Historians assume the Iliad was written around 800 B.C. Passed down orally, many scholars believe it originated with one single man. However, some believe that “Homer” was a common name for blind travelers who made a living wandering around Greece reciting poetry. Though we no longer live in a storytelling culture, over the years countless translators have given us their own versions of the Iliad—varying in style, tone and length. At least one hundred complete English translations exist today (see a mostly complete list here).
We currently carry six translations here at Exodus. Two are prose versions, and the rest are in poetic form. (Click here to view an exclusivecomparison chart which features five selections from the poem.)
One of the two prose versions is this one by Samuel Butler (1888) . Butler's version is used by the Memoria Press study guide and the SMARR student literature companion. This version is in public domain and can be read or downloaded online for free.
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