Homer was an ancient Greek poet believed to have lived between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. He is credited with composing two of the most influential epic poems in Western literature: the Iliad, which tells the story of the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, which recounts the ten-year journey of Odysseus returning home after the war. These works have had an enormous impact on Western culture and are considered foundational texts of ancient Greek literature.