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| ⚫ | [[Image:Auguste Leloir - Homère.jpg|thumb|300px|''Homer'', by Auguste Leloir (1841)]] |
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| ⚫ | '''Ancient accounts of Homer''' include numerous passages in which archaic and classical [[Greek poetry|Greek poets]] and prose authors mention or allude to [[Homer]]. In addition, they include the ten biographies of Homer, often referred to as the ''[[Life of Homer (Pseudo-Herodotus)|Lives]]''. |
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[[Image:Auguste Leloir - Homère.jpg|thumb|300px|Homer |
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There are no known records directly dating Homer other than his writings of the ''[[Odyssey]]'' and the ''[[Iliad]]''. All accounts are based on tradition. The periodization hinted in written records comes from [[Herodotus]], who maintained that [[Hesiod]] and Homer lived no more than 400 years before his own time, therefore around 850 BC.<ref>Herodotus, ''Histories'' 2.53.</ref> Artemon of [[Clazomenae]], an [[annalist]], gave [[Arctinus of Miletus]], a pupil of Homer, a birth date of 744 BC. It is assumed he lived between 750-700 BC.{{clarify|reason=Previous two dates are 850 BC and a pupil born 744 BC, so why assume 750-700 i.e. the latter end pls?|date=April 2023}}<ref>Homer; Rieu, EV (translator); Rieu, DCH (editor); Jones, Peter (editor): ''The Odyssey'' (Penguin, 2003), p. ''i''.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | [[Image:Lafond Sappho and Homer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|250px|left|[[Sappho]] sings for Homer, Charles Nicolas Rafael Lafond, 1824]] |
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Establishing an accurate date for Homer's life presents significant difficulties. No documentary record of his life is known to have existed other than his writings of the ''Odyssey,'' as well as the ''Iliad.'' All accounts are based on tradition. Only one explicit date exists. [[Herodotus]] maintains that [[Hesiod]] and Homer lived not more than 400 years before his own time, consequently not much before 850 BC.<ref>Herodotus, ''Histories'' 2.53.</ref> Herodotus admits that this is his own opinion. He was not sure of the dates of some of the poets believed in his time to have been earlier, but he relies on the priestess of [[Dodona]] in asserting that they were actually later. Modern opinion is that the priestess was right; the poets were later. |
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| ⚫ | There are ten extant ''Lives'' of Homer. Eight of these are edited in [[Georg Westermann]]'s ''Vitarum Scriptores Graeci minores'',<ref>{{Cite book|first=Antonius|last=Westermann|title=ΒΙΟΓΡΑΦΟΙ: Vitarum Scriptores Graeci Minores|location=Brunsvigae|publisher=Georgius Westermann|year=1845}} Downloadable Google Books.</ref> including a narrative entitled the ''[[Contest of Homer and Hesiod]]''.<ref>Westermann, pages 33-45. Greek language text.</ref> The longest, ''[[Life of Homer (Pseudo-Herodotus)|Life of Homer]]'', is written in the [[Ionic dialect]] and claims to be the work of Herodotus, but this is spurious (see [[Pseudo-Herodotus]]).<ref>Westermann, pages 1-20. Greek language text. An English translation can be found at {{Cite book|first=Theodore Alois|last=Buckley|title=The Odyssey of Homer: with the Hymns, Epigrams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice: Literally Translated, with Explanatory Notes|publisher=George Bell and Sons|location=London|year=1891|pages=vi–xxxii}} Downloadable Google Books</ref> It most likely belongs to the 2nd century AD, although the other Lives are of more recent origin. |
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A less opinionated indirect date does exist. Artemon of [[Clazomenae]], an [[annalist]], gives [[Arctinus of Miletus]], a pupil of Homer, a birth date of 744 BC. Received opinion generally dates him approximately between 750 and 700 BC.<ref>Homer; Rieu, EV (translator); Rieu, DCH (editor); Jones, Peter (editor): ''The Odyssey'' (Penguin, 2003), p. ''i''.</ref> But West (2010) dates the composition of the ''Iliad'' to the period 680-650 BC, with the composition of the ''Odyssey'' being later still. |
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| ⚫ | The ''Lives'' preserve short poems and fragments of verse attributed to Homer, the ''Epigrams'', which were once printed at the end of editions of Homer. They are numbered as they appear in Pseudo-Herodotus. These are easily recognized as popular rhymes, a form of folklore, and in most countries, treasured by the people as a kind of [[proverb]]. |
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| ⚫ | [[Image:Lafond Sappho and Homer.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[Sappho]] sings for Homer, Charles Nicolas Rafael Lafond, 1824]] |
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| ⚫ | In the Homeric epigrams, the subject matter often covers the characteristics of particular localities, for example, [[Smyrna]] and [[Cyme (Aeolis)|Cyme]],<ref>Epigrams 1, 2, 4, Buckley pages 427-428.</ref> [[Erythrae]],<ref>Epigram 8, Buckley page 429.</ref> and [[Mount Ida]];<ref>Epigram 10, Buckley page 429.</ref> others relate to certain trades or occupations: potters,<ref>Epigram 14, Buckley page 431.</ref> sailors, fishermen, goat herds, etc., suggesting that they are not the work of any one poet. That they were all ascribed to Homer suggests that they belong to a period in the history of the Ionian and Aeolian colonies when Homer was a name that drew to itself much ancient and popular verse. |
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| ⚫ | The epigrams were the chief source from which the ''Lives'' of Homer were derived. Epigram 4 mentions a blind poet, a native of Aeolian [[Smyrna]], through which flows the water of the sacred [[River Meles|Meles]]. Here may be the source of the chief incident of the Herodotean ''Life,'' the birth of Homer, named Son of the Meles to conceal a scandalous affair between his mother and an older man who had been appointed her guardian. The epithet ''Aeolian'' implies high antiquity, inasmuch as according to Herodotus, Smyrna became Ionian not long before 688 BC. The Ionians had their own version of the story, which may have made Homer come out with the first Athenian colonists. {{Original research inline|date=December 2022}} |
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The |
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==Other references on Homer== |
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In the Homeric epigrams the |
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[[File:Homer_-02.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Smyrna]], 2nd/1st century BC; Apollo at left, seated Homer at right.]] |
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| ⚫ | The same line of argument may be extended to the [[Homeric Hymns|Hymns]] and works of the so-called [[Cyclic poets]], the lost early epics, some of which formed the [[Epic Cycle]] and [[Theban Cycle]]. Thus: |
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| ⚫ | #The hymn to the Delian [[Apollo]] ends with an address of the poet to his audience. When any stranger comes and asks who the sweetest singeris, they are to answer with one voice, "The blind man that dwells in rocky [[Chios]]; his songs deserve the prize for all time to come." [[Thucydides]], who quotes this passage to show the ancient character of the Delian festival, seems to have no doubt about the [[Homer|Homeric]] authorship of the hymn. Many accounts say that he was from Smyrna and lived in Chios later in his life.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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| ⚫ | #The ''[[Margites]]'', a humorous poem knownasa reputed work of Homer down to the time of [[Aristotle]],{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} began with the words, "There came to Colophon an old man, a divine singer, servant of the Muses and Apollo." Hence the claim of [[Colophon (city)|Colophon]] to be the native city of Homer, a claim supported in the early times of Homeric learning by the Colophonian poet and grammarian [[Antimachus]]. The [[Suda]] reports Homer being a Smyrnaean that was taken as captive to the Colophonians in war, hence the name Ὅμηρος, which in Greek means "captive". Homer's name originating from him being a captive is widely reported.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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==The minor poems== |
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The same line of argument may be extended to the [[Homeric Hymns|Hymns]] |
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#The hymn to the Delian [[Apollo]] ends with an address of the poet to his audience. When any stranger comes and asks who |
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#The ''[[Margites]]'', a humorous poem |
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#The poem called the ''[[Cypria]]'' was said to have been given by Homer to his son-in-law [[Stasinus of Cyprus]] as dowry. The connection with [[Cyprus]] appears further in the predominance given in the poem to [[Aphrodite]]. |
#The poem called the ''[[Cypria]]'' was said to have been given by Homer to his son-in-law [[Stasinus of Cyprus]] as dowry. The connection with [[Cyprus]] appears further in the predominance given in the poem to [[Aphrodite]]. |
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#The ''[[Little Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Phocais]]'', according to the [[Life of Homer (Pseudo-Herodotus)|pseudo-Herodotean life]], were composed by Homer when he lived at [[Phocaea]] with a certain [[Thestorides of Phocaea|Thestorides]], who carried them off to Chios and there gained fame by reciting them as his own. The name Thestorides occurs in Epigram 5. |
#The ''[[Little Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Phocais]]'', according to the [[Life of Homer (Pseudo-Herodotus)|pseudo-Herodotean life]], were composed by Homer when he lived at [[Phocaea]] with a certain [[Thestorides of Phocaea|Thestorides]], who carried them off to Chios and there gained fame by reciting them as his own. The name Thestorides occurs in Epigram 5. |
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#A similar story was told about the poem called the ''[[Capture of Oechalia]]'', the subject of which was one of the exploits of [[Heracles]]. It passed under the name of [[Kreophylos of Samos|Creophylus of Samos]], a friend or (as some said) a son-in-law of Homer, and was sometimes said to have been given to Creophylus by Homer in return for hospitality. |
#A similar story was told about the poem called the ''[[Capture of Oechalia]]'', the subject of which was one of the exploits of [[Heracles]]. It passed under the name of [[Kreophylos of Samos|Creophylus of Samos]], a friend or (as some said) a son-in-law of Homer, and was sometimes said to have been given to Creophylus by Homer in return for hospitality. |
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#The ''[[Thebaid (Greek poem)|Thebaid]]'' was confidently counted as the work of Homer.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} As to the ''[[Epigoni (epic)|Epigoni]]'', which carried on the Theban story, there was less certainty. |
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These indications render it probable that the stories connecting Homer with different cities and islands grew up after his poems had become known and famous, especially in the new and flourishing colonies of Aeolis and Ionia. The contention for Homer |
These indications render it probable that the stories connecting Homer with different cities and islands grew up after his poems had become known and famous, especially in the new and flourishing colonies of Aeolis and Ionia. The contention for Homer may have begun at a time when his real history was lost, and he had become a sort of [[Greek mythology|mythical]] figure, an anonymous hero, or a [[personification]] of a great school of poetry. |
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==Arctinus of Miletus== |
==Arctinus of Miletus== |
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A confirmation of this view from the negative side is furnished by the chief city among the Asiatic colonies of Greece, [[Miletus]]. There has so far been no legend that claims aboutavisit from [[Homer]] to [[Miletus]]. Yet, [[Arctinus of Miletus]] was said to have been a disciple of Homer and was certainly one of the earliest and most considerable of the Cyclic poets. His ''[[Aethiopis]]'' was composed as a sequel to the ''[[Iliad]]'' and the structure and general character of his poems show that he took the ''Iliad'' as his model. Yet, in his case, there isnoindication of disputed authorship which is the case with other Cyclic poems. Possibly, [[Arctinus of Miletus|Arctinus]] was never so far forgotten that his poems became the subject of dispute. |
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* [[Homeridae]] |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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<references/> |
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* [[Homer]] |
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{{Homer}} |
{{Homer}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancient Accounts Of Homer}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancient Accounts Of Homer}} |
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This article or section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mentionorrelate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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Ancient accounts of Homer include numerous passages in which archaic and classical Greek poets and prose authors mention or allude to Homer. In addition, they include the ten biographies of Homer, often referred to as the Lives.
There are no known records directly dating Homer other than his writings of the Odyssey and the Iliad. All accounts are based on tradition. The periodization hinted in written records comes from Herodotus, who maintained that Hesiod and Homer lived no more than 400 years before his own time, therefore around 850 BC.[1] Artemon of Clazomenae, an annalist, gave Arctinus of Miletus, a pupil of Homer, a birth date of 744 BC. It is assumed he lived between 750-700 BC.[clarification needed][2]
There are ten extant Lives of Homer. Eight of these are edited in Georg Westermann's Vitarum Scriptores Graeci minores,[3] including a narrative entitled the Contest of Homer and Hesiod.[4] The longest, Life of Homer, is written in the Ionic dialect and claims to be the work of Herodotus, but this is spurious (see Pseudo-Herodotus).[5] It most likely belongs to the 2nd century AD, although the other Lives are of more recent origin.
The Lives preserve short poems and fragments of verse attributed to Homer, the Epigrams, which were once printed at the end of editions of Homer. They are numbered as they appear in Pseudo-Herodotus. These are easily recognized as popular rhymes, a form of folklore, and in most countries, treasured by the people as a kind of proverb.
In the Homeric epigrams, the subject matter often covers the characteristics of particular localities, for example, Smyrna and Cyme,[6] Erythrae,[7] and Mount Ida;[8] others relate to certain trades or occupations: potters,[9] sailors, fishermen, goat herds, etc., suggesting that they are not the work of any one poet. That they were all ascribed to Homer suggests that they belong to a period in the history of the Ionian and Aeolian colonies when Homer was a name that drew to itself much ancient and popular verse.
The epigrams were the chief source from which the Lives of Homer were derived. Epigram 4 mentions a blind poet, a native of Aeolian Smyrna, through which flows the water of the sacred Meles. Here may be the source of the chief incident of the Herodotean Life, the birth of Homer, named Son of the Meles to conceal a scandalous affair between his mother and an older man who had been appointed her guardian. The epithet Aeolian implies high antiquity, inasmuch as according to Herodotus, Smyrna became Ionian not long before 688 BC. The Ionians had their own version of the story, which may have made Homer come out with the first Athenian colonists. [original research?]
The same line of argument may be extended to the Hymns and works of the so-called Cyclic poets, the lost early epics, some of which formed the Epic Cycle and Theban Cycle. Thus:
These indications render it probable that the stories connecting Homer with different cities and islands grew up after his poems had become known and famous, especially in the new and flourishing colonies of Aeolis and Ionia. The contention for Homer may have begun at a time when his real history was lost, and he had become a sort of mythical figure, an anonymous hero, or a personification of a great school of poetry.
A confirmation of this view from the negative side is furnished by the chief city among the Asiatic colonies of Greece, Miletus. There has so far been no legend that claims about a visit from HomertoMiletus. Yet, Arctinus of Miletus was said to have been a disciple of Homer and was certainly one of the earliest and most considerable of the Cyclic poets. His Aethiopis was composed as a sequel to the Iliad and the structure and general character of his poems show that he took the Iliad as his model. Yet, in his case, there is no indication of disputed authorship which is the case with other Cyclic poems. Possibly, Arctinus was never so far forgotten that his poems became the subject of dispute.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Homer". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
