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Which came first the iliad or the odyssey? Explained by Sharing Culture

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Kirk Mayer MD
Score: 4.2/5 (64 votes)

The Iliad is the earlier work (it was written first) [1]. Also the events in the Odyssey are a direct consequence of what happens in the Iliad and the reader of the Odyssey is assumed to know the summary of the plot in the Iliad and who the main characters are. So it would come natural to read the Iliad first.

Which story comes before the Odyssey?

It is weird though reading from Odysseus being a secondary character in the Iliad to being the hero in the Odyssey. Juan Francisco Although they're not exactly sequential, I'd recommend you to read The Iliad first, then The Odyssey.

Did Homer write the Iliad before the Odyssey?

The Greek poet Homer is credited with being the first to write down the epic stories of 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey,' and the impact of his tales continues to reverberate through Western culture.

Is the Iliad a prequel to The Odyssey?

The Iliad, a story about the bitter war between the Greeks and Trojans over the capture of the Spartan queen Helen by Trojan prince Paris, is a prequel to The Odyssey and The Aeneid. The Odyssey tells of the Greek warrior Odysseus's adventurous journey home after the Trojan War.

Why is the Odyssey not a sequel to The Iliad?

"The Odyssey" is related to "The Iliad" because both poems involve the Trojan War. ... The Trojan War has already ended at the beginning of "The Odyssey," but Odysseus is lost at sea and hasn't been able to return home to Ithaca after the war.

18 related questions found

Is the Odyssey the first sequel?

Yes, the Odyssey takes place after the Iliad, Homer's epic poem about the Trojan War.

Where is the original Iliad?

Most of these surviving fragments of ancient manuscripts of the Iliad are written on papyrus and were found in Egypt.

When was Iliad and Odyssey written?

The Iliad and Odyssey are conventionally dated to the late 8th or early 7th century BC. By this time the use of writing was becoming more widespread in Greece and it seems that the poems were also set down for the first time. But it's clear that the poems contain features preserved from the pre-writing age.

Is the Iliad The oldest book?

Usually considered to have been written down circa the 8th century BC, the Iliad is among the oldest extant works of Western literature, along with the Odyssey, another epic poem attributed to Homer which tells of Odysseus's experiences after the events of the Iliad.

Are the Iliad and the Odyssey the same?

While The Iliad is an epic tale of war and battle, The Odyssey is the story of a journey, a hero's heroic effort to return to his home.

Is Iliad a true story?

Now you're all caught up. But if you think about the Iliad critically for a couple of seconds, it doesn't make any real-life sense. ... The Iliad isn't a documentary, and it's definitely not a memoir, since the actual events that inspired Homer's story happened hundreds of years before Homer was born.

Why does the Iliad start in the middle?

(Aristotle also praises Homer for other aspects of his work.) In summary, the Iliad starts "in the middle" if you take the point of view that the entire story of the Trojan War should be told, possibly from Helen's abduction by Paris (if it was actually an abduction) to the Fall of Troy.

What's the oldest story in the world?

The Epic of Gilgamesh. What, When and Where: An epic poem concerning or (very) loosely based on the historical King Gilgamesh, who ruled Sumerian Uruk (modern day Iraq) in 2700 BC. This is the oldest written story, period, anywhere, known to exist.

Which is the first book in the world?

The first ever books

The first book ever written that we know of is The Epic of Gilgamesh: a mythical retelling of an important political figure from history. In the 14th century, the Jikji was printed in Korea in movable (metal) type: a collection of Buddhist Zen teachings.

Which is the oldest written book in the world?

That honour goes to The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist religious text. While the book dates back to the year 868 AD, it was found only in 1907, having remained hidden for nearly a 1,000 years.

Who first wrote down the Iliad?

Homer is the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two hugely influential epic poems of ancient Greece.

When was the Odyssey first written down?

Composition and early translations

Scholars date the writing of the Odyssey to about 725–675 bce.

Is the Iliad older than the Bible?

Is the Iliad older than the Bible? No. The Iliad and Odyssey predate the Bible by several hundred years.

Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?

Dating to about 750 B.C., this bust is said to be of the Greek poet Homer, author of The Iliad and The Odyssey—epic poems passed down orally by bards long before they were written down.

What happens between the Iliad and the Odyssey?

The Iliad tells the story of the Greek struggle to rescue Helen, a Greek queen, from her Trojan captors. The Odyssey takes the fall of the city of Troy as its starting point and crafts a new epic around the struggle of one of those Greek warriors, the hero Odysseus.

Who Won the Trojan War?

The Greeks won the Trojan War. According to the Roman epic poet Virgil, the Trojans were defeated after the Greeks left behind a large wooden horse and pretended to sail for home. Unbeknown to the Trojans, the wooden horse was filled with Greek warriors.

What is the book Iliad about?

“The Iliad“ (Gr: “Iliás“ ) is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, which recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy (which was also known as Ilion, Ilios or Ilium in ancient times).

What was the first written language?

Sumerian language, language isolate and the oldest written language in existence. First attested about 3100 bce in southern Mesopotamia, it flourished during the 3rd millennium bce.


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