Medieval Echoes of Troy

You might have stumbled upon the story of the Trojan War in high school, hunched over textbooks of classical literature that introduced epic poems about deadly battles and ancient gods. Or you might have gotten to know the Trojan myth through Brad Pitt’s 2004 movie Troy. Whatever avenue you chose, as they say, all roads lead to Rome, or well, in this case, Troy. This exhibition explores the tale of Troy through the analysis of a thirteenth-century retelling by author Guido delle Colonne, titled Historia Destructionis Troiae (The History of Troy's Destruction). As part of her internship at Special Collections, Writing, Editing and Mediating student Chiara Tuccella began her research by studying the copy of the Historia held in the University of Groningen Library. The incunabulum dates back to 1485 and has been a part of the library collection since at least 1669. So what's the story?