the iliad is the oldest surviving work of greek literature. it was an oral epic poem. people spoke it without reading it. it was written down in the 8th century bc. it is an epic (or very long) poem with 24 chapters written in hexameter. the poem includes early greek myths and legends. it may have been based on a bronze age attack on the city troy. people usually say that homer wrote the "iliad". however, scholars are not sure if the poem was really written by just one person.