The series was founded in 1896. It is dedicated to important Greek and Latin texts together with translations and commentaries, as well as detailed introductions, thus rendering them more accessible to a broader readership. Since 2000 the series has concentrated on "Homer's Iliad. A full commentary", presenting the text of the Iliad (by M. L. West), a translation (by J. Latacz) and a commentary in German.
No comprehensive scholarly commentary on Homer's Iliad has been published in German since the commentary by Ameis-Hentze-Cauer (1868-1913). In the meantime, Homer research has made considerable progress in all traditional areas (language, realia, structure, etc.). In addition, fundamentally known areas such as narrative research have been placed on a systematic footing. Finally, Mycenaeology (Linear B) and oral poetry and Troy research have opened up entirely new possibilities for text analysis.
Based on the old Ameis-Hentze-Cauer commentary, this commentary reflects the current state of knowledge in Homer research in a comprehensive manner. The 'Basel Commentary' on the Iliad is highly regarded by experts worldwide as a new fundamental work. A concept that is innovative in terms of content and form meets the needs of different user groups. The commentary on individual verse groups or verses is divided into up to four explanatory levels, each typographically distinct, ranging from basic explanations of Homeric language to questions of structure and poetic technique. It is aimed at students and lecturers at universities and schools, not only in classical studies, but also in literary and cultural studies in general.
