£14.99
ISBN 978-1-913378-17-2
45 in stock
Description
A fascinating unravelling of an ancient mystery, with plenty of photographs, illustrations and detailed textual evidence from original sources.
Homer’s Odyssey describes the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus (known to the Romans as Ulysses) returning home after the Trojan War.
Odysseus was king of a group of islands consisting of Ithaca, Cephallonia, and Leukas. He had a longer journey to return home than most of the Greek heroes, as his kingdom was on the far side of Greece.
Speculation about the location of his palace has never been settled until now. The author and his colleague Professor Ioannis Liritzis have identified the site and confirmed it with a key dating result, as well as much other evidence.
The Palace of Odysseus sat on top of a hill on Ithaca, from where it was possible to see three seas, as described by Homer. An ancient stone stairway leading up to the site has been dated to the time of Odysseus.
Another surprising discovery is evidence that the poet Homer was indeed blind, as tradition claimed. Both Homer and Aristotle visited the site of the Palace, which was a tourist attraction until at least the fourth century BC.
86 pages softback
AMAZON REVIEW by Miss E E Staite:
A massive thank you to Eglantyne Books for offering to send me a copy of this. As soon as I saw the subject matter, I was so keen to get it as, by now, you probably realise that I love going to Greece. Specifically Kefalonia, which is next to Ithaca…which is where Odysseus lived (yep, that Odysseus).
I’ve wanted to do a trip to Ithaca for ages and I thought this year would be the year we’d make it, but ferry times and other things meant it will be next year now. However, I have learnt so much from Robert Temple’s book about the efforts to identify the site of Odysseus’ palace, and I only wish I could visit the site in question to look at the things he mentions.
This is a great, short book that covers a lot of the existing debate on where Odysseus may have lived, as the Odyssey and the Iliad both mention at times that he was King of the Kefalonians, but lived on Ithaca. In the Mycenaean Age (1750-1050 BC), this kingdom likely comprised of Ithaca, Kefalonia, Lefkada and Zakinthos. As Ithaca is the smallest of these islands, there has been speculation that it wouldn’t actually be where Odysseus would have lived.
Although there is yet to be enough archaeological investigation to prove Temple’s theory, it is a compelling one, and makes a lot of sense. This is a great book for anyone who’s interested in the history behind the mythology and a great jumping off point for further research.
Additional information
| Weight | .5 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 264 × 190 × .31 cm |
