What is Homer?
{{About|the Ancient Greek|the TV character from [[The Simpsons]]|Homer Simpson}} [[File:British Museum (44437274571).jpg|thumb|Bust of Homer in the British Museum]] '''Homer''' is the name of the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] poet who wrote the [[epic poem]]s the ''[[Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Odyssey]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MINOA/HOMER.HTM|publisher=wsu.edu|title=Homer|access-date=2010-05-01|archive-date=2010-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527174651/http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MINOA/HOMER.HTM|url-status=dead}}</ref> These are the earliest works of Greek literature which have survived to the present day, and are among the greatest treasures of the ancient world. They are a product of [[Mycenaean culture]]. The Iliad tells the story of the [[Trojan war]], which took place around 1190 BC. The manuscripts of Homer were written much later, probably later than 800 BC. ==The history== What makes the history of this period so difficult is that the Mycenaean civilization was followed by several hundred years of decline, from which little or no writing has survived. This period, the [[Greek Dark Ages]], ended around 800 BC, when once again we find Greek writing, though this time in their newly developed [[alphabet]]ic script. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility that the Homeric epics had a life, perhaps a long life, as oral literature, spoken by story-tellers. We know little about Homer, and the later Greeks also knew little about him. Some have doubted he was a real person; others think he was a [[woman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism/Posts/00004001.html|title=rogueclassicism: Homer a Woman?|website=www.atrium-media.com}}</ref> A [[legend]], has it that he was a [[blind]] poet who lived in [[Ionia]]. There is no definite evidence for any of these ideas. There is [[archaeology|archaeological]] evidence that Troy existed. The site of Troy has been discovered, and excavated. Therefore, it is a fair guess that the epic began as a long oral p