*This book investigates the enduring influence and eventual debunking of the pseudo-historical text The History of the Destruction of Troy attributed to Dares the Phrygian.* Frederic Clark, a scholar of intellectual history, examines how this fraudulent account maintained authority for over a millennium by positioning itself as a factual, eyewitness alternative to the mythological narratives of Homer and Virgil. The work serves as a case study in the evolution of historical methodology, tracing how scholars and thinkers from Late Antiquity through the Enlightenment grappled with the distinction between myth and historical record.

Scholars recognize this work as a significant contribution to the history of historiography and the study of how ancient texts shaped Western intellectual traditions. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for those interested in the intersection of classical reception and the development of critical historical inquiry.