Anyone studying Homer’s poetry cannot overlook the pivotal event in both the Iliad and the Odyssey: the Trojan War. Odysseus' adventures occur following his involvement in the Greek campaign at Troy. The domestic issues he encounters upon his return stem from his prolonged absence during the war and his subsequent wanderings. The vast literature dedicated to this unique event underscores its importance to Homer’s contemporaries and subsequent generations.

Homer’s poetry portrays an era that is explicitly not his own, but a heroic age of the distant past. The archaeological discovery of Troy by Heinrich Schliemann in the nineteenth century A.D. has provided significant insights into this event. Schliemann uncovered nine city layers at a site that closely aligned with Homer’s description of the plains of Ilium. The seventh layer, a city destroyed by fire, thrived in the twelfth century B.C., roughly four hundred years before Homer’s time. Modern scholars identify this city as the Troy depicted in Homer’s works.

According to the Iliad, the Trojan War endured for a full decade before culminating in Troy’s destruction. Although it is improbable that such a siege lasted ten years (some scholars suggest it was as brief as ten days!), the event remained significant to future generations. Some critics argue that the portrayal of a unified Greece gave the poems a universal appeal. It is important to note that for most of ancient and classical Greek history, the city-state or polis was the primary unit of government, not a unified nation. Cities like Sparta, Athens, and Thebes operated under distinct systems of governance, although trade and culture were shared among the city-states. Conflicts between city-states were frequent, as was a tendency towards isolationism when external threats loomed over the Greek peninsula.

What stands out in Homer’s poems is not only the depiction of a collective effort by Greek cities but also the impartiality shown towards them. Some scholars believe this is because Homer resided across the Aegean Sea in Asia Minor, allowing him to write without bias towards any particular city.

Homer’s geographical distance from the Greek mainland may also explain why the Trojans, who were his neighbors in Asia Minor, are not portrayed as uncivilized barbarians but as noble figures, equal to their Greek adversaries. Indeed, many modern readers find themselves more drawn to Hector, the prince of Troy, than to the often self-absorbed and arrogant Achilles.

• Late Bronze Age (the era of the Odyssey): Governance is dominated by a few "great kings" (such as those of Egypt, the Hittite Empire, and Mycenae) who oversee vast territories, either directly or through alliances in loose confederations. Some of these alliances are formalized in treaties. Raiding and looting are fairly common, particularly in border regions far from central authority.

  Iron Age: While monarchies still exist, many areas have transitioned to aristocratic or oligarchic societies based on family or clan structures. The development of the polis, or city-state, is well underway. Inter-"national" cooperation is beginning to re-emerge following the isolation of the Dark Age.

  Late twentieth century: Various forms of government are in practice, with different types of democracies being more prevalent than monarchies. However, a relatively small number of "superpower" or highly influential nations still exist. High levels of cooperation are evident (e.g., the United Nations), though occasional conflicts persist.

• Late Bronze Age: Writing exists but is mostly in cumbersome, syllabic forms like Egyptian hieroglyphics, Mycenaean Linear A and B scripts, or Hittite/Akkadian cuneiform. Literacy is likely limited to the elite aristocracy and a professional class of scribes, bureaucrats, and diplomats.

  Iron Age: In the Greek-speaking world, literacy is beginning to resurface with a new alphabet where each letter represents a distinct sound instead of a whole syllable. Literacy is probably still confined to the upper classes and some professionals, such as rhapsodes and certain artists.

  Late twentieth century: The majority of people are literate, at least to the extent that they can manage their own business affairs.

• Late Bronze Age: Religious practices occur mainly in family or group settings. There may be designated spaces for cultic figures or idols, but formal, public worship sites are rare and hard to identify, if they existed at all.

  Iron Age: Family religious observances continue, especially in honoring ancestral graves. However, formal cultic centers are beginning to be established and are playing a more significant role as religious practices become more defined.

  Late twentieth century: Religious practices vary widely between countries and religions. Most major world religions have specific places designated for formal public worship, which are clearly identified and not used for other purposes. Many believers also have religious objects or items in their homes.