ENCHANTING, rich and diverse, this is not an archaeological investigation into the truth about a historic city—despite a section on Heinrich Schliemann’s late-19th-century excavations at Hissalik (Turkey). Rather, it’s an exhibition devoted to how the story of Troy has inspired generation upon generation of artists and writers. The fascination has continued into our present age, with Brad Pitt’s violent, yet balletic portrayal of Achilles; Alice Oswald reciting her Iliad-derived poem Memorial with the wide-eyes of a modern Cassandra; the late Christopher Logue’s reworking of the Iliad into street English; and Madeline Miller and Pat Barker’s powerfully imagined historical novels. As a story, palimpsest and archetype, Troy remains very much alive.
In the Bronze Age, Troy—also known as Ilion or Wilusa—was already an ancient settlement, with a freshwater spring and an excellent harbour beside the entrance to the Dardanelles strait. Mentioned in Hittite royal correspondence, it was an important place, although never more than a provincial city.
What made it famous was that, sometime in about 800BC, a blind bard whom we know as Homer composed a brilliant epic song about its 10-year siege, almost certainly making use of lines, plots, themes and imagery that had been familiar for hundreds of years. The best section of this cycle is the Iliad, focusing—with no good or bad side, no us and them—on the fight between Achilles and Hector.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 08, 2020 من Country Life UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 08, 2020 من Country Life UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
