These two-halves are commonly regarded as reflecting Virgil's ambition to rival Homer by treating both the Odyssey 's wandering theme and the Iliad 's warfare themes. The Aeneid can be divided into halves based on the disparate subject matter of Books 1–6 (Aeneas' journey to Latium in Italy) and Books 7–12 (the war in Latium). See also: Characters in the Aeneid and Parallels between the Aeneid and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey