Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70
Homer's books were meant for reading aloud for example.
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No, they weren't. The works ascribed to the traditional poets like Homer and Hesiod weren't written down at all. They were oral works performed from memory by professional performers called "rhapsodes", who accompanied themselves with a musical instrument such as a lyre (a small harp). Although the basic story was fixed, each rhapsode would improvise and modify the story "on the fly" during their performance. Rhapsodes were the "rock stars" of their day, and large prizes were awarded to the winners of rhapsodic competitions in all the Ancient Greek city-states. It wasn't until much, much later in history - centuries after the initial composition of these works - that they were written down and thus became fixed in form.