Bibliograph

Observations on the topography of the plain of Troy, and on the principal objects within, and around it described, or alluded to, in the Iliad, James Rennell

Type

Label

Observations on the topography of the plain of Troy, and on the principal objects within, and around it described, or alluded to, in the Iliad, James Rennell

Language

eng

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Observations on the topography of the plain of Troy

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Oclc number

915141610

Responsibility statement

James Rennell

Series statement

Cambridge library collection. ClassicsCambridge Social Sciences eBooks

Sub title

and on the principal objects within, and around it described, or alluded to, in the Iliad

Summary

James Rennell (1742–1830) could be claimed as the father of historical geography. After a long career at sea and in India, during which he had learned surveying and cartography, he returned to England and entered the circle of Sir Joseph Banks, who encouraged him to widen his interests to include the geography of the ancient world. In this work, published in 1814, Rennell compares the actual topography of the area in which Troy was believed to be located with the accounts of ancient commentators on Homer, with the Homeric accounts themselves, and finally with the work of ancient geographers. Without offering his own solution to the problem, he demolishes with zest the then current theory that Troy was located at the village of Bournabashi - a conclusion with which Heinrich Schliemann later agreed. Rennell's posthumously published work on the topography of Western Asia is also reissued in this series.--, Provided by publisher

Creator