Student Question

Who were Homer's contemporaries and friends?

Quick answer:

Homer, the ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with The Iliad and The Odyssey, is challenging to place in a specific historical context due to debates about his existence and identity. However, the "Cyclic Poets" are considered roughly contemporary with him, encompassing various ancient Greek poets who contributed to the epic tradition. This group included works on theogonies, cosmogonies, and titanomachies, but specific personal friendships of Homer remain unknown.

Expert Answers

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I'm assuming you're asking about the epic poet Homer, author of The Odyssey and The Iliad. Both epics come from an oral tradition, and are long, narrative poems that describe journeying and war. Since some scholars believe it's unclear whether Homer was a single author or a collection of voices, it's difficult to tell who Homer's "friends" would have been (with later authors, it is often interesting to research a writer's milieu, or circle of friends). However, scholars call the group of poets roughly contemporary with Homer "Cyclic Poets" (definition at Merriam-Webster) and this group can include Theogonies, Cosmogonies, and Titanomachies (for a more complete list, see this page from the Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities).

However, perhaps you're talking about Homer Simpson, from the television show "The Simpsons." Homer has a group of friends he hangs out with regularly. These include Lenny, Moe the bartender, Lou the policeman, and Apu, the convenience store clerk.

Good luck, whether you're learning about cyclic poetry or TV!

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