OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation · J199
Paper 3
Revise: Homer as a story-teller and the idea of epicTravelling poet-singers, or bards, drew on stories, characters and themes already familiar to their communities. A poet did not have to invent the Trojan War or Odysseus from nothing. His achievement lay in shaping inherited material into an engaging story: choosing what to include, what to expand and how to connect its episodes.