Homer's Odyssey, created in the eighth century BC, is the second oldest work of Greek and Western literature. The epic describes the adventurous journey and eventual happy return of King Odysseus, who had participated on the Greek side in the battle for Troy twenty years earlier. Even in antiquity, the Odyssey held a prominent position, and the impact of the work on European literature and intellectual history remains unbroken. This is evidenced not only by significant literary works such as James Joyce's Ulysses but also by numerous film adaptations.