Episode 12: Early Greek, Hittite and the Trojan War (Extended Version)
The History of English Podcast
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The Origins of Greek Literature
The Iliad and the Odyssey were written down for the first time just after the alphabet was adopted by the Greeks in the 8th century BC. These two epic poems are generally considered to be the beginning of European literature. They also coincide with the beginning of regular historical records in Greece. Once the alphabet was adoption, historical records could be maintained,. that's why our knowledge of Greece before that time was largely unknown.
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