Homer was an ancient Greek epic poet. He is the author of the,'Iliad and Odyssey' epics and Homeric hymns. The influence of these two epics on the general history of fiction and literature is immense. Homer is thought to have been born shortly before the Battle of Troy (1194-1184 BC). But according to Herodotus, Homer existed four hundred years before Herodotus' birth, around 850 BC. There has been considerable controversy in antiquity over Homer's time, even today. His writings are influenced by passionate oral poetry. It was from Homer's epics that the Western literary genre originated, and his writings on Western art and philosophy had a great influence.