The end of the Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean was a time of social, political, and economic upheaval - conditions reflected, in many ways, in the world of Homer's Odyssey. Jeffrey P. Emanuel examines the Odyssey's Second Cretan Lie (xiv 191 - 359) in the context of this watershed transition, with particular emphasis on raiding, warfare, maritime technology and tactics, and the evidence for the so-called 'Sea Peoples' who have been connected to the events of this period. He focuses in particular on the hero's description of his frequent raiding activities and on his subsequent sojourn in the land of the pharaohs, and connections between Odysseus' false narrative and the historical experiences of one particular Sea Peoples group: the 'Sherden of the Sea.'

By Jeffrey P. Emanuel

Chapter 1: Epic, Oral Tradition, and Archaeology
Chapter 2: Structure and Methodology
Chapter 3: Raiders, Traders, and Sea Peoples in the Late Bronze Age and Beyond
Chapter 4: Mycenae, A??iyawa, and the Collapse of the Late Bronze Age Order
Chapter 5: The Sea Peoples and the Egyptian Records
Chapter 6: The Changing Face of War and Society
Chapter 7: Hedgehog Helmets, Sea Peoples, and Ship-to-Ship Combat
Chapter 8: Mariners and Their Ships: Vessel Types, Capacity, and Rigging
Chapter 9: ? pt? de: Life, Prosperity, and Health in the Land of the Pharaohs