"Much of our understanding of the mythological tradition surrounding the Trojan War comes from Homer. Although the Iliad and Odyssey describe only the last years of this conflict, for centuries these works have been the primary source for literary and scholarly inspiration. They have largely overshadowed other Trojan War narratives, particularly the poems collectively known as the Epic Cycle, which chronicle the whole conflict.

Although the Epic Cycle poems have long since been lost, references to them in the work of ancient writers abound, and their influence can be detected in the works of poets and artists of the time. In The Tradition of the Trojan War in Homer and the Epic Cycle, Jonathan Burgess challenges Homer's authority on the history and legends of the Trojan War, placing the Iliad and Odyssey in the larger, often overlooked context of the entire body of Greek epic poetry of the Archaic Age."--BOOK JACKET.