Description
Book SynopsisWhile there have been many studies devoted to the major heroes and heroines of Homeric epic, among them Achilles, Odysseus, and Helen, the figure of Menelaus has remained notably overlooked in this strand of scholarship. Menelaus in the Archaic Period is the first book-length study of the Homeric character, taking a multidisciplinary approach to his depiction in archaic Greek poetry, art, and cult through detailed analysis of ancient literary, visual, and material evidence. The volume is divided into two parts, the first of which examines the portrayal of Menelaus in the Homeric poems as a unique ''personality'' with an integral role to play in each narrative, as depicted through typical patterns of speech and action and through intertextual allusion. The second part explores his representation both in other poetry of the archaic period - including lyric poetry and Simonides'' ''Plataea elegy '' - and also archaic art and local Sparta cult, drawing on the literary, archaeological, and inscriptional evidence for the cult of Menelaus with Helen at Therapne. The depiction of Menelaus in archaic art is a particular focal point: Chapter 4 provides a methodology for the interpretation of heroic narrative on archaic Greek vases through iconography and inscriptions and establishes his conventional visual ''identity'' on black figure Athenian vases, while an annotated catalogue of images details those that fall outside the ''norm''. Menelaus emerges from this comprehensive study as a unique and likeable character whose relationship with Helen was a popular theme in both epic poetry and vase painting, but one whose portrayal evinced a significant narrative range, with an array of continuities and differences in how he was represented by the Greeks, not only within the archaic period but also in comparison to classical Athens.
Trade Review...an engaging read with a well-researched and clearly written book. * JOEL P. CHRISTENSEN, Brandeis University, THE CLASSICAL REVIEW *
In short, this essential volume (with 19 black-and-white illustrations, full footnotes, a good bibliography and an index locorum and a general index) makes manifest not only Menelaus' well-developed character but the sheer sophistication of the art and poetry of Archaic Greece. * David Stuttard, Classics for all *
This book will be necessary reading for anyone engaging with Agamemnon's brother, and I have no doubt that it will stimulate wider interest in Helen's husband too. * James Lloyd-Jones, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
"Stelow has produced an indispensable and encyclopaedic work on the figure of Menelaus ... This book will be necessary reading" -- James Lloyd-Jones, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
The reader comes away from this volume with the impression hat Menelaus was more significant and more interesting than normally assumed. * G. D. Bird, CHOICE *
A well-researched and clearly written book ... a range of theories and evidence presented in an eminently useful manner. * Joel P. Christensen, The Classical Review *
By rescuing Menelaus from relative obscurity, Stelow has given the world a truly revelatory insight into the works of Homer, which is quite a task considering the plethora of books written about it. With a thorough 30-page bibliography and extensive footnotes, this is a landmark study which will surely be appreciated by the only Achaean hero in Homer's poems who is still alive somewhere. * Cliff Cunningham, Sun News Tucson *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Methods and Terms The 'Homeric Question' Orality, Traditional Referentiality, and Neoanalysis Homeric Intertextuality and Methodologies of Allusion Theories of Homeric Character Depiction Overview of Part I: Homer Overview of Part II: Votaries, Painters, and Poets Part I. Homer 1: The Iliad The Language of Menelaus The Story of Menelaus 2: The Odyssey Introduction: Menelaus Returned Home Pylos Sparta Proteus and the Apotheosis of Menelaus The Departure of Telemachus Envoi Part II. Votaries, Painters, and Poets 3: Why Menelaus? Alcman, Sappho, Stesichorus, [Hesiod], and the Cycle Alcman 'Cyclic' Epic Fragments: Cypria Little Iliad; Ilioupersis Nostoi The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women Sappho frr. 16 17 Stesichorus: Helen, Palinode, Ilioupersis, Nostoi Conclusion 4: Menelaus in Archaic Art Introduction: Heroic Narrative in Archaic Art Menelaus and Helen Menelaus without Helen Naming Menelaus a Hero in Archaic Art 5: The Cult of Menelaus and Helen at Therapne Introduction Literary Testimonia to the Cult of Menelaus Material Evidence for the Cult of Menelaus and Helen at Therapne Inscriptions and the Cult of Menelaus 6: Menelaus *E*u*r*u*b*i*h*4: Simonides and the End of the Story Simonides' 'Plataea Elegy' Conclusion: The End of the Story Endmatter Appendix: Menelaus Genealogy
