Ancient Greek inscriptions point to the ‘Sanctuary of Odysseus’

Archeologists have been exploring the historical origins behind Homer’s The Odyssey for decades, if not centuries. As is the case for many of the world’s poetic epics, at least some evidence suggests that the long-suffering protagonist was partially based on an actual individual. Even if The Odyssey’s hero Odysseus never actually existed, excavation sites indicate people turned to him  as a source of inspiration for thousands of years—even going so far as to sometimes worship him.

The newest finds to shed light on both Odysseus and his followers come from his home island of Ithaca, at what’s known as the Agios Athanasios–School of Homer. An announcement on June 9 from the Greek Ministry of Culture cites the discovery of a rare underground spring cistern dating to the 14th–13th centuries BCE, during the Mycenaean palatial period. According to archeologists, the settlement at the School of Homer likely functioned as a hub for supervising surrounding ports and lands while protecting the area’s rich water resources. It’s just one of a network of 7 to 8 sites dotting northwest Ithaca that appear to collectively define the major urban center described by Homer in The Odyssey.

While archeologists still can’t definitively point to Odysseus’ existence, additional discoveries in the form of two late Hellenistic inscriptions illustrate the mythological figure’s importance, which eventually contributed to his local veneration. The first is ΟΔΥCCEOC, the Greek genitive (i.e. possessive or attributive) case of Odysseus which suggests a writer referring to the location as the hero’s palace or temple. The second iteration, ΟΔΥCCEI, is found on a dedicatory inscription possibly created by a visiting pilgrim. These correspond to a similar etching discovered at Ithaca’s nearby Polis Bay cave site during the 1930s that reads “ΕΥΧΗΝ ΟΔΥCCΕΙ,” or “Thanks, Odysseus.” Combined with multiple ritual artifacts and a small bronze bust of the Homeric hero, it’s clear the area remained a major “sanctuary” dedicated to the legendary figure for centuries.

“The complex is characterized by robust structures on terraces, incorporating impressive elements of carved architecture, as well as niches for votive offerings or inscriptions, which testify to the intensive cultic use,” explained the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Interestingly, even more recent finds at the School of Homer appear to predate the Odyssean pilgrimage site by thousands of years. The famous ruins’ previously oldest artifacts dated back to the Bronze Age Mycenaean period around the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. Now, flint tools and pottery shards indicate that  the earliest known human activity at the stone complex is traceable all the way to the Final Neolithic period (late 5th to 4th millennium BCE). Taken altogether, it appears that the site’s importance and cultural significance extended back into the annals of time—even further than the mythical, ill-fated voyage of Odysseus.

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