Homeric Epics — Study Aids

Ancient Greece — Homeric Epics

The Homeric Epics unit focuses on The Iliad and The Odyssey, the Epic poems that tell the story of the Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus in the years following.

Information Pages

These fact sheets, along with the reading assignments suggested below, provide all of the information required to prepare for the Homeric Epics review questions.

Read OnlinePrintable
Homeric Epics — Summary of Events
PDF
Homeric Epics — Characters
PDF

Historical Maps — Troy and Voyage of Odysseus
PDF

Homeric Epics — Homework Questions
PDF
Recommended Reading

We recommend completing at least one of the following "core" reading assignments to prepare for the Homeric Epics study questions.
All three are included in the FIAT LUX app.
McGregor's Story of Greece is recommended for competitive students.

CLICK ON COVER IMAGE to read on your tablet or smart phone.

Famous Men of Greece   by John Haaren   94 credits
Biographical sketches of thirty-five of the most prominent characters in Greek history, from legendary times to the fall of Greece. It begins with the great heroes of Greek Mythology and then follows prominent Greek leaders from the earliest days of Spartan and Athens to the decline of Greece during the Homeric Epics.
3 chapters: Agamemnon to Adventures of Ulysses


Story of the Greeks   by Helene Guerber   116 credits
Elementary history of Greece, beginning with the legends of Jason, Theseus, and events surrounding the Trojan War, the narrative moves on to present the contrasting city-states of Sparta and Athens, the war against Persia, their conflicts with each other, the feats of Alexander the Great, and annexation by Rome.
6 chapters: Childhood of Paris to Burning of Troy


Story of Greece   by Mary Macgregor   167 credits
These stories from the history of ancient Greece begin with myths and legends of gods and heroes and end with the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is accessible and well organized, but it is considerably more detailed than some other introductory texts. It covers Greek history from the age of Mythology to the rise of Alexander, but because of its length we do not recommend it for 5th grade or younger. It is an excellent reference, thoroughly engaging, and a good candidate for a somewhat older student's first foray into Greek history.
13 chapters: Alexander and Bucephalus to Demosthenes in the Temple


These supplemental reading selections can be downloaded at the links provided from the Heritage History website. See the Book Descriptions page for details about these and other books in the Ancient Greece collection. Books are listed in order of difficulty:
(Beginner=Green, Intermediate=Brown, Advanced=Red).



Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Simplified Classics

Lang - The Iliad    entire book
Lang - The Odyssey    entire book
Church - The Iliad for Boys and Girls    entire book
Church - The Odyssey for Boys and Girls    entire book

Additional Recomendations

Baldwin - A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes   The Golden Apple to The Long Siege (14)
Baldwin - Thirty More Famous Stories Retold   The Fall of Troy to Penelope's Web (2)
Peabody - Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew   Stories of the Trojan War to Adventures of Odysseus (3)
Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   Achilles and the Trojan War to The Wanderings of Odysseus (2)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Shepherd Prince of Troy to The Wanderer's Return (8)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   How Troy was Taken (1)
Church - Stories from the Greek Tragedians   Iphigenia in Aulis (1)