Little explication is needed for Homer’s Iliad except to say that it was a lovely bridge between the study of ancient languages and the study of composition and rhetoric. Like thee written translations from Latin and Greek that freshmen were required to do every week, the study of the Iliad was aimed to develop both the students’ prowess in the language and their literary skills. The text below, unlikely to be that used by Amherst students, nonetheless should offer the viewer an understanding of their work.