{i} epic poet of 9th-century Greece (thought to be the author of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey")
American painter known for his realistic seascapes, such as Eight Bells (1886). a Greek poet who probably lived around 800 to 700 years BC. His two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which tell the stories of characters such as Achilles and Odysseus and the Greek war against Troy, have had great influence on European literature. a home run in baseball. flourished 9th or 8th century BC, Ionia? Greek poet, one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time. Though almost nothing is known of his life, tradition holds that he was blind. The ancient Greeks attributed to him the great epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. Modern scholars generally agree that he composed (but probably did not literally write) The Iliad, most likely relying on oral traditions, and at least inspired the composition of The Odyssey. The Iliad, set during the Trojan War, tells the story of the wrath of Achilles; The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus as he travels home from the war. The two epics provided the basis of Greek education and culture in the Classical age, and they have remained among the most significant poems of the European tradition