Kiwi Hellenist: About me

Dr Peter Gainsford

I am a writer and researcher with a specialisation in Greek antiquity based in Wellington, New Zealand. I haven’t always been based there — I have done stints in Canada and the UK — but it is my hometown.

My research centres on early Greek epic. I find it engrossing to study how stories about the Trojan War developed over time, ranging from the Late Bronze Age to the Byzantine era. I have written articles on many aspects of Greek language, literature, and myth; a book, Early Greek Hexameter Poetry (Cambridge, 2015); datasets for research; and, since late 2015, over 150 articles on Kiwi Hellenist, on a wide range of topics relating to the ancient Mediterranean.

Publications

Book

2015. Early Greek Hexameter Poetry. New Surveys in the Classics 43. Cambridge University Press.

Chapters and journal articles

‘Book 1.’ In: J. Christensen (ed.) The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Odyssey (Oxford, forthcoming Nov. 2025).
‘Historical Homer? The invention of the Trojan War.’ Ancient History Magazine 55 (2025) 12–17.
‘Herodotus’ Homer: Troy, the Dorians, and Thermopylae.’ In C. Matthew and M. Trundle (eds.), Beyond the Gates of Fire: New Perspectives on the Battle of Thermopylae (Barnsley, 2013), 117-37 and 196-208.
‘The deaths of Beowulf and Odysseus: narrative time and mythological tale-types.’ Classica et Mediaevalia 63 (2012) 247-78.
‘Diktys of Crete.’ Cambridge Classical Journal 58 (2012) 58-87.
‘Sibling terminology in Homer: problems with κασίγνητος and ἀδελφεός.’ Classical Quarterly 62.2 (2012) 441-65.
‘Odyssey 20.356-57 and the eclipse of 1178 BCE: a response to Baikouzis and Magnasco.’ Transactions of the American Philological Association 142 (2012) 1-22.
‘Family.’ In: M. Finkelberg (ed.), The Homer Encyclopedia (Oxford, 2011), i.285-6.
‘Kinship.’ In: M. Finkelberg (ed.), The Homer Encyclopedia (Oxford, 2011), ii.438-40.
‘Recognition Scene.’ In: M. Finkelberg (ed.), The Homer Encyclopedia (Oxford, 2011), iii.733-5.
‘Satire and the marginal text: Lucian parodies Diktys (VH 2.25-26).’ Hermes 139 (2011) 97-105.
‘Homer and hip-hop: improvisation, cultural heritage, and metrical analysis.’ Melbourne Historical Journal 38 (2010) 5-17.
‘How many Libraries of Alexandria are there to a Library of Congress?’ NZACT Bulletin 36 (2009) 52-8.
‘Achilles' views on death: succession and the Odyssey.’ Classical Bulletin 84.2 (2008) 7-26.
‘The Odyssey: a survey of recent developments.’ NZACT Bulletin 35.3 (2008) 93-101.
‘Where does the proem of the Odyssey end?’ In: J. Davidson, A. Pomeroy (eds.), Theatres of Action: Papers for Chris Dearden (Auckland, 2003), 1-11.
‘Formal analysis of recognition scenes in the Odyssey.’ Journal of Hellenic Studies 123 (2003) 41-59.
‘Cognition and type-scenes: the aoidos at work.’ In: F. Budelmann, P. Michelakis (eds.), Homer, Tragedy, and Beyond: Studies in Honour of P. E. Easterling (London, 2001), 3-21.

Datasets

‘Early Greek hexameter inscriptions.’ Digital corpus of Archaic inscriptions in hexameter metre (2019).
‘Non-Homeric Hexameter.’ Digital corpus of Archaic hexameter verse with research aids (2015).

Online articles

‘Kiwi Hellenist’, October 2015 onwards. Over 150 essays on popular perceptions of classical antiquity and the actual evidence. The most widely read articles are:

‘Salt and salary: were Roman soldiers paid in salt?’ 11 Jan 2017.
‘The camel, the rope, and the needle’s eye.’ 27 Nov 2023.
‘How to make sense of ancient Greek colours.’ 20 May 2020.
‘Shanties in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.’ 31 Jan 2019.
‘Not “the oldest written record of the Odyssey”.’ 12 Jul 2018.
‘Why are there no Romans called Quartus?’ 16 Apr 2018.
‘Concerning Yule.’ 18 Dec 2018.
‘Who preserved Greek literature? (Part 2).’ 12 Jun 2020.
‘Medusa in Libya.’ 11 Jan 2022.
‘Who preserved Greek literature? (Part 1).’ 10 Dec 2019.

‘Truth Behind Myth: Video Games and the Recreation of the Trojan War.’ Society for Classical Studies blog. 23 Oct 2020.