Homer | Greek Mythology & History

Homer was an early Greek poet who lived around 700 BCE. He is known for two poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which tell the stories of ancient Greek heroes that shaped much of that mythology. There was much dispute about the author of these poems. It was for a long time believed that the Iliad was composed by a number of different poets, although more recent evidence suggests that a single poet, generally agreed upon as Homer. The Odyssey was also written around the same era, probably by a signle poet, although some people believe that its author lived shortly after the author of the Illiad.

Even the ancient Greeks were not in agreement about Homer—although his works were studied by all Greek students, there were many inconsistencies in teachings of his life and his origins. Some of the legends say that Homer was blind.

The Homeric Hymns were once attributed to Homer, although that mistake was later corrected.

(Read the entire text of The Iliad and The Odyssey online!)