Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaki took 10 years to return home after the fall of Troy.
He helped to win a war, he encountered many mythical creatures, he fought against terrifying monsters, he talked to the mighty gods and he became one of the greatest heroes ever. But all he ever wanted - was to go home.
This is a story of the course of man towards his roots and his own existence in this perpetual adventure of life and the immense struggle for survival.
Nearly 3000 years later, the remains of his home have been found, proving that Homer’s epic, this fabulous tale of persistence, courage and bravery is rooted in truth!
A team of archaeologists from the University of Ioannina found the remains of an extensive three storey building, with steps carved out of rock, fragments of pottery and a well from the 8th century BC, the period Odysseus is believed to have been king of Ithaki.
So many unanswered questions: was Homer, the blind poet of Chios, a real person? Was Odysseus, the brave king of Ithaki, a real person? There is a lot of debate on both subjects, scholars disagree, but since there is no reliable biographical information, all theories stand. Let’s not forget that Troy was thought to be a fictional place but it came to be recognized as a real place through Schliemann's archaeological endeavors.
Both the Iliad and the Odyssey are two of my favorites to read and re-read, so I like to think that Homer was a real poet and that Odysseus was a real person.
Maybe the future will do justice to my beliefs….
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