Who Was Homer? The Iliad, the Odyssey and English Phrases to Talk About Epics
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the debate about who he was, their long study history, and English phrases you can use to talk about epic stories.
Homer was an ancient Greek poet traditionally credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
He was possibly born around the 8th century BC.
Scholars continue to debate Homer's identity and existence in the debate known as the "Homeric Question."
Scholars generally regard the Iliad and the Odyssey as the works of separate authors.
What can we really say about Homer's life?
Homer was possibly born around the 8th century BC.
The earliest implicit references to Homer date to the 7th century BC in works by Archilochus, Alcman, Tyrtaeus, and Callinus.
Many ancient accounts described Homer as a blind bard from Ionia, including Chios and Samos.
Ancient traditions offered many claimed birthplaces for Homer, including Cyme, Chios, Smyrna, Argos, Pylos, and Athens, with most accounts placing his death on Ios.
Two epigrams by Alcaeus of Messene commemorate Homer’s death and burial on the island of Ios.
In the Hadrianic period, a tradition existed claiming Epicaste and Telemachus were the parents of Homer.
Modern scholars consider the traditional biographical accounts of Homer to be historically apocryphal or "legendary."
Scholars continue to debate Homer's identity and existence in the debate known as the "Homeric Question."
When were the Iliad and the Odyssey composed?
The poems are thought to have been composed around the late eighth or early seventh century BC.
The Iliad and the Odyssey are thought to have been composed around the late eighth or early seventh century BC.
Most researchers believe the Homeric poems were originally transmitted orally.
What are the Iliad and the Odyssey about?
The Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War.
The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, returning home after the fall of Troy.
The epics depict man's struggle, with the Odyssey especially showing Odysseus persevering through the punishment of the gods.
The Homeric poems, though serious, also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homeric Greek and epic style
The poems are written in Homeric Greek, also called Epic Greek, which mixes Ionic and Aeolic dialect features with a predominant Eastern Ionic influence.
Most researchers believe the Homeric poems were originally transmitted orally.
Homer in ancient education and culture
Homeric poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor.
The Iliad and the Odyssey were widely used as school texts and were the first literary works taught to students in ancient Greek and Hellenistic cultures.
Study of Homer is one of the oldest topics in scholarship, dating back to antiquity.
Commentaries and the first printed Homer
Byzantine scholars like Eustathius produced extensive commentaries on Homer in the 12th century, including massive works on the Iliad and Odyssey.
Eustathius of Thessalonica produced massive commentaries on the Iliad and the Odyssey, with the Iliad commentary spanning nearly 4,000 oversized pages in a modern printed version and the Odyssey commentary nearly 2,000 pages.
In 1488 Demetrios Chalkokondyles published the editio princeps of the Homeric poems in Florence.
Other works once attributed to Homer
In antiquity many other works were sometimes attributed to Homer, including the Homeric Hymns, the Little Iliad, the Nostoi, the Thebaid, the Cypria, and the Batrachomyomachia, though these attributions are not considered authentic today.
How later writers praised Homer
Plato said Homer "has educated Greece."
In Dante's Divine Comedy, Virgil calls Homer "Poet sovereign."
Alexander Pope wrote that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets."
The Iliad and the Odyssey inspired many later works of literature, music, art, and film from antiquity to the present.
Homer's timeline at a glance
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 8th century BC | Homer possibly born (approximate date given). |
| Late 8th–early 7th century BC | The Iliad and the Odyssey are thought to have been composed around this period. |
| 7th century BC | The earliest implicit references to Homer appear in works by Archilochus, Alcman, Tyrtaeus, and Callinus. |
| Antiquity (various centuries) | Homeric poems became central school texts and the first literary works taught to students in Greek and Hellenistic cultures. |
| Hadrianic period | A tradition claimed Epicaste and Telemachus were the parents of Homer. |
| 12th century | Byzantine scholars like Eustathius produced extensive commentaries on Homer, including massive works on the Iliad and Odyssey. |
| 1488 | Demetrios Chalkokondyles published the editio princeps of the Homeric poems in Florence. |
English expressions from Homer’s story
Because this article is in English, we will use Homer’s story to notice some useful English phrases you can reuse for your own speaking and writing.
“be traditionally credited as …”
Homer was an ancient Greek poet traditionally credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
You can use “be traditionally credited as …” when people commonly say that someone did something, even if details are uncertain.
- Practice sentence (not a historical statement): In our family, my grandmother is traditionally credited as the inventor of a secret soup recipe.
“chronicles the … journey of …”
The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, returning home after the fall of Troy.
The pattern “chronicles the … journey of …” is useful to describe stories that carefully follow a long trip or process.
- Practice sentence (imagined story): The documentary chronicles the long journey of a young artist looking for her own style.
“centers on a quarrel between … and …”
The Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War.
The phrase “centers on a quarrel between A and B” helps you explain the main conflict of a book or film.
- Practice sentence (film description): The drama centers on a quarrel between two sisters over their parents’ old house.
“were widely used as school texts”
The Iliad and the Odyssey were widely used as school texts and were the first literary works taught to students in ancient Greek and Hellenistic cultures.
You can adapt this as “X is widely used as a school text” when you describe books that many students study.
- Practice sentence (generic): This novel is widely used as a school text in advanced literature classes.
“has educated …”
Plato said Homer "has educated Greece."
You can use the pattern “X has educated Y” for a writer, artist, or work that strongly influenced a group of people.
- Practice sentence (personal): This small book has educated me more than any long course.
“has always been considered the ‘…’”
Alexander Pope wrote that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets."
The structure “has always been considered the ‘…’” is useful when you report a long-standing reputation.
- Practice sentence (imagined place): This café has always been considered the “heart” of our neighborhood.
Using the “Retriever and Language Study” app with epic stories
The app "Retriever and Language Study" assembles a personalized course when a user selects a historical or classical-literature figure.
The app offers courses in four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.
In the app each character speaks to the learner, gives problems, and praises correct answers in the learner's native language.
The app provides conversational practice where the character and learner speak as if on a call, and the conversation is an AI recreation of the character rather than the character's actual historical speech.
The app encourages daily practice with a streak feature and allows limited daily activity described as "today's amount."
A Plus subscription in the app removes the heart limit so learners can study without that restriction.
Practice task: describe an epic of your own
Here is a language exercise you can try, using the patterns from Homer’s story.
- Invent a completely fictional epic story: choose a hero, a main conflict, and a long journey.
- Write three English sentences about it, using these patterns:
is traditionally credited as …centers on a quarrel between … and …chronicles the … journey of …
- Optionally, read your sentences aloud or use any speaking tool you like to practice saying them smoothly.
Example (model answer, not a historical quote)
“The bard Lyra is traditionally credited as the author of the Star-Sea Epic. The poem centers on a quarrel between the sky-king and his bravest navigator. It chronicles the long journey of the navigator as she sails from one constellation to another, trying to find her way home.”
Short explanation: the first sentence uses is traditionally credited as … to show reputation, the second uses centers on a quarrel between … and … to state the central conflict, and the third uses chronicles the long journey of … to describe the epic voyage.
If you are using "Retriever and Language Study," you can select any available historical or classical-literature figure inside the app, let the character give you problems in your target language, and then try to reuse these expressions when you answer or summarize the story in your own words.
You can also keep a simple notebook where you collect sentences about Homer that use patterns like “chronicles the journey of …” or “was widely used as a school text,” and then rewrite them with your own heroes and books; try this as a small daily habit you repeat after reading or study sessions.