Book XVIII

Book 18 of the Iliad dedicates much space to Achilleus’ new armor, particularly his shield. This object, fantastical in every regard, could be discussed endlessly, and much that is clever and stimulating has already been written on the topic. In the present commentary, discussion of this section takes up considerable space; the complexity of the ekphrasis and the abundance of scholarship relating to it made it useful to include overviews as guides and introductory chapters to these verses in the commentary. The presentation of different interpretations and of the many disputed issues, as well as the bibliographic references, are meant to enable the reader to engage more deeply with these topics. As was the case for previous volumes of this commentary, the present commentary is based on the Greek text of the edition of the Iliad by Martin L. West (Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1998/2000).