Reading list: Ilias
Ilias (Greek: , Iliás) is an Ancient Greek epic with a dactyl hexameter meter that is believed to have been composed by Homer for generations. This epic, which is generally thought to have been written around the 8th century BC, is one of the oldest surviving works of European literature, as is Odysseia, the epic adventure of Odysseus after the events in Ilias, which is also believed to have been composed by Homer. The Ilias in its modern vulgate version (standard accepted version) consists of 15,693 lines divided into 24 volumes. The epic was composed in Homeric Greek, a literary language variety that combines Ionian Greek with various other Greek dialects. Ilias are usually classified within the scope of the epic. The story is set in the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilion) launched by a coalition of Mycenaean (Achaean) city-states. Ilias recounts the various battles and important events that took place during the weeks of King Agamemnon's quarrel with the hero Achilles. While covering only the events that took place in the last few weeks of the Trojan War, Ilias describes, or does little, the various Greek legends regarding the war of siege. Important events that occurred before these few weeks, such as the gathering of Greek heroes before leaving for the battlefield, the triggering case of war, and other related events tend to surface in the early part of the story. The contents of the next story cover events that are predicted to occur at a later date, such as the death of Achilles and the fall of the city of Troy, although the story ends before these events take place. However, because these events have been foretold and repeated many times, this epic has more or less presented the entire story of the Trojan War.