In article , Larry   
   Caldwell  wrote:   
      
   >   People need to relax, and realize that excavations   
   > neither add to, or subtract from, the mythic power and literary   
   > excellence of the Iliad.  The power of the Iliad rests in the voice of   
   > singers and bards reaching out of a dark age.   
      
      
   i don't think it's ever possible to separate myth from historical fact.   
   this is true for any era.   
      
   let's say world war ll. even the most sober histories are filled with   
   nationalistic myths of one kind or another. much of the avilable   
   history consists of veterans' stories that have been fleshed out by   
   ghostwriters. they read like novels written for a popular audience,   
   with each little event conveyed by an omniscent narrator. it is often   
   impossible to separate fact from fiction.   
      
   the older and more fragmentary history is, the more difficult it   
   becomes.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)