The Iliad and Odyssey: heroic epics from ancient Greece
About this episode
The episode explores the epic poems The Iliad and Odyssey, their origins, and the characters involved in the Trojan War.
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by historian Dr Emily Hauser and comedian and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about the epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. Traditionally attributed to the poet Homer, these works tell parts of a legend that has fascinated us for centuries: the story of the Trojan War. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters – Achilles, Odysseus, Paris, Helen, Hector and Agamemnon – the war between ancient Greece and Troy has inspired writers, artists and filmmakers for over a millennium. But the Iliad and Odyssey only recount episodes of this much bigger story. The Iliad, focusing on the hero Achilles, takes place in the closing stretches of the war. And the Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus’s perilous voyage home after the Greeks have triumphed. In this episode, we trace the origins of the poems in the 8th century BCE, looking at whether Homer really wrote them and how these originally oral tales came to be written down, before exploring the fantastical tales they tell. Along the way, we also look at whether or not the Trojan war really happened, how the ancient Greeks defined heroism, and examine the role of gods and monsters in the poems and the…
People in this episode
Host: Greg Jenner
Guests: Dr Emily Hauser, Kiell Smith-Bynoe
Topics covered
- epic poetry
- ancient Greece
- Trojan War
- heroism
- mythology
- Homer
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Iliad, Odyssey
Places: ancient Greece, Troy
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