Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
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J Craniomaxillofac Surg · Jan 2008
Historical ArticleCranio-maxillofacial injuries in Homer's Iliad.
Homer's Iliad, being one of the oldest and greatest European epic poems, is divided into 24 "books" or "rhapsodies", in which war injuries in general, and in particular cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) injuries, are described in a unique and detailed manner. ⋯ One could get an idea about the practice of Medicine and particularly of Surgery, in the 10th century BC in Ancient Greece, through the epic poems of Homer. The unique description of CMF injuries leads us to the conclusion that the anatomy of the head and neck was quite well known in those very old times, since the heroes and warriors of the Iliad knew exactly where to strike to achieve a fatal outcome.