John Tzetzes was a 12th-century Byzantine poet and grammarian renowned for his extensive learning and significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature. Though sometimes prone to displaying his knowledge excessively, Tzetzes made invaluable efforts to preserve and disseminate classical texts. His monumental "Book of Histories" (Chiliades) serves as a crucial repository of information, compensating for lost works accessible to him, and his commentaries on various Greek authors further illuminate the ancient world for modern readers. His extensive engagement with over 400 sources solidifies his position as a vital figure in Byzantine literary scholarship.
As a didactic explanation of pagan ancient Greek culture to Orthodox Christians, John Tzetzes's Allegories of the Iliad is deeply rooted in the mid-twelfth-century circumstances of the cosmopolitan Comnenian court. As a critical reworking of the Iliad, it is part of the millennia-long global tradition of Homeric adaptation.
The twelfth-century Byzantine scholar, poet, and teacher John Tzetzes composed the verse commentary Allegories of the Odyssey to explain Odysseus's journey and the pagan gods and marvels he encountered. This edition presents the first translation of the Allegories of the Odyssey into any language alongside the Greek text.