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war, there is a great deal of diplomacy, treaties, political positioning, and so forth. In Homer's epic, this is not necessarily the case. Although there are definitely armies carrying out strategic military movements in The Iliad, a great majority of the actions of the armies are hinged on the whims of the gods. Whenever something great occurs for one side, it is not because of the actions of the commanders or the soldiers, but because of the intervention of a god. The same is true for situations where the armies suffer great losses. True, armies today still claim that they have God on their side, but this idea is much different than the one Homer portrays in his epic. The Achaeans and the Trojans seem to be fighting, at times, for ideals that could perhaps be settled in more diplomatic ways at least by today's standards. War, as it seems, was much different in the ancient world than in present times.

In all, I gained a great deal of insight from reading Homer's The Iliad. I found the characters and the actions in the book very interesting and revealing in light of our discussions in class. I am excited to learn more about the British views on war, and how those views have changed over the years, in doing research for my final paper. I have a feeling that, perhaps, my personal views on warfare may change as well. I would recommend this book for everyone, especially those who love history or war.

Learn more about this author, William Earle.
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