The Name Attributed to Producing the Iliad and the Odyssey Is No Mystery. in Fact, We Re

INTRODUCTION-- The name attributed to producing the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” is no mystery.

In fact, we’re sure you’ve heard the name even if you haven’t read the author’s two notorious books. These two epic poems were added into the cannon long ago, and are now considered classic; they serve as the established model or standard to which other work of literature are compared. Homer is thought to have composed during the Iron

Age (700-650 B.C), but is writing about the Bronze Age (1250 B.C.). College students are assumed to have read both these two works in a Great Books class and never forget the name of the author; how could one, when it is often printed in capital letters?

Yes, we are presuming that you are familiar with the author of these classic works of literature. But before we confirm your assertions with the name, we want to reveal several things about the author of these literary gems. First, there is no evidence as to if the author ever existed. No one knows the birth location, family order, or tomb stone of the author. Some historians believe Homer was a blind oracle.

This creates trouble when one tries to understand how Homer composed these two pieces of literature. But regardless of the conflicting historical facts, and perhaps because of them, his name has spawned a curiosity to look for the genius of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Today, we know the author of these texts as Homer.

But how can one give such credibility to an author no one is sure existed?

One-way which ‘Homer’ received credibility is through artistic representations that immortalized his physical and aesthetic attributes. Art is by defined as the human effort to imitate, supplement or counteract the work of nature.

(http://dictionary.reference.com). In this way, art helped people formulate a visual representation of the great Homer. These works of art also add to the mystery of

Homer: How do artists know what this man looked like? Is there significance to the mediums in which they represent him? When did artistic representations of Homer begin? All of these questions are thought provoking and engaging. This website will seek to answer these questions, as well as provide viewers with the meanings behind art’s representation in their work. We will focus of busts, sculptures, and paintings on our web page.

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Most of the time Homer is displayed in artwork, he is shown with a full, flowing beard and a headband. While these features were common among those living in that time and place, Homer’s beard seems to be relatively overemphasized and the headband is consistently present.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BEARDS

“Attitudes toward facial hair have varied in different cultures. In ancient Egypt,

as well as Turkey and India, the beard was regarded as a sign of dignity and wisdom.

Beards continued into the Greek civilization until the 4th cent. B.C., when Alexander

the Great ordered his soldiers shaved. The belief that the beard denotes wisdom was

widespread in ancient China, and the cult of the beard has been dominant in Middle

Eastern cultures from ancient times to the recent past. As a symbol of virility and

status, the beard has often acquired religious significance. “ http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0806606.html Here are the pictures that we are going to incorporate into our website sculpture (2) http://www.big.com.au/fallen/apotheosis/stele.html# http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/HomerArchelaos.htm busts (6) http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/greek-word.asp#HOMER http://www.hellenic-art.com/statues/homer.htm http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Persons2.htm http://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/CGPrograms/Cast/ASP/Cast.asp?CastNo=C217.html http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_homer.html http://works-of-homer.com/list.html

Head, Bronze (2) http://www.talariaenterprises.com/product_lists/bronze_pg1.html http://www.eleganza.com/busts-famous-people-gallery/2-05-greek-poet-homer- bf.html

Painting (5) http://www.big.com.au/fallen/apotheosis/stele.html# http://www.med.virginia.edu/hs-library/historical/antiqua/texti.htm http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/000Free/000Survivors/source/42.html http://www.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/literature/world_literature/homer.html http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/HomerApotheosis.htm

Art Info http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/Arts.htm