Homer Biography

The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the greatest books the world has ever known. The vast detail of the locations described in these books, as well as the significant character development, really plunges the reader into the world being observed when reading these works. The Iliad is the tale of Achilles and his siege against Troy alongside the Greeks, and The Odyssey is the tale of Odysseus and his long journey home from the war. But what can be said about the author of some of Western cultures finest literature?

Unfortunately much of the information on Homer has been lost due to antiquity, but a lot of cross referencing other ancient literature and even studying ancient fighting techniques described in these works has been able to help pin point when and where Homer possibly lived. Through studying other works of historical events and comparing it with carbon dating of ancient artifacts, it can be said that Homer probably composed his works around 700 and 800 BCE. This could have been even up to 600 years after the events described in The Iliad and The Odyssey already had happened. This would make Homer amongst his people and during his time more of a poet and it has been rumored that Homer even may have been made up of more than one person.

However so, it has been said that possible birthplaces of Homer could have been in Chios, off the Aegean Sea. Or another birthplace is in Smyrna in modern day Turkey, once controlled by the Greeks. Homer’s works are said to not only be the beginning of Western literature but also to be the igniter of Western thought. Homers works have been read by some of the greatest minds the world as ever seen. People such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, President Lincoln, and even many other people who are still making their name recognized.

Sources:

Homer. Master Story Teller in the Age of Myth. By Michael J. Cummings