Do we have any convincing evidence for the existence of Homer? Even though the Iliad and Odyssey were supposedly written in the Greek dark age, it is surprising we don't have surviving ancient copies apart from Homeric Papyri. Given the high probability of the Iliad and Odyssey existing as oral traditions, is there a probability of "Homeric" poetry having existed closer to the time Troy was destroyed?
/u/Iphikrates has previously answered Who was Homer? and Why do some historians completely dismiss the Iliad and Homeric epics as having any historical basis? and Was Homer even a real person?
/u/LegalAction has previously answered Is it generally accepted by historians that the same person wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey?
/u/DrCaptainFantastic has also addressed the 'Homeric Question'