Research Catalog

Title

The BP exhibition, Troy : myth and reality / Alexandra Villing, J. Lesley Fitton, Victoria Donnellan and Andrew Shapland.

Author

Villing, Alexandra

Publication

London ; New York, NY : Thames & Hudson, 2019.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Fitton, J. Lesley
• Turner, Victoria
• Shapland, Andrew
• British Museum, host institution.

Description

312 pages : illustrations (chiefly color); 29 cm

Summary

For over 3,000 years the myth of Troy has fascinated artists and audiences alike--from the epic tales of Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid to retellings from Chaucer to Madeline Miller, and stagings from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida to Brad Pitt's rendering of the hero Achilles. But what is it about this tale that makes it so eternally appealing, and what do we actually know about historical Troy? This richly illustrated volume tells the story of Troy and the great Trojan War through the lens of objects from the Greek Bronze Age to the twenty-first century. Using the Classical works of art for which the British Museum is internationally known, this book considers the ancient myth through the eyes of Greek and Roman artists. Drawing on the latest research, it chronicles the search for Troy that convinced the world of the city's existence, beginning with the nineteenth-century excavations by Heinrich Schliemann. Focusing on the major characters in the story--Helen of Troy, Achilles and Hector, Aeneas and Odysseus--it illustrates how artists from Cranach and Rubens to Romare Bearden and Cy Twombly have been inspired to explore contemporary themes of war and heroism, love and beauty. Troy sheds new light on a story that has resonated for millennia.

Alternative Title

Troy : myth and reality

Subjects

• Trojan War > Exhibitions
• Exhibition catalogs
• Troy (Extinct city) > History > Exhibitions
• Turkey > Troy (Extinct city)
• Troy (Extinct city) > Exhibitions
• History

Genre/Form

• History.
• Exhibition catalogs.

Note

• Published to accompany the exhibition held at the British Museum from 21 November 2019 to 8 March 2020.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Introduction: Troy: fall of a city, rise of a legend -- Storytellers -- The myth of the Trojan War -- Archaeological Troy -- Troy : enduring stories -- Epilogue: the shield of Achilles.

Call Number

JFF 20-753

ISBN

• 9780500480557
• 0500480559
• 9780500480588
• 0500480583

OCLC

1122165586

Author

Villing, Alexandra, author.

Title

The BP exhibition, Troy : myth and reality / Alexandra Villing, J. Lesley Fitton, Victoria Donnellan and Andrew Shapland.

Publisher

London ; New York, NY : Thames & Hudson, 2019.

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Added Author

Fitton, J. Lesley, author.

Turner, Victoria, author.

Shapland, Andrew, author.

British Museum, host institution.

Research Call Number

JFF 20-753