A. Iliad, Book 1
B. Odyssey, Books 1-8
C. Quotations from Aristotle, Pindar, and Plato, in handout, pp. 23-26.
D. Mantiklos inscription (TSB, p. 457, handout, pp. 23-24, 26).
Additionally, of course, the broader framework in which these passages occur, as discussed in class lectures and in the various readings, will be important.
You should be prepared to consider the way different translations can handle a passage differently.
You should be familiar with the general outline of the Trojan War, including material which Homer ostensibly considers only in passing (or even omits) in the Iliad and Odyssey, such as (1) the judgment of Paris, (2) Odysseus' relationship with Palamedes, (3) the sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis, (4) the competition between Odysseus and Aias (Ajax) for the armor of Achilles, and (5) the stratagem of wooden horse.
A more or less convenient summary of the foregoing events from the Trojan War can be found in Proclus' summaries of the Cypria, Little Iliad, and Sack of Ilion (TSB, pp. 378-379 and 380-381.) Also, for Odysseus and Palamedes, see Hyginus 95, 105, 116 (TSB, pp. 244, 247-248, 250).
Another important concept is neatly summed up in the Latin phrase "Do ut des". "I (a human) give so that you (a god) will give." This seems to be generally accepted as a cultural given in our readings, e.g., in the Mantiklos inscription.
Lucian "On sacrifices", on the other hand, makes a satirical objection to this concept, TSB, pp. 293-297. Lucian's remarks are fairly long and repetitive, but in connection with our readings, sections 2-3, pp. 293-294, are particularly relevant.
In section 2, Lucian's reference to nine cows and a robe is pretty specifically to Iliad 6.267-278, and the sentence "And for a princess you can sail from Aulis to Troy" obviously refers to the sacrifice of Iphigenia. On the other hand, the mention of paying "nine bulls" to return from Troy to Pylos seems a bit loose. Presumably, the allusion is Nestor's nostos, but at Odyssey 3.199 (Lombardo line no. = original 178), Nestor merely refers to sacrificing "many" bulls. Possibly, Lucian is having a bit of fun with us, inasmuch as nine Pylian cities are each sacrificing nine bulls at the beginning of Odyssey, Book 3; perhaps Lucian figured this was a pretty frequent activity of the Pylians, and that they had done the same sort of thing when they started to sail home from Troy; additionally, Lucian may be assuming that Nestor would be the leader of just one of these nine groups, and all he would actually be concerned about when he was returning from Troy would be his own particular contingent.
Then, in section 3, Lucian refers to Chryses' attitude at the beginning of the Iliad. As it happens, the TSB note is just a bit careless. They say that Lucian "quotes" Chryses' prayer, but actually he paraphrases it; in particular, Lucian adds the phrase "you ignore me", but in Homer, this is left unstated - or rather, Chryses simply seems to assume that because he has been generous to Apollo in the past, the god should now aid him.