The ancient Greek poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey is Homer. The two epic poems became foundational works of Greek literature: the Iliad focuses on Achilles and the Trojan War, while the Odyssey follows Odysseus’s long journey home after Troy falls.
The poems were composed in Homeric Greek, a literary language combining mainly Ionic and older elements. Scholars generally place their composition around the late 8th or early 7th century BCE, although the exact dates remain uncertain. They were transmitted through an oral poetic tradition before being written down and preserved in the form known today.
Homer’s historical identity is one of literature’s enduring mysteries. Ancient biographies often portrayed him as a blind poet from Ionia, but many details are legendary. Modern scholars debate whether one poet composed both epics, whether multiple poets contributed, and how oral performance shaped the texts. This debate is called the Homeric Question. Nevertheless, “Homer” remains the standard canonical answer because ancient tradition and the literary record associate both epics with that name.