The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed
to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed
to Homer. The Odyssey is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and
is the second-oldest extant work of Western literature; the Iliad is the
oldest. Scholars believe the Odyssey was composed near the end of the
8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of
Anatolia.
The poem mainly focuses on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses
in Roman myths), king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the fall of
Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year
Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed Odysseus has died, and his
wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly
suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: Μνηστῆρες) or Proci, who compete for
Penelope's hand in marriage.