Homers Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Traditionally, that war has been dated to the late Bronze Age, approximately c. 1200 BCE. However, the Iliad itself was not written that early in history. There is wide agreement that Homeror whoever the true author of the Iliad waslived much, much later than this. Nevertheless, there is still disagreement over when exactly the Iliad was written. There are two main opinions between which scholars are divided. One opinion is that it was written in the 8th century BCE, while the other suggests it is more recent, written in the 7th century BCE.The Controversy Over When the Iliad Was WrittenWrath of Achilles, by Michel Martin Drolling, 1810. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe date of the Trojan War is usually held to correspond almost exactly with the end of the Bronze Age, which also marked the end of the Mycenaean Era. That was in the 12th century BCE. After that, Greece entered the Dark Ages, until it finally entered the Archaic Era in c. 750 BCE. Since the Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, it obviously must have been written after the date of that event, if we assume it really happened. However, already by c. 600 BCE, there is evidence of recognition of Homer as a poet. This suggests that the Iliad must have been written before then at the latest.This is a very wide window of opportunity in which the Iliad could have been written. Is there any way of narrowing it down? One way is by looking at ancient statements that explicitly state when Homer, the Iliads alleged author, lived. Since he was famous, even in ancient times, there are many statements about this.Statue of Herodotus at Bodrum, Turkey. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe earliest direct statement regarding the date for the life of Homer comes from Herodotus. In his Histories II.53, Herodotus stated the following:I suppose that the time of Hesiod and Homer was not more than four hundred years before my own.Herodotus was writing in about the middle of the 5th century BCE. Hence, this claim would mean that Homer and Hesiod, a chronicler of Greek mythology, lived in about the middle of the 9th century, or about 850 BCE. This would mean that the Iliad was composed during the Dark Ages. While early in Greeces history, this is just about the time when the Greeks adopted the Phoenician script. Hence, it is plausible that the Iliad could have been preserved in writing not too long after Homer composed it.On the other hand, Herodotus estimates are not always reliable. Furthermore, he specifically says that Homer lived not more than four hundred years before his time. Hence, this could have been an upper limit rather than a realistic estimate about when he lived.Ancient Statements About the Life of HomerCapital from the tomb of Archilochus, Homers older contemporary, Paros Archaeological Museum. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThere are a variety of ancient claims about when Homer lived. True, these are later than Herodotus claim. However, the fact that Herodotus used the expression not more than four hundred years suggests that these other statements, which are more direct and specific, might be more useful. One example is the fact that an ancient writer named Demetrius of Magnesia placed Homer at about the same time as a poet named Thaletas, or Thales of Crete.Scholars widely agree that Thales lived in the mid-7th century BCE. The evidence for this is clear. Plutarch tells us that Thales lived in the generation after Terpander, who is recorded as winning the 26th Olympiad in the 670s BCE. This would place Thales in the latter half of the 7th century BCE. This is consistent with the fact that Glaucus of Rhegium, in the 5th century BCE, places Thales after Archilochus. This latter poet is known to have been active in the time of King Gyges of Lydia, in the first half of the 7th century.An Assyrian relief depicting mounted Cimmerian warriors, Nimrud, c. 13th century BCE. Source: Wikimedia CommonsTherefore, it is with good reason that Thales is generally placed by scholars in the mid-7th century BCE. Since Demetrius of Magnesia placed Homer at about the same time as Thales, this would likewise place Homer in that timeframe too. Demetrius of Magnesia lived in the 1st century BCE, which is long after Herodotus. Nevertheless, this date for Homerand thus the Iliadis supported by Strabo. While he was a contemporary of Demetrius, he referred to a group of previous writers, called simply the writers of chronicles. According to Strabo, they placed Homer at or just after the time of the Cimmerian invasions, referring to the invasion of western Anatolia; this would place Homer in the early to mid 7th century BCE.A date in this same century is supported by Theopompus in the 4th century BCE and Euporion in the following century, according to scholar Irene de Jong. For these and other reasons, many scholars believed that the Iliad was written at about this time.Evidence From Ancient Greek ArtworkAncient Greek pottery depicting scenes of the Trojan War. Source: Rob Koopman via FlickrOne corpus of evidence that strongly supports the conclusion that the Iliad was written later than commonly believed is ancient Greek artwork. Greek pottery famously tended to depict mythological events. From the early 7th century BCE onwards, we find depictions of the Trojan War. Some might try to use this as evidence that the Iliad was written before then, placing it within the 8th century BCE, thus allowing time for the poem to circulate.However, when we look at the evidence more closely, it is notable that we do not find any evidence of scenes specifically from the Iliad on Greek pottery at that early date. In fact, scenes specifically from Homers Iliad do not start to be depicted until the final quarter of the 7th century BCE. While perhaps this does not settle the matter definitively, it does argue very strongly in favor of a date no earlier than c. 650 BCE for the composition of the Iliad.Evidence From the Iliad ItselfAn Archaic bronze Corinthian helmet, c. 650-600 BCE. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkFurther evidence in support of this general dating comes from the Iliad itself. There are extensive descriptions of weapons, armor, and modes of warfare. By examining these features of the poem, we can ascertain roughly when the Iliad must have been written. The basis for this line of reasoning is that the style of weapons and armor, as well as how battles were fought, changed over the centuries.Regarding the armor that Homer describes, this fits the standard Greek hoplite equipment used from the late 8th century through the 7th century BCE. For example, the Iliad describes what appears to be the Corinthian helmet, with its plume of horsehair. The use of a bronze cuirass and a zostera broad metal beltalso requires a date in the late 8th or 7th century BCE. Such equipment did not exist prior to this. While this would allow for the Iliad to have been written as early as the late 8th century BCE, it cannot have been written earlier than that.Greek krater, Geometric period, c. 750-735 BCE. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkSomething which does help us to narrow down when the Iliad was written is the way in which Homer describes the use of swords, spears, and bows and arrows. This was shown by Hans van Wees. We can compare the Iliads descriptions with the depictions of the use of these weapons on Greek pottery. In depictions from the Geometric period, from 900 to 700 BCE, swords are shown as being the most commonly used weapon, with bows and arrows behind swords, and spears firmly in last place. This does not match the frequency with which Homer refers to these weapons.On the other hand, depictions dating to the first half of the 7th century BCE portray weapons with essentially the exact same frequency as Homer. Spears are shown to be by far the most common weapon, with swords almost never being shown. This corresponds perfectly to Homer, in complete contrast to the era prior to 700 BCE. Therefore, this provides strong evidence that the basis for Homers descriptions of warfare came from the first half of the 7th century BCE, and not the preceding century.Was the Iliad Written in the 8th or 7th Century BCE?Depiction of warfare from the Iliad, Codex F205, c. 500 CE. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIn conclusion, what do we know about when the Iliad was written? Herodotus stated that Homer lived no more than 400 years before his own time, but this was likely an upper limit and not a precise estimate. Most scholars date Homer in either the 8th or the 7th century BCE. As we have seen, there are a variety of ancient writers who placed Homer in the 7th century BCE, some of them suggesting that Homer lived in the middle of that century.The most important evidence comes from the Iliad itself and from ancient depictions of its scenes. The descriptions of weapons and armor in the Iliad are consistent with the late 8th century or 7th century BCE, but the use of different weapons points to a more specific era. The frequency of the use of spears compared to swords overwhelmingly supports a date after 700 BCE. Furthermore, the fact that scenes from the Iliad do not appear on Greek pottery until the last quarter of the 7th century BCE is important. This strongly suggests that it was written no earlier than about the middle of the 7th century BCE.