Odysseus Belongs To Ithaca

There have been many attempts over recent years to suggest that  Ithaca, home of Odysseus, is not really Homeric Ithaca and not really the home of Odysseus.

Alternative theories have ranged from the bonkers to the pseudo-academically argued, and one of the most irritating is the claim of some on neighbouring Kefalonia that Kefalonia (surprise!) is actually where Odysseus ruled from.

I don't have the space here to go into the ludicrousness of all these claims. Instead, I would recommend again reading The Excavation at Agios Athanasios/School of Homer – The Archaeological Evidence for the Palace of Odysseus on Ithaca by Professor Thanasis J Papadopoulos.

On my latest visit to Ithaca I had to travel via Kefalonia – which now feels like kind of enemy territory – but I was glad to see that at least the tablecloth at the Kefalonian dockside taverna where I waited for my boat located our hero in exactly the right place (see picture above).

Beautiful Ithaca  Photo©Nigel Summerley

Free books on Odysseus and his palace

To help celebrate Orthodox Christmas, two of Jane Cochrane's books about Ithaca will be free from Amazon as e-books from 7 to 11 January inclusive. If you don't already have some kind of e-reader, you should be able to download one for free from the internet.

The Excavation at Agios Athanasios / School of Homer is a record made by the archaeologist Professor Thanasis J Papadopoulos of his work done jointly with his wife, Litsa, at the site in north Ithaca. This publication gives the well-hidden archaeological evidence for the Palace of Odysseus being there. To help the lay reader, Jane has written a short introduction. 

Walking in the Footsteps of Odysseus (in which I also played a part) is a practical guide to the Homeric footpaths of Ithaca.

You can download e-books of The Excavation at Agios Athanasios / School of Homer and Walking in the Footsteps of Odysseus HERE.