The Iliad and the Odyssey, attributed to a poet called Homer, took shape in Ionia on the coast of Asia Minor around 750 to 700 BC, from a tradition of oral poetry that had been transmitted for centuries. The Iliad tells of a few weeks in the tenth year of the Trojan War and the wrath of Achilles; the Odyssey follows Odysseus's ten-year journey home. They were among the first works written in the new Greek alphabet, and Athenians recited them at festivals. They became the foundation of Greek education and a model for Western literature.
Before and after
- from 753 BCE to 46 BCERoman calendar
- from c. 753 BCE to 509 BCERoman Kingdom
- 21 April 753 BCEFounding of Rome
- from c. 750s BCE to 530sGandhara
- c. 750s BCEThe Homeric epics are composed
- from 747 BCE to 656 BCETwenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 729 BCEPiye of Kush conquers Egypt
- from 727 BCE to 715 BCETwenty-fourth Dynasty of Egypt
- from 722 BCE to 223 BCEChu
More in Art, literature & culture
- from c. 776 BCE to 500 CEAncient Olympic Games
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 8th century BCE.