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Which dialect formed the basis of Homeric epic poetry?

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Thematic map of Eurasia showing the approximate geographic distribution of Indo-European language families, each represented by a different color. Areas include Celtic in western Europe, Germanic in northern and central Europe, Romance in southwestern Europe, Slavic in eastern Europe and Russia, and Indo-Iranian languages in South Asia. Non-Indo-European language regions and areas of common bilingualism are also indicated. — Greek language Approximate locations of Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia.

The language of the Homeric epics is an artificial dialect based primarily on Asiatic Ionic.12

Because this language evolved through a long oral tradition, it is not a pure dialect but is instead interspersed with many Aeolic and some Mycenaean elements. This specialized, highly formalized language allowed oral poets to utilize a large store of traditional verbal formulas to meet the requirements of the dactylic hexameter meter used in epic poetry. Once established, this "Homeric dialect" became the standard for dactylic poetry throughout the Greek world.123