Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used in the Iliad, Odyssey, and Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic, with some Aeolic forms, a few from Arcadocypriot, and a written form influenced by Attic. It was later named Epic Greek because it was used as the language of epic poetry, typically in dactylic hexameter, by poets such as Hesiod and Theognis of Megara. Compositions in Epic Greek may date from as late as the 5th century CE, and it only fell out of use by the end of Classical antiquity. Main features In the following description, only forms that differ from those of later Greek are discussed. Omitted forms can usually be predicted from patterns seen in Ionic Greek. Phonology Homeric Greek is like Ionic Greek, and unlike Classical Attic, in shifting almost all cases of long to . Exceptions include nouns like ("a goddess"), and the genitive plural of first-declension nouns and the genitive singular of masculine first-declension nouns. For example ("of goddesses"), and ("of the son of Atreus"). Nouns First declension The nominative singular of most feminine nouns ends in , rather than long , even after , , and (an Ionic feature): for . However, and some names end in long . Some masculine nouns have a nominative singular in short rather than (, ): for Attic . The genitive singular of masculine nouns ends in or (rarely - only after vowels - ), rather than : for Attic . The genitive plural usually ends in or : for Attic . The dative plural almost always end in or : for Attic . Second declension Genitive singular: ends in , as well as . For example, , as well as . Genitive and dative dual: ends in . Thus, appears, rather than . Dative plural: ends in (ν) and . For example, , as well as . Third declension Accusative singular: ends in , as well as . For example, , as well as . Dative plural: ends in and . For example, or . Homeric Greek lacks the quantitative metathesis present in later Greek (except in certain masculine α-stem genitive singulars): Homeric instead of , instead of instead of instead of instead of Homeric Greek sometimes uses different endings: alternates with A note on nouns: After short vowels, the reflex of Proto-Greek *ts can