Ekphrasis at the forge and the forging of ekphrasis: the ‘shield of Achilles’ in Graeco-Roman word and image

Abstract

The Homeric description of the shield of Achilles (Iliad 18.478–608) is Western literature's earliest and most influential attempt to evoke images in words. This article examines the passage anew, demonstrating not only its paradigmatic concern with the collaborative and competing resources of word and picture, but also its significance in forging ideas about ekphrasis in the ancient world. By revisiting the passage and subsequent Graeco-Roman responses to it, the study analyses the complex ways in which Homeric epic figured and described image–text relations. At the same time, the article uses the reception of the passage among subsequent writers and artists to showcase the sophistication with which ancient critical traditions theorised ekphrasis at large.