Griffin, Nathaniel Edward.  Dares and Dictys:  An Introduction to the Study of  Medieval Versions of the Story of Troy.  Baltimore:  J.H. Furst Company, 1907. (Melissa Maddox)

Classicmyth.com.  Dares the Phrygian.  2 Dec. 2003.  Hesiod’s Theogony. <http://www.classicalmyth.com/dares/dares.html/> (Melissa Maddox)

      Dares and Dictys are sixth century, medieval accounts of what went on during the Trojan War.  It is said to be the personal experiences or diaries of those who were actually there and had upfront, eyewitness accounts during the battle of Troy.  During the medieval era, these works were said to be more credible than those of Homer’s Iliad.  The one aspect that Dares’ and Dictys’ left out in their narratives was the element of the Greek gods.  Without this element, the community took these sources as more accurate and precise than the literature of Homer that had supposedly disappeared during this time.  Dares and Dictys became very popular in the medieval period, almost as popular as the stories of Arthur, Charlemagne and Alexander.  One feature that gave proof of the validity of the narratives was that Homer had mentioned Dares in the Iliad as being a Trojan priest.  
     A man named Cornelius Nepos was recognized as the historian to supposedly have translated and written these narratives in Latin from Greek, however these were written in the sixth century and Nepos was said to have died before this time.  Although these works were influential during the middle ages, they seem to have very little merit now.  Some scholars have argued that these stories are fraudulent and that the real account of the Trojan War is seen in Homer’s Iliad.  
     Because of the lack of evidence and the vagueness that surrounds Dares and Dictys, it is difficult for me to believe that these narratives were actual first hand accounts of the Trojan War.  It is more practical for me to believe that of Homers’ stories due to the fact that many other scholars have more concrete faith in earlier works.