Synthesis Matrix and Literature Review

MELD 1S03 Winter 2021

Literature Review

Example Literature Review:

“How Realistic Were Homeric Descriptions?”

Ancient Greece may feel strangely familiar, but this is largely due to Homer’s Iliad and

the Odyssey. The Homeric epics, which detail heroic exploits, war stories, travel accounts, and

gods’ influences on humankind, contain clues about life thousands of years ago in ancient

Greece. However, whether these poems should be seen as credible portrayals of the past is

under debate. Three experts in this field, Painter (2017), Martinez (2018), and Evans (2017) who

have examined the artworks described in Homeric poetry, highlight this dispute. In particular,

the authenticity of artifacts depicted in the poems as well as the texts’ origin is controversial,

but impactful in the modern world.

Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer makes reference to cultural artifacts from

woven textiles to black-figure ceramics. Whether such references are historical or fantastical is

inconclusive. Some scholars say the portrayal of these artifacts offers reliable glimpse into

history (Evans, 2017; Painter, 2017). Painter (2017) claims that Homer’s description of ancient

Greek clothing, battle armor, and architectural features, such as the golden doors of fantastical

palaces, are indeed accurate. Evans (2017) agrees that a number of cultural artifacts depicted

by Homer were historical, and he goes on to highlight the importance of Homer’s description of

methods of metallurgy, which may “assist scholars in identifying pieces of art yet to be

discovered” (para. 8) and in dating these finds. In contrast to Painter (2017) and Evans (2017),

Martinez (2018) maintains that Homer’s accounts of sculptures, weapons, and architecture are

merely “products of Homer’s imagination” (para. 5), which can be described as “mythical,”

“fanciful,” and “romantic.” Although the art in Homer’s epics is contentious, his elaborate

descriptions of artifacts help readers and scholars alike to recognize that the ancient Greek

civilization was vast and complex, yet the specific references to the weaponry, clothing, and

palaces portray life, religion, and culture of that era. In fact, these great epics are more than

just sources of art history, they are pieces of writing that may be equally valued as priceless

works of art, reflecting the creativity and imagination of the author.

MELD 1S03 Winter 2021

Literature Review

The authorship of the epic poems is also uncertain. Homer is generally thought to have

lived around 750 BCE (Evans, 2017; Painter, 2017), but his authorship of the Iliad and the

Odyssey has been questioned (Martinez, 2018). Martinez (2018) explores this doubt extensively

since “The Homeric Question” not only questions the authenticity of Homer but suggests that

the tales are the works of many hands over several generations and “born out of oral tradition”

(Evans, 2017, para. 6). Indeed, Martinez’s (2018) proposal that the Homeric poems may have

had multiple authors strengthens his argument that Homer’s poems are unreliable sources of

artistic depictions. Although the tales’ true authorship continues to be debated, these Homeric

epics are among the most influential works of Classical European literature and the basis of

Classical Greek culture until today.

Through Homer’s texts, the legacy of ancient Greek art and architectural forms continue

to endure from antiquity to the modern era. Whether the objects actually existed or not,

Painter (2017) and Evans (2017) emphasize that the texts still offer vivid descriptions of ancient

Greek art and architecture. They can be valuable sources of art and architectural history for

scholars (Evans, 2017; Martinez, 2018; Painter, 2017) but must be used with caution (Martinez,

2018). Still, they offer an opportunity to appreciate the value of ancient Greek culture, tradition

and aesthetics that are prevalent and visible in the modern world. They likewise strengthen the

connection that exists between the past and the present and link disparate cultures and

principles over time and space.

Clearly, the use of Homer’s epic poetry as a historical reference of art is not agreed upon

by scholars. Nonetheless, his merit as a storyteller is undeniable since his tales have withstood

the test of time.