In Book VIII, the Achaian, Teucer, hides behind the shield of Aias and kills several Trojans with his arrows. This style of fighting is unusual in the Iliad and seems almost dishonorable compared to most of the fights. Ennis Rees, who did the original Modern Library translation of the Iliad, has called the description of Teucer's battle, "The little aristeia of Little Teucer," which is as good a description as any.
Pandaros and Meriones are also mentioned as archers. The use of archery was probably associated only with certain of the Achaian kingdoms, possibly Lycia. In the Odyssey, Odysseus strings his bow and proceeds to kill many of the suitors with arrows, so that archery may also have been practiced in Ithaca.
Many critics and commentators have mentioned the beautiful simile that ends Book VIII. In the simile the watch fires of the Achaian camp are compared to the stars. The simile ends with an image of the horses standing, waiting for dawn. The peacefulness of the simile contrasts with the barbarity of the fighting that has occurred in Books VII and VIII. The simile also suggests a kind of optimism for the Greeks. They have been sorely pressed by the Trojans in Book VIII, but the scene around the campfire suggests a kind of serenity that belies concerns about defeat.
