An ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter that is traditionally attributed to Homer, The Iliad is usually dated to the 8th century BC and is considered to be among the oldest extant works of Western literature. Set during the Trojan War — the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states — The Iliad tells of the battles and events that occur during a few weeks near the war's end, when a a quarrel between the leader of the Greeks, King Agamemnon, and the Greek's greatest warrior, Achilles, reaches a climax.