--- title: Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy author: Simeon Netchev source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15242/map-of-the-world-of-homers-iliad-c-1200-bce/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) updated: 2026-06-19 --- # Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy _Authored by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/)_ ## Image File [![Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15242.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15242.png) ## Image Caption The key places, peoples, and commanders associated with [Homer](https://www.worldhistory.org/homer/)’s [Iliad](https://www.worldhistory.org/iliad/) form a poetic geography of the Late [Bronze Age Aegean](https://www.worldhistory.org/Bronze_Age_Aegean/) and western [Anatolia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/). Although the epic was probably composed in the 8th century BCE, it is set in the legendary final year of the [Trojan War](https://www.worldhistory.org/Trojan_War/), traditionally imagined several centuries earlier. Its world reflects memories of [Mycenaean](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/) [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) society, maritime mobility, warrior elites, and fragile alliance networks linking rulers such as [Agamemnon](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Agamemnon/) of [Mycenae](https://www.worldhistory.org/mycenae/), [Menelaus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Menelaus/) of [Sparta](https://www.worldhistory.org/sparta/), Nestor of [Pylos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pylos/), [Odysseus](https://www.worldhistory.org/odysseus/) of Ithaca, [Achilles](https://www.worldhistory.org/achilles/) of Phthia, and Idomeneus of [Crete](https://www.worldhistory.org/crete/). The Achaean expedition should not be understood as a unified [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) nation-state, but as a coalition of regional rulers and commanders bound by oaths, prestige, kinship, rivalry, and the demands of heroic honour. The Trojan [War](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) was placed by ancient chronographers at different dates, broadly between the 14th and 12th centuries BCE, and is often associated with the period of crisis and collapse that affected many eastern [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/) societies around c. 1200 BCE. The historicity of a single Homeric Trojan War remains debated, but archaeological work at *Hisarlik*, widely identified with ancient [Troy](https://www.worldhistory.org/troy/), has revealed destruction levels that correspond to possible conflict in the Late [Bronze Age](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Bronze_Age/). As a historical source, the Iliad must therefore be read critically: it is not a documentary record, but a layered epic in which myth, memory, oral tradition, and later poetic composition preserve echoes of older political, social, and military realities. Its enduring value lies not in proving the war exactly as narrated, but in revealing how early [Hellenic](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/) communities imagined power, honour, leadership, violence, and the heroic past. #### Editorial Review This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## About the Author Simeon is a freelance visual designer and history educator, passionate about the human stories that shape the past. - [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeon-netchev/) ## Cite This Work ### APA Netchev, S. (2026, June 19). Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy. *World History Encyclopedia*. ### Chicago Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy." *World History Encyclopedia*, June 19, 2026. . ### MLA Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the World of Homer’s Iliad, c. 1200 BCE: The Aegean Bronze Age and the Epic World Around Troy." *World History Encyclopedia*, 19 Jun 2026, . ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/ "User Page: Simeon Netchev"), published on 19 June 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0deed.en). 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