Connections

 Homer’s the Iliad has a very obvious connection to the historic ancient Greece. It incorporates historic figures from real locations, including King Agamemnon, Menelaus, et cetera. The Iliad’s historic validity itself, however, is disputed, as there is not much evidence for the Trojan War, or indeed the city itself, outside of Greek literature, which due to its incorporation of supernatural powers makes it not the most reliable source. However, if the war did exist, the book is perhaps one of our greatest writings of it. It provides the participants, motives, and we can extrapolate when it was.

The book can also be connected to other works of Greek literature, including the Odyssey, which takes place immediately afterwards as Odysseus tries to return home from the war. Virgil’s Aeneid is also related, as it describes the Trojan Aeneas’ journeys after the war and his eventual arrival on the Italian peninsula.

Scenes and events inside the Iliad have been depicted graphically by artists for centuries, such as the fresco of Achilles dragging the corpse of Hector by chariot, giving it a connection to other forms of art. Movies have also been made about the Iliad Trojan War, such as the 2004 film Troy.

The Iliad has also been the study of various classical Greek scholars, as it is a fantastic work of ancient Greek literature, including a plethora of the Greek pantheon, as well as other cultural aspects, people, places, and events.