Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran's Iliad with Professor Josh Cannon

Please join the Department of Classics, the Department of Philosophy, and the Baker Nord Institute for the Humanities for a presentation and discussion by Professor Josh Cannon (University of Pittsburgh) of his recent book Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad (2025). Professor Cannon’s book offers his reading of Homer’s Iliad in light of his own experiences as a Marine during two tours of duty in Iraq. By sharing his own experiences as a war veteran, an archaeologist, and a Classics professor, Cannon argues that the Iliad’s message is anti-war. Cannon’s book shares a new angle on an old tale. He makes the Iliad accessible to any audience and helps unearth a lesson that, despite being millennia old, still has much to teach us.

Professor Josh Cannon teaches in the Department of Classics at the University of Pittsburgh and is Director of Research at the university’s David C. Friedrick Honors College. He earned his BPhil in anthropology and linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh, and both the MA and PhD in near eastern languages and civilizations from the University of Chicago. He also has a Diploma in Arabic from the Defense Language Institute and served two tours of duty as a Marine in Iraq.

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Co-hosted with: Department of Classics (OWNER), Philosophy, Explore, Baker-Nord Institute for the Humanities