What is it about?
This study examines how the famous scholar and teacher Eustathios of Thessaloniki, active in Constantinople in the twelfth century, interpreted Homer, what he included in his commentaries on the Iliad and Odyssey, and why he did so. Eustathios' massive collection of notes defines the significance of Homeric poetry for contemporary readers and writers, thereby making Homer relevant to new audiences and revealing the role ancient literature played in Byzantine culture and education.
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Why is it important?
Homeric poetry survives until this day because it continued to be read and copied for centuries in the Byzantine Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire). This study helps us understand why the Byzantines did so by focusing on the most extensive reading of Homeric poetry we have from the Byzantine period, revealing how Homer shaped the culture and education of the Byzantine elite.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Eustathios’ Homeric Commentaries and Byzantine Textual Culture, November 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004750791_005.
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Resources
Homer in the Byzantine Classroom (Antigone Journal)
In this article, readers visit the classroom of two teachers active in Constantinople during the 12th century, a period of great cultural flourishing and prolific literary production, to learn how and why Homeric poetry continued to be taught and studied.
Homer in Byzantium (Byzantium & Friends Podcast)
How did the Byzantines read Homer? How did classical studies work in Byzantium? A conversation on where, why, and how the Byzantines approached the Iliad and the Odyssey; what scholarly tools they had and developed for that purpose; and on one of the great Homerists of all time, Eustathios of Thessalonike.
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