![Picture](/uploads/2/7/3/9/27394511/6026140_orig.jpg)
Homer
Born in the 8th century BC, Homer is one of the most famous authors of all time. Having written the Iliad and its partner book the Odyssey, the ancient writer still has many fans today, but because the author lived in a time that people today have only bits of pieces of record, no one really knows for sure much about him.
He is supposed to have been born in the Ionian region of Asia Minor or on the island of Chios. On the island of Chios, there is evidence that a bardic group of people used to inhabit the island, calling themselves Homeridae, or son of Homer. There is also speculation that Homer could have been a hostage sometime in his life or that he was blind, like the picture on the left insinuates. This theory comes from his name Homer which sounds like the Greek word for hostage or surety. In the ancient language, this usually meant that someone was forced to follow and had to be guided. This is where the theory that he may have been blind comes from.
Though he is mainly known for his works, Iliad and Odyssey, Homer is also considered the author of several other poems about the Trojan War. Little Iliad, Cypria, Nostoi, Epigoni, and the Theban poems about Oedipus.
Born in the 8th century BC, Homer is one of the most famous authors of all time. Having written the Iliad and its partner book the Odyssey, the ancient writer still has many fans today, but because the author lived in a time that people today have only bits of pieces of record, no one really knows for sure much about him.
He is supposed to have been born in the Ionian region of Asia Minor or on the island of Chios. On the island of Chios, there is evidence that a bardic group of people used to inhabit the island, calling themselves Homeridae, or son of Homer. There is also speculation that Homer could have been a hostage sometime in his life or that he was blind, like the picture on the left insinuates. This theory comes from his name Homer which sounds like the Greek word for hostage or surety. In the ancient language, this usually meant that someone was forced to follow and had to be guided. This is where the theory that he may have been blind comes from.
Though he is mainly known for his works, Iliad and Odyssey, Homer is also considered the author of several other poems about the Trojan War. Little Iliad, Cypria, Nostoi, Epigoni, and the Theban poems about Oedipus.
A statue of Homer in Munich, Germany