Go look at the stars. Now look at the paper. Now look at the stars. Now look at the paper. Now take one last look at the sky and count the number of visible stars. Not many, right? The problem of being a miniscule part of a vast Universe is our incapability to observe and understand the Universe, especially with the naked eye. Even in ancient Greece, people observed the skies, understanding it in order to locate their relative positions and noticing the movements of the sun and the moon. Many believe that a Greek cosmology does not form until the Pre-Socratic works of 600 B.C.E., but there are signs that point to the Greek tradition of epic poems as a means of communicating astronomical information, the first of which was written down by Homer, who is considered the first epic poet (Hetherington 54, Murnaghan l). Before delving into Homer’s poems, it is important to first understand the history of Greek civilization because his poems reflect several historic periods spanning hundreds of year. After 2000 B.C.E. Greek-speaking people arrived in what we call Greece, establishing the Mycenaean civilization, which thrived, becoming rich with powerful cities that were military strongholds and international trade centers (Murnaghan l). Through their trade with nearby islands, they adopted a “syllabary” system of writing from the Minoans, who flourished on the island Crete (Murnaghan l). However, the next evidence of Greek writing is not seen until the Phoenician alphabet is
He is considered by many people to be the earliest and most important of all the Greek writers, and one of the ancestor of the whole Western literary tradition. According to ancient.eu website, “He was a pioneer of evolution by the Greek society from pre-literate to literate, from a centuries old bardic tradition of oral verse to the then new technique of alphabetic writing.” Homer used dactylic hexameter verse in his writing.
A sketchy figure by the name of Homer is given credit for the two great epic poems of ancient Greece. The Odyssey and The Iliad influenced Greek culture, education, and morality. Little is known about Homer and many scholars question whether he existed at all. (Encarta) Some say two different unknown authors wrote the two poems. (Britannica) Others say that many oral poets were responsible for the finished products. (Britannica) In this report I will discuss the theories that support the existence of an author named Homer. I will present the theories concerning his place of origin and those concerning the century he was likely to have lived in. I will also discus the artifacts
Homer — attributed author of the Odyssey — is an enigma of mystery and wonder with unique tendencies. Since Homer was born in an era of pre-literacy, much speculation surrounds his birth (“Homer” 6). He was supposedly the son of Epikaste and Telemachus born around 8th to 7th century B.C. However, this is all conjecture since his ancestry is being traced from the Odyssey. Several cities claim Homer as their native son, yet the most compelling deduction is he was born in Ionia; the reasoning behind this is that the dialect that The Odyssey was written in is considered Ionic Greek (“Homer” 9). Whether he even existed is considered to be a great literary mystery — coined the “Homeric Question” (“Homer” 5). Nevertheless, he is said to be a bard
Not much is known about Homer, but according to Shelmerdine (2007), “Some scholars believe that Homer lived on the island of Khios or that he may have lived in a Greek city near the Aegean Sea. Homer is said to be the son of Epikaste and Telemuchus. According to www.classicalwisdom.com (2013) “Due to some parts in the Odyssey some scholars concluded that Homer may have been a young Sicilian woman” (p.2). Some scholars believe that “Homer” was a name given to many different poets who wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey. According to www.sacklunch.net (n.d) , “One thing that is certain about homer is that he lived considerably before the year 776 B.C” (p.1). According to www.ancientgreece.com (2012), “Before Homer wrote epic poems, he made his living as a court singer and a storyteller” (p.1). Homer was said to be blind because “Homer” was slang for a blind man in Ancient Greece. According to Www.ancientgreece.com (2012) “The Greek alphabet was also introduced around the 8th century so Homer must have been among the first rhapsodies that were literate (p.1).
Greek poetry before Homer was all composed orally; therefore it is assumed that Homer’s works are the first written works of art (Joachim Latacz, page 15). Scholars who have spent extensive time researching the origin of Homer’s work cannot verify a specific time the Iliad and the Odyssey were written (Latacz, 24). Many who have tried, usually run into a dead end, but it seems most have came to the conclusion that the poems were produced in the late eighteenth century (Latacz , 59).
When in 700 B.C.E alphabetic writing from Phoenicia came to Greece, writings from Homer were introduced, other philosophers such as Plato were able to write their thoughts down and exchange them. Some people argue that the drive for beauty lead to this rise, however it could also be argued that the drive to outperform rival states was the main cause for this, while others claim that because of the magistrates and the lack of authoritative priests, such as J.R. McNeill & William H. McNeill
The traditional subject and formulaic style of Homers poems explain in large measure the fact that the texts as we have them contain a mix of social and political data spanning the entire period from the time stated, the Mycenaean age, through the so called Dark Age down to the final, monumental poets own period, 750-700 B.C. Beyond this confusion of actual social and political material from several distinct historical periods, we cannot exclude the possibility of social and political practices which show the poets wishful inventions.
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey have been treasured for centuries as outstanding works of poetry and regarded among the greatest works of Greek literature. The Iliad and Odyssey evoke a sense of wonder at the exploits of the heroes while at the same time serving information for Ancient Greeks who look to Homer’s epics as a source of historical and cultural knowledge. Ancient Greeks most likely regarded the description of the hero’s epic adventures and exploits as representation of the cornerstone of their civilization. Homer’s epics recount the story of the unfolding events in weeks leading to the tenth year of the legendary Trojan War and the siege of the city of Troy. Homer most likely fixed the Iliad and Odyssey from the original oral form
There are many reasons to draw connections amongst Homer and Hesiod. The Greek poet, Homer, who came sometime in the 9th or 8th century B.C., in Ionia (modern-day Turkey), is the writer of “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”. Hesiod, came around 700 B.C., is often referred to as the “father of didactic poetry”. Hesiod wrote “Theogony” and “Works and Days”. Like Homer, not much is know about him a rhapsodist, a reciter of poems. Both composed in the dactylic hexameter, the traditional meter of Greek epic, and in an oral conventional tradition. Though the poets have many similarities they also have many difference as shown in their writing. From the role of women, the definition of valor and views towards religion hesiod and homer established many
Homer was believed to be a blind, Greek author who wrote his stories out of passion for the way of living in the ancient times. He wrote based on the lifestyles and events that occurred during the eight century BC.
The Mycenaeans civilization existed from 1900-1100BCE, with settlers originating from possibly Russia or the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Mycenaeans were known for advancing the Minoan language of “Linear A” to a primitive form of the Greek language, known as “Linear B” (Matthews, et. al, 2014). The Mycenaeans’ societal structure was considered to be heavily militarized and fortified in their civilizations (Osborne, 2016). This fortification essentially laid the foundations for the later Greek polis. Literary writings and poetry, such as Homer’s The Iliad and Odyssey borrowed from Mycenaean beliefs in heroes (Osborne, 2016).
Homer remains as one of the most influential poets’ in history. “The influence of Homer is felt down through the centuries, in Dante and Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton; such is his power that men who read no word of Greek and who had no access to translations spoke of Homer and his epics with deep reverence. After 2,700 years, it remains unsurpassed as the West 's
So information within them may lead to learning more about Homer. One theory is that Homer wrote himself within the poems as a character. On speculation is that in the Odyssey, Homer is the blind bard named Demodocus. He is not a major character but he does deliver a couple songs and some narrative in this epic. If this is Homer then it begs the question of is this what Homer was really like? Was he a blind poet or was he just adding a little flair to his personality.(G&F
The ancient Greeks and Romans contributed to western civilization in many different forms of literature and architecture. Both of these cultures produced a variety of literary works which are still studied today. One of the biggest contributions to literature was from the author known as Homer. Homer was known for two of ancient Greece’s most epic poems, The lliad and The Odyssey. Both of these poems have had a profound impact on western literature and continue to influence teachers and authors today. “The lliad and The Odyssey have provided not only seeds but fertilizer for almost all the other arts and sciences in
The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. His popularity comes from epic poems that he made, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had a tremendous effect on Western culture. Although his effect on Western culture is enormous, very little is known about this author Homer is a mystery. Some scholars believe him to be one man, while others think these iconic stories were created by a group. A variation on the group idea comes from the fact that storytelling was an oral tradition and Homer compiled the stories, then recited them to memory. Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek epic poems. His work