There is no reliable information about the place and time of his birth. It is believed that Homer lived
around the 8th century BC in one of the 7 cities in Ionia: Athens, Rhodes, Argos, Salamis, Smyrna,
Colophon, Chios. It is also customary to depict Homer as blind, following the traditions of the ancient
period. At that time, many famous soothsayers and poets were deprived of their sight, and the Greeks
saw some connection in this.
In the description of Homer's life, there is an episode related to a poetic duel at the games in honor of
the deceased Amphidemus, where Homer and Hesiod read their best poems. Despite the fact that the
public sympathies were on the side of Homer, the victory went to his opponent, who praised the world
and agriculture in his poems.
Homer is considered the forefather of European literature. It is with the poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey",
the author of which is a great poet, that acquaintance with world literature begins. However, scientists
have questioned its authorship since the 18th century. All controversies and problems regarding the
origin and creation of these poems are called the "Homeric question".
According to researchers, the famous poems were created after the Trojan War, and were based on
myths and legends. The epics were written in the 8th century BC, tell about military actions in the
territories of ancient Greece, about heroes of legends and historical characters.