Homer, the great poet of the Iliad and the Odyssey, is revered as a cultural icon of antiquity and a figure of lasting influence. But his identity is shrouded in questions about who he was, when he lived, and whether he was an actual person, a myth, or merely a shared idea.

Rather than attempting to solve the mystery of this character, James Porter (Ancient Greek & Roman Studies and Rhetoric) explores the sources of Homer’s mystique and their impact since the first recorded mentions of Homer in ancient Greece.

He is joined by Mark Griffith (AGRS and TDPS) and Mario Telò (Rhetoric, Comparative Literature, and AGRS).