Peter Karavites presents a revisionist overview of Homeric scholarship, whose purpose is to bridge the gap between the “positivist” and “negativist” theories dominant in the greater part of the twentieth century. His investigation derives new insights from Homer’s text and solves the age old question of the relationship between Homer and the Mycenaean age.

He boldly provides a new interpretation of the diplomatic relations of the Mycenaean and Homeric times based on fresh textual examination of old archaeological material, new archaeological discoveries, and a much broader analytical focus, emphasizing social, economic, political, and cultural approaches that have transformed our understanding of ancient interstate relations contained in the Homeric Corpus. The author underscores the similarities between the Near Eastern diplomatic practices as well as practices analyzed in Homeric texts to highlight the relationship between Homeric times and the Mycenaean Age.

Bronze Age and Homeric diplomatic envoy customs are treated in a series of chapters pertaining to Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the littoral of the Eastern Mediterranean area, and the Aegean world. They treat practices such as envoy escorts, envoy protection and hospitality, symbolism of gift exchanges, royal marriages alliances, envoy credentials, and various other practices.

Scholars and students of history, political science, diplomacy, archaeology and social relations will benefit from this work.

Peter Karavites is Professor Emeritus of Greek and Roman History from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His books include Capitulations and Greek Interstate Relations; Promise Giving and Treaty-Making, Homer and the Near East and Evil, Freedom, and the Road to Perfection in Clement of Alexandria. He holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D from Loyola University of Chicago and has studied at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg.