Is Homer Historical? An Archaeology Odyssey Interview

The most influential Homer scholar of our generation is Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature at Harvard University and director of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington D.C. Nagy has permanently changed our understanding of the Iliad and the Odyssey. No longer can we think of them as ancient “novels” written by an author named Homer; rather, these epics began as a diverse group of poems, which were passed down from generation to generation by rhapsodes (oral poets) over a period lasting more than a thousand years. So who was Homer? And how did that […]