Homer is traditionally credited with composing the Iliad, the ancient Greek epic about Achilles and Troy. The poem tells part of the Trojan War, focusing on Achilles’ anger and its consequences during a short period near the end of the conflict.
Ancient tradition also associates Homer with the Odyssey. Modern scholars debate how the poems were created, transmitted, and eventually written down, because no independently verified biography of Homer survives. The name may represent a historical poet, a traditional authorial figure, or a way of describing an oral poetic tradition.
The Iliad was composed in the Greek language using dactylic hexameter. Its 24-book structure became standard in antiquity. The poem should not be treated as a complete account of the war: events such as the wooden horse and the fall of Troy belong mainly to other traditions and later works.