Troy: myth and reality (British Museum) (British Museum)

Published to accompany a major exhibition at the British Museum, this beautifully illustrated book searches for the reality behind the legend. It introduces the storytellers and Classical artists inspired by the original myths, and studies the stories themselves – the Judgment of Paris, the trials of Odysseus and the wanderings of Aeneas. It charts the nineteenth-century search for the location of Troy, assesses the excavations by Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann and explores the possible Bronze Age background for the myth of the Trojan War.

Focusing on the major characters – Helen, Odysseus, Aeneas, Achilles and Hector – the authors examine how artists from Cranach and Rubens to Romare Bearden and Cy Twombly have been inspired by Troy. Classical objects depicting Trojan subjects are included, as well as a wide range of manuscripts, sculptures, paintings and prints. The richness of responses to the myth of Troy and the variety of interpretations – in which each generation, culture or individual discovers new meaning and significance – demonstrates the vitality of this long tradition and reveals its eternal appeal.

Troy: myth and reality sheds new light on a fascinating story that has spoken to people around the world and through the ages, and continues to do so today.