I am interested in reading about Homer and his works (which is why I chose him for my project), but the books/papers/websites I've seen so far seem to be opinionated and lacking of historical evidence. I guess what I am looking for would talk about how the epics influenced Ancient Greece or other civilizations, and have evidence of references to Homer and/or his work throughout history.

This is a really interesting topic for me, but I am having a hard time finding strong sources. Anything that you can think of would be really helpful, and if there is enough to read I may be back again to ask some informed questions!