I complete reading The Oresteia by Aeschylus. I am very impressed with this play! It presents a timeless ethical delimma, weighing the arguments for and against revenge as a form of justice. I also have the feeling that I am reading one of the first examples in human history of a trial by jury. It is much more satisfying to read this by Aeschylus and realize that this is 2500 years old rather than reading a modern interpretation of early Greek history. Although I recognize that I am reading a translation of the original.

I am intrigued by the relation between the play and historical fact. I assume that the characters (Agamemnon, Clytaemnestra, Orestes) are actual historical figures. The second question is whether the play relates actual events. My impression from reading the Preface is that play is based on a few lines from Homer's The Odyssey. I wonder if there is any other historical source for a description of these events?