The Odyssey

by Homer

Greek literature includes the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epics written about 1200 years before the Common Era (or before the birth of Jesus).  The Greeks believed a storyteller named Homer wrote the poems.  We don’t know much about Homer, we don’t even know he existed, but the Iliad and the Odyssey give us an insight into early Greek civilization.
The ancient Greeks considered the Iliad and the Odyssey great ancient literature in the sixth century before the Common Era.  The epics’ dialect suggests that Homer came from the western coast of the modern nation of Turkey.  Greek legends suggest that Homer was blind, but the vivid imagery of the Iliad and the Odyssey suggest that the author of the poems must have had sight at some point in his life.  Modern scholars believe that the epics were based on oral legends, but it would be difficult for many people to memorize the long epics.  This suggests that the Greeks had some form of writing long before their civilization flourished.

Gods and Monsters
Study Guide Questions
| chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5 |
| chapter 6 | chapter 7 | chapter 8 | chapter 9 | chapter 10 |
The Lost Chapter
Map the Odyssey
Elements of an Epic
Odysseus: A Man of Character
The Odyssey Simulation

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