The search for Homer's birthplace was carried out by determining which cities had schools or associations of rhapsodes (itinerant singers) who called themselves 'Homeridae', or the descendants of Homer. The cities of Smyrna, Chios, Colophon, Ithaca, Pylos, Argos and Athens competed for this honour. It is probable that the poet was born in Smyrna, but ultimately he is thought to have come from Chios in Ionia, as research has shown that the basis of the language he used to write his epics was an Ionian dialect. Homer's Ionian origins are also indicated by the testimony of the most famous ancient Greek historian, Herodotus.
