The Odyssey (; Ancient Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, romanized: Odýsseia) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is divided into 24 books. It follows the heroic king of Ithaca, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, and his homecoming journey after the ten-year long Trojan War. His journey from Troy to Ithaca lasts an additional ten years, during which time he encounters many perils and all of his crewmates are killed. In Odysseus's long absence, he is presumed dead, leaving his wife Penelope and son Telemachus to contend with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope's hand in marriage. The Odyssey was first composed in Homeric Greek around the 8th or 7th century BC; by the mid-6th century BC, it had become part of the Greek literary canon. In antiquity, Homer's authorship was taken as true, but contemporary scholarship predominantly assumes that the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed independently, as part of long oral traditions. Given widespread illiteracy, the poem was performed for an audience by an aoidos or rhapsode. Key themes in the epic include the ideas of nostos (νόστος; 'return', homecoming), wandering, xenia (ξενία; 'guest-friendship'), testing, and omens. Scholars discuss the narrative prominence of certain groups within the poem, such as women and slaves, who have larger roles than in other works of ancient literature. This focus is especially remarkable when contrasted with the Iliad, which centers upon the exploits of soldiers and kings during the Trojan War. The Odyssey is regarded as one of the most significant works of the Western canon. The first English translation of the Odyssey was in the 16th century. Adaptations and re-imaginings continue to be produced across a wide variety of media. In 2018, when BBC Culture polled experts around the world to find literature's most enduring narrative, the Odyssey topped the list.

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Inscribed on a clay cup found in Ischia, Italy, are the words "Nestor's cup, good to drink from".. Some scholars, such as Calvert Watkins, have tied this cup to a description of King Nestor's golden cup in the Iliad. If

Papyri containing fragments of the Odyssey have been discovered in Egypt, preserved by the dry climate; these date to the 3rd century BC and differ from medieval versions.

These include the pairing of nouns with adjectival epithets; type scenes, and chiastic structure.

Calling these parts 'books' is anachronistic.

The Ionic alphabet ranged from 20 to 26 letters during the Homeric period.

This observation is known as "Monro's law" after David Monro.

During the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns, the Moderns found long Homeric similes so displeasing that they named them comparisons à longue queuë ("long-tailed similes").

These libraries were rivals in the early second century BC. Alexandria saw a scholarly exodus due to internal political disagreements. The Roman Republic took control of the Pergamon in 133 BC.

City editions were variously called ekdoseis kata, poleis, apo tōn poleōn, or apo tōn poleōn, or politikai; individual editions were ekdoseis kat'andra.

Homer was repeatedly called "the father of oratory" throughout antiquity, including by Telephus of Pergamum.

Robert Browning writes: "It may seem odd today that children should be taught the art of reading from poems composed in a form of language which no one actually spoke or ever had spoken, but Greek society was not the onl

Mary Ebbott writes: "Ancient sources indicate that rhapsodes performed in 'musical contests' (mousikoi agōnes) at the Panathenaia from at least the late sixth century through the late fourth century BC".

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