Homer Composes the Iliad
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory-476
- Categories: Literature, Publishing
- Subcategories: Authors, Writers, Poetry, Poets, Legends, Myths, Hellenistic Age, Ancient Greece
- Curriculum: Western Civilization/European History, Ancient History
- Geographical Location: Turkey
- Date: c. 750
Article abstract: Homer’s composition of the Iliad established the epic poem as a genre in Western literature and influenced the culture and literature of Europe for centuries.
Summary of Event
The Iliad (English translation, 1616) is a Greek epic poem of 15,693 lines that tells the story of the fall of the city of Troy to the Greeks. Written in dactylic hexameter, the poem was divided sometime in the third century b.c.e. into twenty-four books, each having from 424 to 909 lines.
The composition of the Iliad can be seen as both the...
[The entire page is 1632 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
