Archeologists Claim Odysseus' Tomb and Capital Ithaca Found

In what may be a case of portions of myth turning out to be historical fact, Greek archaeologists assert that they have discovered the tomb and legendary capital of Odysseus, hero of Homer's The Odyssey. For years, many have searched the island of Ithaca (Ithaki) for the ruins of the capital described in Homer's works, assuming that it would lie there since the isle and the mythical city share the same name. However using Homer's descriptions as a guide, the 1991 revealing of a tomb apparently used to bury royalty and artefacts found within, combined with studies of surrounding landmarks and ancient structures, have led archaeologists to claim that the village of Poros on Kefalonia Island is the site of the City of Ithaca and Odysseus' resting place. The former governor of the the region has also claimed conspiracy to cover up the revelations in order to protect the tourist industry of modern-day Ithaca.



The village of Poros in the article should not be confused with the Poros on the large south island of Greece. The Poros referred to here is situated on the isle of Kefalonia (spelling varies).





The Brooch
Below is the description of the brooch, taken from The Odyssey (source):

"Goodly Odysseus wore a thick purple mantle, twofold, which had a brooch fashioned in gold, with two sheathes for the pins, and on the face of it was a curious device: a hound in his forepaws held a dappled fawn and gazed on it as it writhed. And all men marvelled at the workmanship, how, wrought as they were in gold, the hound was gazing on the fawn and strangling it, and the fawn was writhing with his feet and striving to flee."

I can't seem to find any pictures of the brooch allegedly found in the tomb.
Archaeological Museum of Argostoli website


The acropolis hill

The hill mentioned in the article may be Mount Atros, 5km above Poros, upon which rests the Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Atros, which is the oldest standing building on the Kefalonia Island, dating back to the 8th century.

Situated 5 kilometres above the town of Poros is the Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Atros. Located on Mount Atros, at an altitude of 760 metres above sea level, overlooking Poros, this is the oldest monastery in Kefalonia. The tower dating back to the middle ages is still preserved and the original Monastery was built in the Byzantine era around the 8th century. In former years the manly Monastery had many members but it's now down to only one monk.

The Monastery has had quite an eventful and colourful history, having been destroyed 17 times (often by earthquakes) but always being rebuilt by the monks themselves. The Monastery was attacked 3 times by Saracens during the middle ages with 127 monks losing their lives in its defence. The actual fortress built at the Monastery to withstand these constant attacks and protect the monks and valuables has been classed as the oldest standing building on Kefalonia - well worth a visit for those adventurous enough to go off the beaten track. The road leading up to the monastery is in poor condition.
(source)

Mt. Neriton

The article mentions that Homer's description of Mt. Neriton matches Mt. Aenos, which overlooks Poros to the West.



Mt. Aenos


View from the mountain looking down



The Cave of the Nymphs

Homer's description of the legendary Cave of the Nymphs puts them a day or two's walk from the city of Ithaca. The cave mentioned in the article 15 or so miles NW of Poros appears to be the Drogorati Caves, which are a couple of kilometres away from the town of Sami.



The Drogorati Caves






Can anyone shed more light on the search for Ithaca, and whether or not these new claims are bunk?

[edit on 2005-10-3 by wecomeinpeace]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing this. Compelling material that demonstrates that the Odessey contains historic elements as did the Iliad, believed to be mere legend until the discovery of Troy. What other legends are waiting to be discovered? I'd love to hear and see more about this.

great post (and an even greater subject)...

i heard about this and was amazed about it...

thanks for posting about it...

here is another link to the story:

Land of Homer's 'Odyssey' Said Found

here is some related news:

Bulgarians Find Gold Treasure to Match Troy

Archaeologists Unveil Pompeii Treasure

ENJOY!!!

Whoa im blown away...that was outta my hometown newspaper. Excellent Find and subject well worth delving into. Im filling my grey matter as we speak.

This is some incredible stuff! Ancient Greece is perhaps my sweetspot. First they find Troy and now this? At least Homer is getting the credit as a Historian, that he deserves. Now if only people would actually READ what Plato said about Atlantis, instead of trying to shoehorn it where it doesn't go.

Interesting, the article at They See All's link describes Robert Bittlestone, a management consultant who posits Ithaca is on the peninsula of Paliki which juts out of the West side of Kefallonia.



livescience.com...


So far that's two new claims to the location at around the same time, although the Poros claim supposedly has been made since 1991 but was kept out of the international press. Who knows... It reminds me of the scene in Braveheart where they're all waving around documents that supposedly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their clan has right to the throne.

If anyone can get a pic or description of that brooch they discovered in the tomb that'd be great.

[edit on 2005-10-4 by wecomeinpeace]