek mythology. But too often overlooked are the events that took place in Ithaca in the second half of the poem. The Odyssey is a complex and often dark poem that is much more than simply a journey home.

It exposes the realities inherent in the loss of identity and its reclamation as well as the violence required to maintain one’s status and take back one’s property and family.

The Odyssey tells us much about the heroic values of early Greek society set against the backdrop of a changing Greek world spanning the Mediterranean as new Greek cities dotted the coasts of Italy, Sicily and the Black Sea.

About the presenter 

Matthew is Chair and Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Auckland. He holds degrees from Nottingham and McMaster Universities and has published widely on military and social-economic aspects of the ancient world.

For more information, and to register, click here.