Is the Iliad a reliable historical source?
Homer is an historical figure. This is because Homers epics the Iliad and the Odyssey are the foremost leading sources for information on a beneficial number of mythological figures. The Iliad is a reliable source of information about the city of Troy in the late Bronze Age.
Is Odysseus real?
Archaeologists believe they have found the palace of Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca and hero of Homer’s epic poem. They believe that the 8th BC century palace which they have discovered in Ithaca, in the Ionian Seas west of mainland Greece, proves that he was a real historical figure.
Is Homer’s Iliad historically accurate?
For centuries, Homer’s epic Iliad was taken as literal interpretation of the Trojan War. Only rather recently has the reliability and accuracy of the Iliad in terms of depicting the war come into question. Modern historians and scholars have come to the same conclusion that the Iliad is not to be perceived as entirely historically accurate.
Was the Iliad written by a real person?
Although attributed to Homer, “The Iliad” is clearly dependent on an older oral tradition and may well have been the collective inheritance of many singer-poets over a long period of time (the historical Fall of Troy is usually dated to around the start of the 12th Century BCE).
Does the Iliad illustrate the events of the Trojan War?
Both historians believed that the Iliad did illustrate the events of the Trojan War, yet even so, Herodotus disagreed with Homer’s account of the abduction of Helen and accused him of favouring that version in order to suit his narrative and to enhance the drama.
Is the Iliad a good poem for a first-time reader?
The Iliad is a great poem, but also one which presents a number of difficulties for the first-time reader. This page is designed to be a jumping-off point to help you overcome some of the common difficulties readers have with Homer’s Iliad, and also to provide tools to enhance and deepen your reading of the poem.