The Illiad by Homer Homer The Ancient Inspiration

A wise man once said, â€Å"Like that star of the waning summer who beyond all stars rises bathed in the ocean stream to glitter with brilliance† (Homer 22). This is a beautiful line from Homer’s The Iliad. It is a comparison to the stars describing someone or something that stands out amongst an ordinary crowd and proves himself. This seems to fit Homer’s description perfectly. Despite the fact that his life was a mystery, Homer, â€Å"The teacher of Greece†, is legendary due to the multiple theories about his existence, his poems, and his beliefs. To begin, Homer had a very incomprehensible life that scholars have been researching for many years. One historian stated, â€Å"In the absence of documented evidence, beginning in the Renaissance, disputes arose over exactly when Homer had lived and how he had composed these works. Some scholars even suggest that a historical Homer had never existed and that The Iliad and The Odyssey had evolved over time wi th input from many unidentified poets† (Zanker 15). Although the time range of Homer’s life remains unknown, some place Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries B.C, or at a time contemporary to The Iliad. It is most commonly said that he was born in Asia Minor, but specifically Ionia or the Island of Chios. The dialect of The Iliad is considered to be Ionic. Homer’s unknown past led to many inquiries about his life and his true identity. Next, because of Homer’s puzzling background, there are many theories as to who Homer really was. OneShow MoreRelatedJacques Louis David, Andromache Mourning Hector1145 Words   |  5 PagesAndromache Mourning Hector (1783) Homeric inspiration, allusion and grandeur is no better typified than that of Jacques-Louis David’s 1783 painting Andromache Mourning Hector. David, a neoclassical artist and later influent to the latter Romantic movement, blends various elements and allusions of Homeric times to his artwork, encapsulating important Homeric textual and philosophical references. Masterfully, David engages audience with four central themes of the illiad; the rage of Achillies, Hectors deathRead MoreThe Trojan War : History Not Myth1545 Words   |  7 Pagesbattles. This battle is told to have lasted ten years, resulting in the eventual collapse of Troy, under the siege of Greek forces. Modern knowledge of the Trojan War has survived mainly through the account given in Homer’s Illiad, and while having proved to be a rich source of inspiration for other writers, artists, and even filmmakers in recent history, much speculation still exists surrounding his account. I will analyze modern inte rpretations of the Trojan War and examine both speculation and supportRead MoreThe Greek s Victory Over Persia989 Words   |  4 Pagesnot only an era, but of cultural expansion that continues to impact our modern day society. The accomplishments and endeavors of the Ancient Greeks, both visible, such as arts and architecture, as well as intellectually in areas such as philosophy, science and government continue to influence the world today. Many or none of these influential elements of Ancient Greece would have come to fruition in such a†¦. way if the Greeks had not defeated the Persians. The freedom to think and expand providedRead MoreDid the Ancient Greek Gods Exist?1234 Words   |  5 PagesDid the Ancient Greek Gods exist? The Ancient Greeks regarded their religion and mythology with much respect and loyalty. Although the Ancient Greek Gods are now seen as an explanation created by man, for natural forces and the world around us, there has been much evidence both for and against the debate that these Gods were real. The Greeks believed that the Earth was created with the birth of Gaia, or Mother Earth, from the dark void known as Chaos. It was believed that Gods were all-powerfulRead MoreAn Integral Part Of The Culture Of Ancient Greece1986 Words   |  8 Pages Polytheism was an integral part of the culture of ancient Greece. Polytheism is the belief of multiple gods.This allowed for a very diverse society in terms of belief and kept the conflicts between people of different beliefs to a minimum, although not entirely. In ancient Greece, many of the people followed one of the fourteen major gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera. These fourteen gods were theRead More Comparing the Struggle in Dante’s Inferno and Book VI of The Aeneid4312 Words   |  18 PagesAeneid and the Inferno are associated with history, both literally through Virgil’s poetry and metaphorically through their enduring wisdom in eyes of the pilgrim and Aeneas. For Aeneas and the pilgrim, however, religious history evolves from an ancient world of paganism to medieval Christianity and these values are transposed onto hell itself--showing that its history changes over time. Furthermore, the living realities that the pilgrim and Aeneas take into the underworld prove unstable when juxtaposed