Question

How can Epics like Illiad and Odyssey be used as a source in history writing?​

Answer 1

Explanation:

The extent of the historical basis of the Homeric epics has been a topic of scholarly debate for centuries. While researchers of the 18th century had largely rejected the story of the Trojan War as fable, the discoveries made by Heinrich Schliemann at Hisarlik reopened the question in modern terms, and the subsequent excavation of Troy VIIa and the discovery of the toponym "Wilusa" in Hittite correspondence has made it plausible that the Trojan War cycle was at least remotely based on a historical conflict of the 12th century BC, even if the poems of Homer are removed from the event by more than four centuries of oral tradition.

Answer 2

Answer:

• As a source of pre-history, it's about as priceless as Paradise Lost. It has the same flaws, restrictions, and complaints as before.
• Poetry, that is. There are some good things there, but they are dispersed throughout.
• We have evidence for Troy's existence in the form of its remains, and some people believe they know which layer Homer refers to (if memory serves, it was either the seventh or eighth layer).
• But the "Trojan War" itself is a mystery to us. The majority of the information we have about bronze period Greece comes from archaeological findings.
• And there are contradictions. Homer is aware that the Greeks of that era utilised chariots in battle, but he doesn't seem to know what to do with them.

• The heroes arrive at the battleground in chariots, dismount, and engage in normal infantry combat. It's an excellent tale.
• But the history isn't exactly stellar.
• The same way I find philosophers valuable for science, Homer is useful.
• They are quite knowledgeable about what to search for and/or where to look. However, they are not gospel.
• Homer has a tendency to mix items from different eras together. Homer may have had a passing familiarity with those times, but he was definitely too far removed to fully comprehend them.
• IT wasn't available back then.
• Literacy rates were extremely low.
• They just had oral tradition and hearsay to depend on.
• Consider your knowledge of the history and culture of the 19th century if you are not an expert.
• So because of all of these reasons one can say that Iliad and Odyssey can be used as an excellent source in history writing.

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