The Searching for the Palace of Odysseus

A fascinating unravelling of an ancient mystery, with plenty of photographs, illustrations and detailed textual evidence from original sources. Homer's Odyssey describes the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus (known to the Romans as Ulysses) returning home after the Trojan War. Odysseus was king of a group of islands consisting of Ithaca, Cephallonia, and Leukas. He had a longer journey to return home than most of the Greek heroes, as his kingdom was on the far side of Greece. Speculation about the location of his palace has never been settled until now. The author and his colleague Professor Ioannis Liritzis have identified the site and confirmed it with a key dating result, as well as much other evidence. The Palace of Odysseus sat on top of a hill on Ithaca, from where it was possible to see three seas, as described by Homer. An ancient stone stairway leading up to the site has been dated to the time of Odysseus. Another surprising discovery is evidence that the poet Homer was indeed blind, as tradition claimed. Both Homer and Aristotle visited the site of the Palace, which was a tourist attraction until at least the fourth century BC.