The Iliad By Homer And The Trojan War

The blind poet, Homer, brought about the worldwide known epic poems called The Iliad and The Odyssey in the 8th century; which narrates significant events of the Trojan War, Greek siege of the city Troy and its fall. These epics started a monomania for historians, archaeologists and others to contest and contend whether or not there was a historical Trojan War. There are many differing opinions on the subject matter, though it seems that the scenario of Homer's epic poem being loosely based on actual historical events seems to be the most likely. That instead of a ten year long war between Greeks and Trojans started by the abduction of Queen Helen of Sparta, there was hardly a war at all. More so, a set of attacks or even skirmishes throughout a period of time that got embellished over hundreds of years. …show more content…
We must first take into account that Homer’s epics were about a time “at least five hundred years before the poet’s own time” (Bryce 187). Which means that Homer’s inspiration for his poems must have come from oral transmissions passed down hundreds of years, from generation to generation. Historical events could easily be changed and embellished, if not by people passing the accounts to other generations, possibly even by Homer himself. Homer was a poet, and by no means a historian. A poet is meant to entertain an audience easily adding what those of the time would want to hear. Though this is not to say that “the basis of the Iliad was indeed a conflict between Mycenaean Greeks and Trojans” (Bryce 187). Just that we cannot rely too heavily on the epics as truths and as