Homer: A Brief Introduction
Posted on | July 10, 2008 |
Homer is a world famous ancient Greek poet, believed to be the author of the epic and hugely influential works entitled the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”. Both works have been widely published in several languages, and are frequently used as a reference when citing Greek mythology. Although no biographical information about Homer has been handed down from classical antiquity, the ancient Greeks firmly believed that Homer was a historian.
Several skeptics, including renowned classics scholar Martin West, maintain that Homer is not a historical poet, but rather a fictitious character. West believes that Homer’s works were actually collective works of several poets. However, British classical scholar Geoffrey Kirk has stated that he believes both works can be attributed to one very talented individual, who used various traditional stories as inspiration for his writings.
The era of Homer is a subject of much debate, and has been that way for hundreds of years. It is unclear exactly when the man or the fictitious character came to be. Among contemporary scholars, “the date of Homer” generally refers to the time the poems were created as well as the lifetime of Homer the individual. According to Greek historian Herodotus, Homer predated him by about 400 years, which would mean Homer’s lifetime was somewhere around 850 BC. However, even older sources suggest that the date of Homer may very well date as far back as the Trojan War (roughly around the 12th century BC). Modern scholars place the date of Homer somewhere between the end of the 9th century BC and the 8th. The Iliad is generally believed to have come before the Odyssey, making it the oldest known work of western literature.
During the period of late antiquity, which falls on the timeline near the end of classical antiquity and before the Middle Ages, the popularity of the Greek language greatly declined in Western Europe, which was dominated by Latin speakers. Because of this, Homer’s poems began to fade into obscurity. It wasn’t until the 15th century in Italy that Homer’s works once again began to receive recognition. The first known edition came to be in 1488.
Homer’s works are currently studied by historical and literary scholars worldwide. They are also credited for having a substantial impact on Greek history as well as culture. When studying Greek mythology, it is almost impossible to avoid a citing from one of Homer’s epic works.
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