Die Darstellung der Troer und Griechen in den Kampfszenen der Posthomerica des Quintus von Smyrna

An examination of the way in which the warring parties are depicted in the battle scenes of Quintus' Posthomerica shows a clear preference for the Greek side. This can most easily be seen in the scenes which present warriors on either side in fear of or fleeing from their enemies. Quintus uses the similes in those passages to either direct the reader's attention to or to divert it from the aspects of fear and cowardice. A comparison with Homer's much more neutral narrative shows that Quintus often achieves this by explicitly adding the aspect of fear to a Homeric simile. However, one should not jump to the conclusion that this strong preference for the Greeks implies an anti-Roman statement.