Dr Peter Gainsford
ORCID | @KiwiHellenist@mastodon.nz | Google Scholar
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, nearly 150 articles on Kiwi Hellenist, which are much more wide-ranging than my print publications.
Publications
Book
- 2015. Early Greek Hexameter Poetry. New Surveys in the Classics 43. Cambridge University Press.
Chapters and journal articles
- ‘Odyssey book 1.’ In: Christensen, J. (ed.) The Oxford critical guide to Homer's Odyssey (Oxford, forthcoming).
- ‘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 to present. 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.
- ‘Medusa in Libya.’ 11 Jan 2022.
- ‘Why are there no Romans called Quartus?’ 16 Apr 2018.
- ‘Concerning Yule.’ 18 Dec 2018.
- ‘Who preserved Greek literature? (Part 2).’ 12 Jun 2020.
- ‘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.
