Abstract：Were Homer's heroes morally conscious？ Some scholars have argued that the heroes in the epics had no morality of cooperation and sense of community， but only shame and competition. Dodds' theory of shame culture does inspire some insights into the characteristics of Homer's heroes， but it goes too far to claim that they completely lacked a sense of cooperation and justice. By analyzing the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles， it can be found that the heroes show a caprious and self-interested side. They sometimes placed their honor over the community interest. However， other information provided by Homer also shows that some of the heroes had a clear sense of right and wrong and a concern for the community. Discussions of the morality of Nestor and Polydamas suggest that they have a strong sense of the city-state. Agamemnon and Achilles also chose to put the interests of the community first again after experiencing painful choices. In The Odyssey， the nascent idea of justice in the city-state has already sprung up. The moral concepts of Homeric society， as other aspects of Homeric society， are harbingers of the coming city-state in classical Greece.
晏绍祥. 英雄、正义与共同体：荷马时代的道德与城邦[J]. 华中师范大学学报（人文社会科学版）, 2023, 62(5): 68-90.
Yan Shaoxiang. Heroes， Justice and Communities： Morality and City-State in the Age of Homer. journal1, 2023, 62(5): 68-90.
2023, Vol. 62 
