The birth of rhetoric is traced back to the 5th century B.C.E., when the first theoretical treatises on rhetoric were drafted. As early as in the speeches of the Iliad however, one can recognize a deliberate and thoughtful use of refined rhetorical techniques, although these techniques were only codified at a much later date. The Homeric orators thus appear to have been influenced by unwritten but nevertheless valid rules of rhetoric. Based on detailed analysis of the most important speeches in the epic and related reflections by the poet, the author reveals Homer as a pioneer of rhetoric.