Homer’s ‘Iliad’ at the Acropolis Museum on World Poetry Day

To celebrate World Poetry Day, this Friday 21 March 2025, selected rhapsodies from Homer’s Iliad will be read in modern Greek in the courtyard of the Acropolis Museum. The event is hosted by ERT’s Third Programme and will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Homer’s Iliad, an epic recounting the siege of Troy, is considered the oldest epic of European literature, dating to around 750 BC. It preserves the myths, values and ideals of pre-classical antiquity and was originally part of the oral poetry tradition, intended for recitation at major festivals in Athens and throughout the Hellenic world.

A total of 12 out of the 24 rhapsodies will be presented in a modern Greek translation by students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’ Classical Philology Department. The language editing has been supervised by Vassilis Vertoudakis, an alternate professor of ancient Greek, and speech coaching students.

Live stream link : https://www.ertecho.gr/radio/trito/