Homer Ionian poet who lived in Antiquity is considered to be the compiler of the Iliad and Odyssey epics. He is believed to have lived in Smyrna (Izmir) region. Let’s learn more about Homer and Troy
Little is known about his life. Homer meant ‘slave’ as the name genus in Ancient Greek linguistics. It is rumored that he lived during the Trojan War by Classical Age writers who came after him. It is also estimated that he lived in the second half of the 8th century BC. The British scientist George Thomson, as a result of his investigations in his book Prehistoric Aegean, states that Chios is the most likely place of birth of Homer. Then he emphasizes another high possibility, Smyrna (today’s Izmir) might be his birthplace too. However, even if a poet named Homer lived in reality, there are also researchers who think that there is not a single bard who created or compiled these epics. Another well known fact about Homer suggests that he was blind.
Homer’s most important works are his epics. These epics, called Iliad and Odyssey which constitute the basis of all Greek culture. Homer’s epics may sound very old and childish at first glance for today’s readers. Those who do not like mythology and fantastic narration probably will find them absurd. However, in these texts, there are many basic drives and emotions of human beings which of those have not changed for centuries. It is these characteristics that make Iliad and Odyssey “classical” in all ages.
Moreover, the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are, on the one hand, the harbinger of Greek tragedies, on the other hand, the narrative style in the epics written in a simple language, or rather spoken, is the pioneer of the flow of consciousness technique of modern literature. The stories told in Iliad and Odyssey have been transmitted between the past and the present by breaking the flow of time.
The epics Homer wrote deeply influenced the Classical Age Greek Literature and Mythology. Homer influenced all western literature through them. The Irish writer James Joyce’s Ulysses, the English writer Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, the Roman poet Virgil’s Aeneid are among the works that bear deep traces from the epics of Homer.
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