author
Hubert Joseph Treston
1888–1959
An Irish classical scholar with a gift for making difficult ancient material feel vivid and human, he is best remembered for a close study of blood-vengeance in Greek literature and law. His work opens a window onto the moral world behind Homer and tragedy.
1 Audiobook
Poine: a study in ancient Greek blood-vengeance
by Hubert Joseph Treston
About the author
Born in 1888 and died in 1959, Hubert Joseph Treston was an Irish scholar of the ancient world. Reliable biographical records identify him as Professor of Ancient Classics at University College Cork from 1915 until his retirement in December 1958, and as Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1920 to December 1958.
He is chiefly known today for Poine: a Study in Ancient Greek Blood-vengeance, published in 1923. In that book, Treston explored how revenge, homicide, ritual, and justice shaped early Greek society, drawing on Homer, tragedy, and Greek law to explain a subject that can seem remote but still feels deeply human.
Modern readers usually meet him through reprints and digital editions of Poine, which has remained his best-known work. Even now, the book stands out for its mix of careful scholarship and readable purpose, written not just for legal specialists but for anyone interested in Greek civilization and literature.