Much of our understanding of the mythological tradition surrounding the Trojan War comes from Homer. Although the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" describe only the last years of this conflict, for centuries these works have been the primary source for literary and scholarly inspiration. They have largely overshadowed other Trojan War narratives, particularly the poems collectively known as the Epic Cycle, which chronicle the whole conflict. Although long-since lost, references to the Epic Cycle poems by ancient writers abound, and the influence of their tradition can be detected in the works of poets and artists. In this book, Jonathan Burgess challenges Homer's authority on the history and legends of the Trojan War, placing the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" in the larger, often overlooked context of the entire body of Greek epic poetry of the Archaic Age. Burgess describes the Epic Cycle tradition as reflected in surviving commentaries, poems, and works of art.
He traces the development and transmission of the Cyclic poems in ancient Greek culture, finding that they were far more influential than has previously been thought, and he compares the Cyclic and Homeric poems in detail, identifying mythological characters and events found only in the earlier works. Burgess's rigorous examination of the poetic tradition that produced the Epic Cycle should give classicists and others captivated by the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" a greater appreciation of both Homer and the Trojan War.