3 ms·

One of my favorite write-ups that I have read about Achilles posited that he had PTSD. This really captures that imho.

plants 7y ago
If you are familiar with the Iliad, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that every man in the Trojan War probably had PTSD. It's one of the most unrelentingly brutal books I've ever read
- asark 7y ago
  Whatever the other qualities one may assign to 300, it's the most accurate depiction of the Iliad's action I've seen (yes I know it's not the story of the Iliad). The action portions of the text are basically a series of quick close-ups of guys getting stabbed in the chest by spears, with the occasional bad-ass slow-mo thing or 1v1 fight. Lots and lots of it.
  - gdubs 7y ago
    I second this. The Iliad begins at a very cinematic pace that is very reminiscent of 300. The battle depictions – let's face it, the majority of the book – are relentlessly brutal.
- kevinpet 7y ago
  Indeed. The level of anatomical detail is something generally only find on the shadier parts of liveleak or a medical journal.
- thrower123 7y ago
  It's hard to map modern concepts like PTSD onto ancient cultures. Violence and abuse was commonplace to a degree we can't even comprehend.
  - mrec 7y ago
    This comes up sufficiently often in the excellent /r/AskHistorians sub that it made their VFAQ [1] list twice. Both linked answers are worth reading. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/vfaq#wiki_ancient_world https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/vfaq#wiki_ancien...
jbattle 7y ago
I read it as about Hephaestus, not achilles. What happens when a god has seen too much
jdgiese 7y ago
Along these lines, I would recommend this lecture about the Iliad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0FEcK9smE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0FEcK9smE The speaker (I believe a professor) makes some very compelling connections between the Iliad and gang culture. It gave me a new way (but certainly not definitive) way think about the Iliad. If I recall, he may also discuss PTSD towards the end.
simplicio 7y ago
"Achilles in Vietnam" by Jonathan Shay. I agree it's quite good. IIRC, the author was a doctor in a VA clinic for Vietnam vets suffering from PTSD, and he was struck by the similarities between their condition and descriptions in the Illiad

If you are familiar with the Iliad, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that every man in the Trojan War probably had PTSD. It's one of the most unrelentingly brutal books I've ever read

asark 7y ago
Whatever the other qualities one may assign to 300, it's the most accurate depiction of the Iliad's action I've seen (yes I know it's not the story of the Iliad). The action portions of the text are basically a series of quick close-ups of guys getting stabbed in the chest by spears, with the occasional bad-ass slow-mo thing or 1v1 fight. Lots and lots of it.
- gdubs 7y ago
  I second this. The Iliad begins at a very cinematic pace that is very reminiscent of 300. The battle depictions – let's face it, the majority of the book – are relentlessly brutal.
kevinpet 7y ago
Indeed. The level of anatomical detail is something generally only find on the shadier parts of liveleak or a medical journal.
thrower123 7y ago
It's hard to map modern concepts like PTSD onto ancient cultures. Violence and abuse was commonplace to a degree we can't even comprehend.
- mrec 7y ago
  This comes up sufficiently often in the excellent /r/AskHistorians sub that it made their VFAQ [1] list twice. Both linked answers are worth reading. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/vfaq#wiki_ancient_world https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/vfaq#wiki_ancien...

jbattle 7y ago

I read it as about Hephaestus, not achilles. What happens when a god has seen too much

jdgiese 7y ago

Along these lines, I would recommend this lecture about the Iliad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0FEcK9smE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0FEcK9smE The speaker (I believe a professor) makes some very compelling connections between the Iliad and gang culture. It gave me a new way (but certainly not definitive) way think about the Iliad. If I recall, he may also discuss PTSD towards the end.

simplicio 7y ago

"Achilles in Vietnam" by Jonathan Shay. I agree it's quite good. IIRC, the author was a doctor in a VA clinic for Vietnam vets suffering from PTSD, and he was struck by the similarities between their condition and descriptions in the Illiad