Homer's "The Odyssey" was fiction, or was it? Palace found..

www.novinite.com...

Archaeologists working on the Greek island of Ithaca claim to have found the palace of Odysseus.

What??

I realize that the Trojan War was a true event, but I thought that everything else Homer wrote about was pure fancy. Apparently I may have been wrong.

The palace that Odysseus called home in the writings has been uncovered just how it was described in Homer's epics.

Weird. What next? Circe was a real and powerful witch? Polyphemus was a real cyclops?

Exaggerating I know, but this could make some of the happenings in the Odyssey get a re-thinking.

edit for spelling

[edit on 24/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

reply to post by Chamberf=6


If the odyssey is true, then maybe the Aenead is true too! And the ancient Welsh legends that say the island of Britain was colonized by Brutus, a relative of Aeneas! What an exciting discovery this is!

edit: lynx for context
en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 24-8-2010 by SmedleyBurlap]

reply to post by Chamberf=6

Really a poor article. It shows a postcard picture of a city in Greece and gives absolutely no more information than your post, OP. Nice find, but there must be a more informative link to this?

reply to post by davidmann


Yeah I was going through the many other articles--you replied too fast. LOL

en.rian.ru...

www.suite101.com...

This article is pretty good for background:
www.timesonline.co.uk...

The last link is probably the best one I found so far...

www.telegraph.co.uk...


[edit on 24/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

Here is an additional link, which goes a bit more in depth...but not much. There is also a photograph of the excavation, although, it's not very revealing image.

en.rian.ru...

Nice find OP!

Now if they can find those pesky Sirens.

Well sorry, but the Times article I linked to for some background on the search for Odysseus' Ithaca has now been 404'd.

It was working when I posted earlier....

Old stories have some basis in fact and layers of fiction. This does not mean that cyclops exist or centaurs etc. However, you can see wee where a less medically informed author could get the ideas: Cyclops - this is a common flaw with naturally aborted foetuses although these days mothers are never told. An author could simply question "what if it survived?". Centaurs and any of the greek half human half animal legends are pretty obvious as well when you consider the greeks affinity for sexual indulgence!!

reply to post by malcr


I was only joking about Circe and Polyphemus. I know there are not gigantic cyclops people roaming around or witches that turn men into pigs...

On the bestiality reference, yeah I see what you mean. Oh, and yuck.


[edit on 24/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

What should be asked about ancient peoples would be why would they have a reason to write stories based on "entertainment purposes only". They wouldn't!

They would not lie to make a parable so that little children will behave themselves or to teach the common man not to commit sin. They do not tell stories to scare people. They do not tell stories to humor the masses. This is a modern invention of ours.

I am quite certain we will find that all the ancient texts are true and literal, yet so many people try to put a metaphor behind them because they seem to outlandish to be true. Demons? Dragons? Angels? OH MY!

Only modern man is a liar and a fabricator of tales, they even believe them to be truth. We live in Lies perpetrated by our Living Elders so that we remain blind to the Truth.

Great find.

After reading the book, "Forbidden History", whether its a reliable source or not, I have pondered whether or not mythology was real. We don't know how the writers intended it. Perhaps, if they knew it would last forever, they would have added key words.

reply to post by Myendica


I haven't read the book you mention. What do you mean by "they would have added key words"?

What sort of words would that refer to?

Cool find, it's not likely Homer invented the principal characters of his tale, or even the major story arc and settings, but used those from real life, just slightly embellished. (okay more than slightly...)

Nice find, I have been reading The Odyssey again Translated by Robert Fagles, introduction and notes by Bernard Knox.

Readers made their own odyssey, by now, through Odysseys----Richard Howard

reply to post by Aquarius1


I remember reading it in high school quite a while ago. I don't remember the translator, but I do remember that nearly every chapter started with something about the "dawns rosy fingers".

reply to post by Greensage


Are you saying that no stories were told for entertainment purposes? There was no use of metaphors? What about ancient poetry? What about Jesters? What about William Shakespeare and other playwrights?

You mentioned that parables wouldn't be used to teach people to behave? What about the bible? or Aesop's fables?

It seems like you're assuming that people in ancient times were completely different than we are today. You can't forget that they were human just as we are...And humans love to be entertained Yes stories were used to tell history but many were exaggerated to make them interesting and to convey a point. When, in your opinion was the first work of fiction created since its such a "modern" invention?

Any way, I think the article is fascinating. I just wish we could see what the palace looks like. I hope we get some updates soon!


[edit on 24-8-2010 by Adillin2012]

[edit on 24-8-2010 by Adillin2012]

reply to post by Adillin2012


I have been hoping to find some updates or at least pictures, but no luck yet.
I admit I am surprised that this isn't getting much attention....

reply to post by malcr


Allow me to present a point here that obviously eluded you.

first a few questions to show how much you know about Greeks (ancient ones) and their myths.

1. Where did centaurs live?

2. apart from Zeus' many transformations to get laid (from the top of my head I can recall him being a swan, a bull and golden rain), do you have any reference that bestiality was common? Mind you, Zeus used those transformations only to lure the women he targeted, once he did he assumed his glorious form.


Now, on to some answers.

Centaurs lived in Thessaly, a region of modern central Greece, a vast plain dominated by large horse herds. People living there practically spent their lives on horseback, a practice that survived until the 1960s (still survives as festive activity in some parts, like Tyrnavos and Elasson in the Larissa prefecture). Southern Greeks, like Myceneans, had far fewer horses and interacted with them far less. When they had contact with Thessalians they were amazed at those people that were always on horseback, so much so that they included this fact to their mythic tales of "horsepeople" or "horsemen" in Thessaly - thus the centaurs were "born".

Next time, please check before you discredit a culture you don't get. It is very easy to throw derogatory remarks (I could claim that modern Texans are living proof of the Indians "mating" with the buffalo, to offer an extreme example) but very hard to erase the negative effect they create - especially among uneducated audiences!

Cool find Chamberf=6, now if they find his bow it will be something (along with some blood stained arrowheads! )

S&F for you mate, keep us posted!

Here is the official website of the excavations with reports and photos from 1994. The website was in Greek, so I've used Google translator.

Excavatio ns in Ithaca

Also, here is a blog devoted to the excavations with photos, reports and video.

archaeologyplanet.blogspot.com

Odysseus didn't live in a palace, at least not according to Homer. Read Odysseus coming home after the Trojan war and you can only conclude his home is (merely) a farmhouse.