Did Homer actually exist

Q. Well, did he

A. The historical facts of Homer's life remain unknown and will most likely never be known. Consequently many scholars today doubt the existence of Homer the man. However, this was not always the case: it wasn't until the publication of Prolegomena ad Homerum (The Homeric Problem), that this whole question began to be considered in earnest.

Q. The Homeric Problem

A. This was the title of a small book, written by one F.A. Wolf and published in 1795, which, for the first time, seriously questioned whether the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey truly existed. Over the last two centuries many different views on the matter emerged, though these can be cut down to three main theories.

Q. And they are

A. The first is the pre-Prolegomena ad Homerum view, that Homer was indeed a historical figure who composed the two epics as well as a number of lesser poems which have been attributed to him. Whether the poems were written down during his lifetime or later remains an open question.

The second theory posits that the epics were the work of several poets over a long period of time, which were attributed to a single poet at a later date.

The final theory follows on from the second: if the poems were the work of several people, then they had to be put collated by someone, and that individual may be Homer. It is always possible all these cases that Homer was actually the name of the scribe who wrote the poems down rather than the poet or poets.

No matter who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, we can assume that the texts which survive today are not as they were originally composed. Aside from actual textual emendations, the language changed over time, including the introduction of new forms and the replacement of archaic terms and usages, all done slowly over time.

Q. Does it matter

A. Maybe not, though it would be a remarkable achievement for one man to have composed poems more than 2,500 years ago which are still read and admired today. And the influence they have had on Western culture is incalculable.

Q. Just how influential

A. How long is a piece of string, to coin a clich The two epics are influential in the widest sense, for they provided the basis of Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of education during the Roman Empire and the early spread of Christianity.

With their translation into Latin in the mid 14th century - incidentally the translation was undertaken in Boccaccio's house - the Homeric epics had a profound impact on the Renaissance culture of Italy and subsequently the whole of Europe.

Homer's themes and styles have influenced writers Virgil to Petrarch to Dante. The most important modern work directly influenced by Homer recently is James Joyce's Ulysses, which revisits the Odyssey in a Dublin setting.

It could also be argued that modern archaeology came about as a direct result of the magic of Homer's work. The19th-century German Heinrich Schliemann was inspired to search for the site of ancient Troy after reading the Iliad as a child, and in so doing initiated a new, more scientific way of archaeological study.

See also the answerbank articles on Ulysses and the Decameron

For more on Arts & Literature click here

By Simon Smith