The World of Odysseus (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback – August 10, 2002

Finley only briefly ventures into archaeology in the beginning of _The World of Odysseus_, and only to demonstrate that Mycenean Greece is not the world of the Homeric heroes. From this conclusion he guesses that Homer is likely describing a world that existed between the Mycenean era and the poet's own time.Finley then goes literary, eschewing anthropology and archaeology and instead analyzing the texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey. From the stories of Homer, he reconstructs the sort of society in the Homeric heroes lived, in terms of its economy, its social structure, and its morals and values.The picture he draws is interesting and compelling, above all because it is consistent. Its consistency is, of course, an argument in favor of the view that the Homeric world really did exist (i.e., that gods and magic and specific names aside, the cultural world described by Homer is authentic, and not an artistic creation). Moreover, because the culture is consistent, an understanding of it helps a reader to interpret sometimes puzzling actions on the part of Homer's heroes. This is therefore important secondary reading to accompany any reading of Homer.

I am reading this book while re-reading the works of Homer and it is extremely helpful. This book provides lots of information and insights on social relationships, customs, economy in ancient Greece. It is helping me better understand literature that I love and the world in which its heroes moved and interacted with each other. Great reading! You can tell that the author has an immense knowledge of the era, but is able to convey it in a light, easy-to-access way. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in ancient Greek culture.

Reading Finley immediately after you finish Homer allows you to revisit the epics' individual passages and tie them into coherent themes. Finley's discussion of the Greek household, or oikos, is especially good, as are his insights on giftgiving. The world that Homer sang of is a stark contrast to the more familiar, Classical Greece, and yet the seeds of that Greece (and hence our world) are already recognizably there. Perhaps they are there in a truer, less alloyed form.The only regrettable part of this book is the second appendix, a speech that Finley later gave on Schliemann. It is full of such professional bitterness that one begins to doubt Finley's decency. The publisher produced a gem of a book, but it should seriously consider removing these few pages in future editions.

The World of Odysseus by M.I. Finley is considered a classic about Bronze Age Greece, and it is. And with an introduction by Bernard Knox is always interesting. Prof. Finley is very such of his evaluations about the Greek Bronze Age and definately so about Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and who might have written it. I am sure that camp about the Greeks and Homer are divided between those who agree and those who don't. I find much in his argument to agree with.

I read this, of course, in conjunction with The Iliad and The Odyssey. As you would expect from the title, this book is a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about the world that Homer lived in. Its easy readability makes it a pleasure to read, and it definitely enhances your understanding of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Originally published in 1954, revised in 1978, this little book is both interesting and pretty damned thorough. Knox's introduction is, like all his work, first class. If "The Odyssey" for you is more than some cool stories, you should read this book.

It's important to understand what this book is and what it is not. I expected a social history or anthropological description of Mycenae and the world of the early ancient Greeks from the era of the Trojan War. That's not what this book is.Finley makes the argument that the society described by Homer is NOT the world of the Mycenaeans, who lived several hundred years before Homer, but rather Greek society about 100 years before Homer's lifetime. Homer didn't really know about the Mycenaeans' world and transposed onto them (or onto his history of them) the social conditions that prevailed among the Greeks a few generations before his own, which would have been known to him.So the world of Odysseus per Homer is not the Hellenic world in the 12th century BC. It's era just before Homer's own time.Also, this book almost entirely looks at the world of elites and largely looks at men. This is because there is a dearth of sources on how ordinary people lived and female perspectives.

Thank you. Exact edition I was looking for.