Anna Bonifazi examines the evocative power of linguistic elements in the Homeric text--in particular, the use of αύ- adverbs and particles to signal upcoming content and the ambiguous use of pronouns to evoke the complexity of Odysseus' identity. She shows that, by deliberately merging distinct meanings, the text incorporates different viewpoints.

From 2010 to 2014, the Classics Department at the University of Heidelberg set out to trace over two millennia of research on Greek particles within and beyond ancient Greek. Particles in Ancient Greek Discourse builds on this scholarship and analyzes particle use across five genres: epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, and historiography.

This commentary on the 6th book of the Iliad concentrates on the interpretation of two episodes which have received a great deal of scholarly attention: the encounter between Diomedes and Glaukos, which surprisingly ends with an exchange of weapons and not a duel, and the series of scenes ‘Hector in Troy’, which reveal the hero’s conflicting roles as defender of the city and father of his family.

Research into traditional areas of Homeric scholarship (e.g., language, the structure of the text, etc.) has come a long way since the last comprehensive commentaries on the Iliad were carried out, that is, the commentary by Ameis-Hentze in German language in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century as well as the Cambridge commentary by Kirk et. al. in English language in the 1980/90s. Much of this kind of research is now set upon a much surer methodological and theoretical foundation. Developments in the field of Mycenology and in the study of Linear B, oral poetry, and the history of ancient Troy in particular, have made possible a number of new insights and interpretive possibilities in Homer’s epic. Moreover, modern secondary literature of all major languages has been systematically covered. The "Basel Commentary" to the Iliad is a new, up-to-date, standard work that addresses these issues directly and will be of interest to scholars, teachers, and students alike. Central to the commentary on Iliad 24 is the interpretation of one of the most exciting and most moving scenes of the Iliad: how Priam, the king of Troy, makes his way to his mortal enemy Achilles, by whose hand his son Hector had fallen; how the god Hermes leads the old man almost magically into the army camp of the Greeks; how Achilles, at the end of an emotional encounter with Priam, leaves the body of Hector for burial.

Since Ameis-Hentze-Cauer (1868-1913) no comprehensive, scholarly commentary of Homer's Iliad has been published in German. In the meantime considerable progress has been made in many traditional areas of Homeric studies (language, realia, structure etc.). In addition, generally acknowledged new fields such as narratology have been systematically studied. Furthermore, the knowledge of the Mycenaean language (Linear B) and oral poetry provide completely new possibilities of textual constitution and analysis. Using the old Ameis-Hentze-Cauer as a starting point, the new commentary reflects the current scholarship on Homer in a comprehensive way. As a new standard work, the "Basel Commentary" of the Iliad has received considerable recognition among scholars worldwide. The fresh concept in terms of content and form serves the needs of different groups of users. The commentary primarily aims at students and academic teachers (at schools and universities), not only of Classics but also of cultural and literary studies as well as of humanities in general.

At the centre of the commentary on Book 19 of the Iliad is the interpretation of speeches and events at the assembly of the Achaean army. It is here that the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon was settled, thus enabling the Achaeans to take the field in the decisive battle against Hector and the Trojans.

This commentary on the 3rd book of the Iliad concentrates on the interpretation of the ceremonial single combat between the rivals for Helen, Paris and Menelaus, a scene that reflects the origins of the Trojan War. The famous parade before the walls presents Agamemnon, Odysseus and Ajax, and reveals just how much in love Paris and Helen are in spite of internal and external conflicts.