Homer

Homer was a Greek poet known for compiling the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey . Historians know almost nothing about him, and for a long time other writings now considered apocryphal were attributed to him. Homer's work on these epic poems made him a reference in the culture and mythology of the ancient Greeks.

To this day, Homer is considered one of the greatest sources of knowledge about Greek culture and mythology. , although the challenges surrounding his work are many. His two works referred to were written in a poetic metric widely used by the ancient Greeks, the dactylic hexameter.

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Summary on Homer

• Homer is believed to have been born sometime in the 8th century BC
• It is speculated that his birthplace was Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor.
• The ancient Greeks believed that he was blind and that he was called Melesigenes, but both are considered legends by historians.
• he was responsible for compiling the poems Iliad and Odyssey .
• His work was first published in 1488 by Demetrius Chalcondiles.

Who was Homer

Homer was a poet Greek who was marked in history for having composed the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey . Homer is understood as compiler and not author of these works because historians believe that he only collected poems that already existed in the Greek tradition and that were transmitted orally.

Homer is considered one of the main sources of knowledge about the culture and mythology of the ancient Greeks and occupied a position of great importance in Greek culture during the period Classic . However, the lack of information poses some challenges for historians in studying the works and life of this poet.

These problems start when formulating a biography about Homer, since we don't know exactly when he was born. Historians speculate that he was probably born sometime in the 8th century BC , and his birthplace is also unknown. Greek writings stated that he was born in Ionia, a region of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey).

In the Classical period, a number of Greek cities claimed the rank of having been the birthplace of Homer. One of the most accepted hypotheses, in this sense, is the city of Izmir , which was located on the west coast of Ionia. Other cities that claimed this post were Chios and Ios , for example.

There are ancient texts about Homer that state that he was called Melesigenes , in reference to the river Meles, which ran through the city of Smyrna. Historians have never been able to prove this claim and therefore it is now seen as a legend. Another rumor about Homer that appeared a lot in ancient texts was the assumption that he was blind, but this is also considered by historians to be unrealistic.

Homer's supposed blindness is considered legend by historians because the Greeks attributed to him other poems that were later considered apocryphal , that is, by unknown authors. Among them were the Homeric Hymns , in which a passage states that a poet from Chios was a blind man.

Other apocryphal texts wrongly attributed to Homer were Margites , Epigons , Batrachomyomachy , between others. The ancient Greeks also pointed out that Homer would have been contemporary of Hesiod , another important Greek oral poet, and met him on certain occasions, information difficult to be confirmed by historians today.

Homer is believed to have died on the island of Ios , but it is not known when this would have happened or under what circumstances. A Greek legend claims that he died three days after he slipped on the bank of a river and hit his head on a rock. However, historians suggest that he must have died a common death, the result of illness or advancing age.

Some historians also suggest that Homer did not exist and that this name actually corresponded to a series of Greek poets who would have worked in the production of epics.

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Homer's Poems:Iliad and Odyssey

We have seen that the two works attributed to Homer are the poems Iliad epics and Odyssey . It was also mentioned that Homer is not considered the author of them, but the one who compiled them in written form, as they were poems that were part of Greek oral culture, being transmitted from generation to generation.

A Iliad , most likely, was written in the late 8th century BC. or early 7th century BC. and composed of 15,693 lines in dactylic hexameter , a form of poetic meter very common in Archaic period Greece. Furthermore, it has been divided into 24 corners, each corresponding to a letter of the Greek alphabet.

The Iliad addresses the final moments of the War from Troy , conflict that would have happened between Greeks and Trojans. According to the narrative, this war started because Paris, prince of Troy, had kidnapped Helen, wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. In addition to these, one of the protagonists of the poem was Achilles , a great warrior who fought on the side of the Greeks.

Historians debate the existence of the Trojan War and whether the epic poem mentions a conflict or a series of conflicts that would have involved Troy, a city that was in Asia Minor. Still, it is speculated that this war may have taken place between the 13th century BC. and XII BC . Therefore, Homer was not the eye spectator of this event. Historians now know that a sack took place in Troy around the 12th century BC, and it is speculated that the Trojan War may have been a conflict between Mycenaeans and Hittites.

The Iliad narrated by Homer has numerous mentions of events in Greek mythology, since the Greek gods played a very important role in the history of this conflict.

A Odyssey , in turn, was written in 12,109 dactylic hexameter versions and divided into 24 corners. The story narrated in this poem takes place shortly after the end of the Trojan War, which ended with the Trojan defeat. The Odyssey tells the 10-year saga of Odysseus' return to his homeland, the island of Ithaca.

It is important to mention that Odysseus, central character in the Odyssey , also appears in the Iliad . That's because he was aimportant soldier of the Greek army, acting, in many moments, as adviser to Agamemnon, king of the Greeks. Odysseus assumed important roles throughout the Trojan War. After the conflict, as mentioned, the warrior still went through great adventures in returning to his homeland.

The two poems of Homer are believed to have survived to the present day thanks to the compilation and organization carried out by an Athenian tyrant who lived in the 6th century BC. called Pisistratus . The first modern edition of Homer's work was published in 1488 by Demetrius Chalcondiles .

• Video lesson on the Odyssey from Homer