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Science & Technology |
Sleuths close in on Odysseus home |
2007-01-11 |
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- British history sleuths say they have uncovered new geological evidence to solve one of the great riddles of ancient Greece -- pinpointing the ancient island of Ithaca, home of Homer's legendary hero Odysseus. "We are one step closer to solving the age-old mystery," said management consultant Robert Bittlestone who has worked with professors of classics and geology to piece together an intriguing archaeological jigsaw puzzle. Finding Ithaca could rival the discovery of ancient Troy on the Turkish coast in the 1870s. No one can be certain whether Odysseus or his city really existed. But the discovery of the ruins of Troy, where Odysseus and other legendary Greek heroes did battle, has led scholars to believe there is more to Homer's tales than just legend. Until now, the kingdom of Ithaca was thought to have been on the Ionian island of Ithaki. But Bittlestone's team say they believe it is on Paliki, a peninsula on the island of Kefalonia, west of Ithaki. Bittlestone, who became intrigued by the riddle while on holiday in Greece, enlisted the help of Cambridge classicist James Diggle and Edinburgh geologist John Underhill to drill a 122 meter (400 ft) bore hole on the isthmus joining Paliki to the rest of Kefalonia. It met with no solid limestone bedrock, suggesting Paliki could once have been an island in itself. The team say rockfalls and landslides triggered by earthquakes may have filled in an ancient sea channel. Bittlestone said further tests would have to be made along the length of the isthmus to prove their island theory. "There is every evidence we are on the right track," he said. "For thousands of years people thought Homer was wrong in how he described the location of Ithaca. I believe Homer was right but we didn't see it because the landscape has changed." |
Posted by:gorb |
#8 The Trojan War was very much a war for control of the then-perceived Greek World/Universe, between mainland Greeks vs. "Mongrelized/Asianized" Greeks + Allies in Asia Minor. By stealing the "Helen" = Elene/Eleni symbol, TROY was basically unilaterally claiming by force the singular leadership of all the Greek World without heed of consent by the other major Greek City-States. By building the TROJAN HORSE, Odyseus = mainland Greeks basically wanted the Trojans to believe that mainland Greece would now acccept bastard Troy as Leader of the Greek World, i.e. TO ACCEPT NON-GREEK CONTROL + INFLUENCES ON THEIR SOCIETIES, INCLUDING THOSE UNILATERALLY AND NON-CONSENSUALLY IMPOSED BY FORCE. |
Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-01-11 23:37 |
#7 Just make sure that husband is dead & buried before hitting on local widows. |
Posted by: gromgoru 2007-01-11 21:55 |
#6 Is that anywhere near Elbonia? |
Posted by: gorb 2007-01-11 16:12 |
#5 Remember, "Homer's Odyssey" was about that minivan they rented that one summer. |
Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-01-11 13:56 |
#4 Spoken like a true student of the classics. LOL |
Posted by: badanov 2007-01-11 12:54 |
#3 "For thousands of years people thought Homer was wrong in how he described the location of Ithaca. I believe Homer was right but we didn't see it because the landscape has changed." what Simpson's episode was this? |
Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-11 12:48 |
#2 An island in the wine dark sea you sez? |
Posted by: Shipman 2007-01-11 12:20 |
#1 Everyone knows that Ithaca is in the state of New York. |
Posted by: JFM 2007-01-11 11:53 |