Epic of the Earth is proof that green reading can be more than an intellectual exercise.Abigail Bleach, History Today
Our planet is in a potentially disastrous stateto help us rescue it, brilliant classicist Edith Hall offers a startlingly original ecocritical reading of a foundational text, the Iliad of Homer. The conjunction of Homer and Hall is earthshatteringly revelatory.Paul Cartledge, author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece
In this timely book, Hall reminds us that the violence of war is made possible by the violation and exploitation of nature. She shows us how to read the Iliad more urgently and face our relationships with the earth and each other with more wisdom.A. E. Stallings, author of This Afterlife, Like, and Olives
Captivating, compelling, and detailed, as only the inimitable Edith Hall can do. This is a deep dive and unique take on the Iliad and the lessons that it may hold for us and our future, written from an ecocritical point of view.Eric H. Cline, author of After 1177 B.C.
Edith Halls Epic of the Earth not only offers a powerful reading of the Iliad but also opens up new possibilities for reading ancient texts as landmarks in the history of environmental destruction.Jason König, author of The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture
Edith Hall offers a compelling new reading of the Iliad, revealing its deep immersion in the natural world and its profound fear of environmental catastrophe. Hall brilliantly shows that the Iliad is indeed a poem for the Anthropocene.Brycchan Carey, author of The Unnatural Trade: Slavery, Abolition, and Environmental Writing, 16501807