what are the oldest lines in The Iliad
(Epic Poem, Greek, c. 750 BCE, 15,693 lines). The Iliad (Gr: Ili s) is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, which recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy (which was also known as Ilion, Ilios or Ilium in ancient times).owever, it is by no means certain that Homer himself (if in fact such a man ever really existed) actually wrote down the verses. The Iliad was part of a group of ancient poems known as the Epic Cycle, most of which are now lost to us, which dealt with the history of the Trojan War and the events surrounding it.