Homer is the name traditionally given to the ancient Greek poet credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two foundational epic poems of ancient Greek literature, though no reliable biographical details about his life survive and scholars continue to debate whether one person composed both works, or indeed whether "Homer" represents a single historical author rather than a tradition of oral poets. The Iliad narrates an episode from the final year of the legendary Trojan War, centered on the wrath of the warrior Achilles, while the Odyssey follows the long journey home of the hero Odysseus after the war's end; both poems were likely composed, drawing on a long tradition of oral epic poetry, sometime in the eighth century BCE. The two works became the foundation of Greek education and literary culture for over a thousand years and have remained continuously influential on Western literature ever since.
Facts
Disputed
Birth YearHomer cannot be reliably dated; ancient and modern tradition places his floruit in the 8th century BCE, represented here at mid-century, not as a precise year. BirthplaceNo firm consensus; ancient tradition most often names Ionia, including the islands of Chios and Samos, as his home region 1 Homer's birthplace was disputed even in antiquity, with several cities competing for the claim; this records the most widespread ancient tradition, not a settled fact. Death PlaceTraditionally said to be the island of Ios 1 No account of Homer's life is independently verifiable; this reflects the most common ancient tradition about where he died, not a settled fact. RoleAncient Greek epic poet, traditionally credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey 1 Role
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Source Wikipedia: Homer
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1. Wikipedia: Homer
Wikipedialead paragraph
was an ancient Greek poet who is traditionally credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
Biographical traditions section, dating
possibly born c. 8th century BC
Biographical traditions section, birthplace
the most widespread that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region including the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, and the Greek islands of Chios and Samos.
Biographical traditions section, death
No one account of Homer's origin became mainstream, but most accounts of his death place its location on Ios.
Homer: Gender
Homer is the name traditionally given to the ancient Greek poet credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two foundational epic poems of ancient Greek literature, though no reliable biographical details about his life survive and scholars continue to debate whether one person composed both works, or indeed whether "Homer" represents a single historical author rather than a tradition of oral poets.
In Era: Classical Antiquity, lead paragraph, lifespan
It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC.
View the Source Wikidata: Homer
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