Why read The Iliad and The Odyssey?

Answer 1

Greek mythology!! The Iliad is an epic poem about the Trojan war. This war obviously never happened. It was passed down from generation to generation as an oral poem. It wasn't written until the fifth century BC. It is not known who wrote the poem but it is attributed to Homer. The Odyssey is another epic also attributed to Homer. It follows the Trojan war and the fall of Troy. They are both major Greek epics and were studied by scholars in ancient times. The ancient Greeks believed that these poems were in fact history and that their ancestors fought in the Trojan war and that they were decended from the heroes of the Epics. Today they are studied as important parts of Greek mythology. They are fairly heavy reads if you are to study them. Otherwise, you might enjoy to read about Achilles and Odysseus.