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Odyssey
Homer's Odyssey is an epic poem written in the 8th century BCE which describes the long voyage home of the Greek hero Odysseus. The mythical king sails back to Ithaca with his men after the Trojan War but is beset by all kinds of delays and...
Definition
Homer
Homer (c. 750 BCE) is perhaps the greatest of all epic poets and his legendary status was well established by the time of Classical Athens. He composed (not wrote, since the poems were created and transmitted orally, they were not written...
Video
The Odyssey Summarised - Context, Themes and Importance
The Odyssey is the second epic poem, following the Iliad, attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, a poem both epic in length and in content with the Hero Odysseus facing numerous monsters, goddesses, and even a trip to the underworld...
Definition
Ancient Greek Literature
Greek literature has influenced not only its Roman neighbors to the west but also countless generations across the European continent. Greek writers are responsible for the introduction of such genres as poetry, tragedy, comedy, and western...
Video
A Long and Difficult Journey, or The Odyssey: Crash Course Literature 201
In which John Green teaches you about Homer's Odyssey. If it was Homer's If Homer was even real. Anyway, that stuff doesn't really matter. John teaches you the classic, by which I mean classical, epic poem, the Odyssey. The Journey of Odysseus...
Definition
Thersites
Thersites is a character in the Iliad who made a stand against Agamemnon and the enterprise of the Trojan War. Homer chose to add Thersites’ speech after Achilles’ infamous dispute with Agamemnon, probably to emphasize the struggles that...
Definition
Menelaus
Menelaus (also Menelaos) is a figure from ancient Greek mythology and literature who was the king of Sparta and the husband of beautiful Helen, whose abduction by the Trojan prince Paris sparked off the legendary Trojan War. The story is...
Article
The Banquet Stele of Ashurnasirpal II
When he came to the throne in 884 BCE, Ashurnasirpal II had to attend to revolts which broke out across the empire. He ruthlessly put down all rebellions, destroyed the rebel cities and, as a warning to others, impaled, burned, and flayed...
Definition
Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis were monsters from Greek mythology thought to inhabit the Straits of Messina, the narrow sea between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Preying on passing mariners, Scylla was a terrible creature with six heads and twelve...
Image
Homer
A 1st century CE portrait of the Greek blind poet Homer, celebrated author of the Iliad and Odyssey. This bust is based on a 5th century BCE original but even that was an idealised representation as no contemporary portrait existed. (Vatican...