Homer Between History And Fiction In Imperial | G...

In Imperial Greek literature, the figure of Homer served as a battleground for defining the boundaries between historical truth and poetic fiction. During the Roman Empire, Greeks grappled with their own cultural identity by re-examining the "father of Hellenism" and the Trojan War, which was viewed as the inauguration of Greek history. This tension was not merely academic; it was central to how Imperial authors validated or questioned the heroic past. Homer as the "Ideal Historian"

The debate over Homer’s "truth" was a means for Imperial Greeks to negotiate their status within the Roman world. By analyzing Homeric authority, they explored: Homer between History and Fiction in Imperial G...

Some authors of the period, such as in his Geography , staunchly defended Homer's historical and geographical accuracy. Strabo viewed Homer as an expert geographer and a reliable source of information, arguing that the poet’s fictional embellishments were built upon a solid core of factual history. By treating Homer as an "ideal historian," Strabo sought to preserve the authority of the Homeric past as a foundational pillar of Greek knowledge. Homer as the "Divine Liar" In Imperial Greek literature, the figure of Homer