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Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca
Where is the Ithaca described in such detail in Homer's Odyssey? The mystery has baffled scholars for over two millennia, particularly because Homer's descriptions bear little resemblance to the modern island called Ithaki. This highly illustrated book tells the extraordinary story of the exciting recent discovery of the true location of Homer's Ithaca by following a detective trail of literary, geological and archaeological clues. We can now identify all the places on the island that are mentioned in the epic--even the site of Odysseus' palace itself. The pages of the Odyssey come alive as we follow its events through a landscape that opens up before our eyes via glorious color photographs and 3-D satellite images. Over a century after Schliemann's discovery of Troy, the information in this groundbreaking volume will revolutionize our understanding of Homer's text and of our cultural ancestors in Bronze Age Greece. Robert Bittlestone was educated in classics and science before reading economics at the University of Cambridge. He is the founder of Metapraxis Ltd., a company specializing in the detection of early warnings for multinational companies. Bittlestone is the author of many articles about the importance of visualization and has applied these principles to the enigma described in this book. James Diggle is Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Queens' College. John Underhill is Chair of Stratigraphy at the University of Edinburgh and Associate Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionTravel
618 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 14, 2018
My affection for this book makes me an official geek. As I watched other people at the laundrette read their phones and magazines, there I was getting completely absorbed in Robert Bittlestone's theory of where Odysseus's home island really should be. The manager of the laundry had to tap me on the shoulder to ask me to kindly remove my clothes from the dryer, having been sitting there for so long they were almost cold. That's how much I was into this book.
You will find the scene of the wanderings of Odysseus when you find the cobbler who sewed up the bag of the winds.
Eratosthenes said that more than two thousand years ago and it is very appropriate. Just as everyone thought Troy and The Iliad was a myth, so too do most readers when it comes to The Odyssey. There's no way any of that was real, right? Ah, but I so very beg to differ. I say those places DID exist, otherwise how could they be so gloriously described?
And so we come to the premise of this book, which is to discover the actual island of the legendary Ithaca, home of our hero Odysseus. Given that this huge book (you can break a thumb lifting it) only focuses on that specific island, it's able to really delve into the author's theory without having to fly all over the Mediterranean on other adventures. It's all very simple, really. The modern island known as Ithaca was really known as Doulichion when the Homeric epics were written. So where was the real Ithaca?
Sometimes the spirit tells us what the intellect cannot.
The author proposes another island and then spends the rest of the book building a brilliant argument supporting his theory. And what research! Ancient landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, boulder-covered streams, etc. All spelled out beautifully with logic and passion.
To awaken here at the start of each day is to experience a sensation so sublime that it renders you immortal. On this hilltop you sup at the table of the gods: a palace built here is a passport to Olympos. From this summit you will plan the takeover of Troy; from these mountains you will fell the trees for your galleys; from this harbour you will sail with your fleet to rescue Helen. On this hilltop you are truly Odysseus: and however far you travel, you will always return.
Bittlestone has created a book that is outlined the way I like to see arguments outlined, as though he were preparing a case for court. There are spreadsheet views and each chapter ends with a numbered analysis so you remember what you just read. Throughout, he never loses touch with the essence of Homer, with the words and the imagery that always makes one go back to any translation close at hand. He even throws in a chapter on Homer himself. Was he really a blind bard? Or were there two poets, one based in Asia Minor (for the telling of the Trojan War) and one based in Greece (for the telling of Odysseus's life)? The author knows his works, as he goes back and recites the words which have led him to a specific island, as Homer (or whoever it was) gave such descriptive land and sea renderings.
There are also pictures galore, so the reader can see what Bittlestone is going on about. I always like that. Show me that harbour where Telemachos was supposed to be waylaid and murdered. Show me that spit of land where the faithful swineherd awaited his master's return. Show me that hilltop where Penelope sat in the palace, fending off the grasping suitors.
And after all, it's Ithaca, isn't it? We're all headed there.
Always keep Ithaca on your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will off you riches.
(Constantine P. Cavafy)
Book Season = Summer (hot sun on wine-colored sea)
You will find the scene of the wanderings of Odysseus when you find the cobbler who sewed up the bag of the winds.
Eratosthenes said that more than two thousand years ago and it is very appropriate. Just as everyone thought Troy and The Iliad was a myth, so too do most readers when it comes to The Odyssey. There's no way any of that was real, right? Ah, but I so very beg to differ. I say those places DID exist, otherwise how could they be so gloriously described?
And so we come to the premise of this book, which is to discover the actual island of the legendary Ithaca, home of our hero Odysseus. Given that this huge book (you can break a thumb lifting it) only focuses on that specific island, it's able to really delve into the author's theory without having to fly all over the Mediterranean on other adventures. It's all very simple, really. The modern island known as Ithaca was really known as Doulichion when the Homeric epics were written. So where was the real Ithaca?
Sometimes the spirit tells us what the intellect cannot.
The author proposes another island and then spends the rest of the book building a brilliant argument supporting his theory. And what research! Ancient landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, boulder-covered streams, etc. All spelled out beautifully with logic and passion.
To awaken here at the start of each day is to experience a sensation so sublime that it renders you immortal. On this hilltop you sup at the table of the gods: a palace built here is a passport to Olympos. From this summit you will plan the takeover of Troy; from these mountains you will fell the trees for your galleys; from this harbour you will sail with your fleet to rescue Helen. On this hilltop you are truly Odysseus: and however far you travel, you will always return.
Bittlestone has created a book that is outlined the way I like to see arguments outlined, as though he were preparing a case for court. There are spreadsheet views and each chapter ends with a numbered analysis so you remember what you just read. Throughout, he never loses touch with the essence of Homer, with the words and the imagery that always makes one go back to any translation close at hand. He even throws in a chapter on Homer himself. Was he really a blind bard? Or were there two poets, one based in Asia Minor (for the telling of the Trojan War) and one based in Greece (for the telling of Odysseus's life)? The author knows his works, as he goes back and recites the words which have led him to a specific island, as Homer (or whoever it was) gave such descriptive land and sea renderings.
There are also pictures galore, so the reader can see what Bittlestone is going on about. I always like that. Show me that harbour where Telemachos was supposed to be waylaid and murdered. Show me that spit of land where the faithful swineherd awaited his master's return. Show me that hilltop where Penelope sat in the palace, fending off the grasping suitors.
And after all, it's Ithaca, isn't it? We're all headed there.
Always keep Ithaca on your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will off you riches.
(Constantine P. Cavafy)
Book Season = Summer (hot sun on wine-colored sea)
June 12, 2010
At first glance I thought "Yada-Yada" another person trying to 'prove' something about the subject of the Homeric poems. As I started reading, however, I quickly realized Bittlestone was going somewhere with this. Why? Because he doesn't take on the entire Odyssey—just the parts that concern Ithaca, under the rather reasonable premise that to appeal to his audience, whoever wrote The Odyssey could play as fast and loose as he wanted to with Polyphemus's island, or Circe's, but he'd better get the local geography down pat if he really wanted to engage his audience. Furthermore, if this is true, then we should be able to match Ithaca exactly with the descriptions in the poem. The only problem is that Ithaca decidedly doesn't match the descriptions in The Odyssey, something that's given would-be Heinrich Schliemanns fits for decades. But what if the island we call 'Ithaca' today is not the island the Mycenaeans knew as Ithaca? What if it's nearby, hiding in plain sight?
Nor does Bittlestone go it alone. Aware of his own shortcomings, he enlists the help of an expert linguist familiar with Homer—James Diggle—and an eminent geologist—John Underhill—when his own knowledge fails him. Thus the reader is not presented with Bittlestone's suppositions alone, but sees these challenged and sometimes altered. The results of this collaboration are, to me, very impressive.
Any fan of the 'puzzle' Thor Heyerdahl presents in Kon-Tiki will likely enjoy Odysseus Unbound, too. There's not as much hands-on stuff done (onstage—offstage, Bittlestone learns to sail so he can get a sailor's view of his subject—I wish Bittlestone had included more of that, although I understand why he did not), but the logical piecing together of the ancient puzzle is very similar, and just as enjoyable.
Nor does Bittlestone go it alone. Aware of his own shortcomings, he enlists the help of an expert linguist familiar with Homer—James Diggle—and an eminent geologist—John Underhill—when his own knowledge fails him. Thus the reader is not presented with Bittlestone's suppositions alone, but sees these challenged and sometimes altered. The results of this collaboration are, to me, very impressive.
Any fan of the 'puzzle' Thor Heyerdahl presents in Kon-Tiki will likely enjoy Odysseus Unbound, too. There's not as much hands-on stuff done (onstage—offstage, Bittlestone learns to sail so he can get a sailor's view of his subject—I wish Bittlestone had included more of that, although I understand why he did not), but the logical piecing together of the ancient puzzle is very similar, and just as enjoyable.
January 2, 2009
I totally dug this book. I first heard about this book on an episode of “The Naked Scientists” podcast; they interviewed the author. I was surprised to find out how long the book had been in print already, so it’s hardly news, I guess. I think the author is an economist by trade, so if you move in economic, or British, or Homeric circles, maybe this is even old news to you.
This is one of those books where the author ties literature to actual archaeological evidence, or tries to. You know how there are always those searches for the real Noah’s ark or the real gardens of Babylon? It’s one of my favorite kinds of stories to read–-even if it’s completely fictitious. For book club we read an OK book-–The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova–that was about combing through ancient records to discover Dracula (or maybe just vampires). It’s why I read both Foucault’s Pendulum AND The Da Vinci Code. I am all excited to resume my interrupted journey through Babylon 5 because I’ve hit this part where G’Kar refers to ancient documents that seem eerily similar to stuff that is going on at that scary planet. Battlestar Galactica follows what are basically biblical clues to find the planet Earth. Even the A.S. Byatt novel, Possession, is in this vein (I liked the movie, too). So that’s why I was drawn to this book, not caring that much about Greek Classics (although I like The Odyssey much more than The Iliad, which I am not entirely certain I’ve even read once). I have also been fascinated since I was a child with plate tectonics, so earthquakes and changing shorelines and the theory of Atlantis as Minoan culture blown sky-high by a volcano and swamped by a tsunami.
Turns out–-and you probably know this-–that people in their inexpert investigative ways of the 18th and 19th Centuries searched the world for the remains of Troy, and finally found it (they say that they found it, anyway) in Turkey. Maybe. Turns out that for centuries now, and milennia even, there has been an island in Greece called Ithaca, that so little resembles the Ithaca described by Homer in The Odyssey that everyone just assumed that Homer was wrong, that he (or the collection of voices now ascribed to a single storyteller) screwed up all the geographical details, even though so much of what he describes about life and sailing and agriculture and other details are correct. So people have been looking a long time for where Ithaca could be, and Bittlestone is the latest one to do so. This book presents his case. Boy, is it compelling.
First of all, the book is just beautiful. It’s heavy and it’s wide, but every single page is that glossy paper you see sometimes in the center of books with photographs printed on them. The photographs in this book are on almost every page, and they are all in color. There are satellite photographs, photographs that the author took on the ground (or that his professional photographer friend took), photographs of artifacts, topographical maps, everything. He cites passages from the poem to support his theories, and he often provides multiple translations for them, so you can see how different theorists have come up with their ideas about where Ithaca actually was. He cites geographies and travelogues from various centuries, and he is just so enthusiastic about this adventure he’s on that the book is a joy to read. (Some of the chapters are admittedly less interesting than others.) What makes this seem like more than some hack spinning threads of conspiracy (and there are lots of hacks with ideas spinning threads in the world) is his reliance on textual evidence, his descriptions of his thought processes, his correspondence with various experts in different fields, and his ultimate cooperation with local agents, a Greek language scholar (Diggle), and an actual practicing geologist (Underhill). Each contributor has a big appendix in the back to give readers the technical explanations that Bittlestone left out of the main narrative. I am so sad that the book had to go back–I didn’t get to flip through that part. I could re-request it, and I probably will. I didn’t get to the part where he was describing the town and the palace locales.
I don’t really know what to count as a flaw of the book besides its lack of portability. I suppose he spends too much time promoting the strengths of his version and not enough time to address the facts of the other side (although he does mention them and describe them by the paragraph). But he isn’t really making a case that this peninsula of Cephalonia (Kefalonia) is the location–he is making the case that Cephalonia is a reasonable candidate and that an extended exploration would not be a waste of resources. The problem is that there are no artifacts that can be specifically dated to the time that the Odyssey supposedly takes place. I think that’s the problem; like I said, I didn’t quite finish the book. It all looks great from the sky and on paper, but nothing’s really there to make the case more than circumstantial. That said, he explains at one point that any given strong resemblance could be coincidental, but then provides a formula for how to calculate the likelihood of coincidence that two or three strong resemblances would all be circumstantial.
What I really liked was when he would list all the “clues” from the poem and check each purported locale against the list. It’s very methodical. It’s very exciting. I mean, why not? If they prove this, I can’t wait to learn what they think Scylla and Charybdis were. The geological surveys and explanations of how earthquakes have rocked this island, and what kinds of dramatic changes are possible were fascinating. The photographs of land that has been raised above sea level are amazing. You really don’t want to be standing on it when these earthquakes hit. At one point, Bittlestone postulates that the violence of the earthquakes in the region made it absolutely certain that Poseidon would be in the story. I’ve felt a few earthquakes, but nothing like the ones he describes. The 1953 earthquake is terrifying to read about, as are the 19th century descriptions of other seismic events.
Just beyond the pages of the book lurk the author’s family members, too. This dude seems like he is always on a weekend getaway to Greece (nice work if you can get it, I suppose), and more than once jokes about how his family thinks he has completely lost it. It’s interesting to think about why people form obsessions. Not that I want to call this an obsession, exactly-–it’s an unsavory word that implies an inability to keep food in the house or your hair clean. But at one point his curiosity blossomed from a what-if to a quest. It’s not the worst quest in the world; it’s on a beautiful island in your time zone or a couple over, in a place with cars and bathrooms… it’s turned into at least one book deal… it’s based on classical literature upon which many tenets of Western society are based. He’s not looking for reptilian aliens in a cave in New Mexico or anything. It’s a pretty high-brow pastime, so far as pastimes go, and it’s definitely conferring high status at cocktail parties. But does one do when your fancy is captured so entirely by something so far outside of your profession? He’s a commerce specialist. All the press on him refers to him as an amateur archaeologist. You get the impression while reading that he never expected to be that guy, and yet here he is, Mediterranean traveler on the media circuit.
The other question that I can’t fully answer for myself is so what? So what if the Odyssey was inspired by true events? So what if Ithaca isn’t Ithaca? In my limited way I’ve been trying to come up with a way that this could enhance or undermine Western culture. I suppose if it were true, there would be renewed interest in tracking down sources for other popular stories and legends, which would be way cool. I’m not saying that way cool isn’t a good enough reason to do things. I just wonder if it will change anything. Would it just be this amazing psychological experience, to think that stories really can live so long? One of the big things about Odysseus was that he could never keep his mouth shut. Sure, he was in a hurry to go home, but he can’t just get there without telling everyone who he is and what he’s been up to. It’s a poem as much about fame as the Iliad is about glory (I think–remember, I’m not sure I’ve read it). People think sadly of Troy and admire from afar the tragic and heroic figures in it, but do you know what they really remember? That stupid horse. You know who thought of that horse? Odysseus. You know what else? He got a whole poem all to himself after that… and they made a frikkin noun out of his name, and then a frikkin minivan. A minivan that we might actually buy! (Suck that, Hector!)
So what would it mean for Odysseus to be real? It’s not like there aren’t documents of real people surviving from that far back in history. The personal connection to our ancestors is a powerful one to make, but it’s there. We know individuals. Events lately online have gotten me thinking about how long our legacy can last, even when we don’t want it to. Would Odysseus be happy to learn that his name has been carried on the wind through time (OK, that’s a pompous phrase… sorry)? It’s like reality TV will never go away. Odysseus came out pretty good in the retelling, if you think about it. Or does he? If we learn where Troy was and then where Ithaca was, and if they are anywhere near where it looks like they were, he’s going to have some splaining to do. It’s not even a twenty-year walk.
This is one of those books where the author ties literature to actual archaeological evidence, or tries to. You know how there are always those searches for the real Noah’s ark or the real gardens of Babylon? It’s one of my favorite kinds of stories to read–-even if it’s completely fictitious. For book club we read an OK book-–The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova–that was about combing through ancient records to discover Dracula (or maybe just vampires). It’s why I read both Foucault’s Pendulum AND The Da Vinci Code. I am all excited to resume my interrupted journey through Babylon 5 because I’ve hit this part where G’Kar refers to ancient documents that seem eerily similar to stuff that is going on at that scary planet. Battlestar Galactica follows what are basically biblical clues to find the planet Earth. Even the A.S. Byatt novel, Possession, is in this vein (I liked the movie, too). So that’s why I was drawn to this book, not caring that much about Greek Classics (although I like The Odyssey much more than The Iliad, which I am not entirely certain I’ve even read once). I have also been fascinated since I was a child with plate tectonics, so earthquakes and changing shorelines and the theory of Atlantis as Minoan culture blown sky-high by a volcano and swamped by a tsunami.
Turns out–-and you probably know this-–that people in their inexpert investigative ways of the 18th and 19th Centuries searched the world for the remains of Troy, and finally found it (they say that they found it, anyway) in Turkey. Maybe. Turns out that for centuries now, and milennia even, there has been an island in Greece called Ithaca, that so little resembles the Ithaca described by Homer in The Odyssey that everyone just assumed that Homer was wrong, that he (or the collection of voices now ascribed to a single storyteller) screwed up all the geographical details, even though so much of what he describes about life and sailing and agriculture and other details are correct. So people have been looking a long time for where Ithaca could be, and Bittlestone is the latest one to do so. This book presents his case. Boy, is it compelling.
First of all, the book is just beautiful. It’s heavy and it’s wide, but every single page is that glossy paper you see sometimes in the center of books with photographs printed on them. The photographs in this book are on almost every page, and they are all in color. There are satellite photographs, photographs that the author took on the ground (or that his professional photographer friend took), photographs of artifacts, topographical maps, everything. He cites passages from the poem to support his theories, and he often provides multiple translations for them, so you can see how different theorists have come up with their ideas about where Ithaca actually was. He cites geographies and travelogues from various centuries, and he is just so enthusiastic about this adventure he’s on that the book is a joy to read. (Some of the chapters are admittedly less interesting than others.) What makes this seem like more than some hack spinning threads of conspiracy (and there are lots of hacks with ideas spinning threads in the world) is his reliance on textual evidence, his descriptions of his thought processes, his correspondence with various experts in different fields, and his ultimate cooperation with local agents, a Greek language scholar (Diggle), and an actual practicing geologist (Underhill). Each contributor has a big appendix in the back to give readers the technical explanations that Bittlestone left out of the main narrative. I am so sad that the book had to go back–I didn’t get to flip through that part. I could re-request it, and I probably will. I didn’t get to the part where he was describing the town and the palace locales.
I don’t really know what to count as a flaw of the book besides its lack of portability. I suppose he spends too much time promoting the strengths of his version and not enough time to address the facts of the other side (although he does mention them and describe them by the paragraph). But he isn’t really making a case that this peninsula of Cephalonia (Kefalonia) is the location–he is making the case that Cephalonia is a reasonable candidate and that an extended exploration would not be a waste of resources. The problem is that there are no artifacts that can be specifically dated to the time that the Odyssey supposedly takes place. I think that’s the problem; like I said, I didn’t quite finish the book. It all looks great from the sky and on paper, but nothing’s really there to make the case more than circumstantial. That said, he explains at one point that any given strong resemblance could be coincidental, but then provides a formula for how to calculate the likelihood of coincidence that two or three strong resemblances would all be circumstantial.
What I really liked was when he would list all the “clues” from the poem and check each purported locale against the list. It’s very methodical. It’s very exciting. I mean, why not? If they prove this, I can’t wait to learn what they think Scylla and Charybdis were. The geological surveys and explanations of how earthquakes have rocked this island, and what kinds of dramatic changes are possible were fascinating. The photographs of land that has been raised above sea level are amazing. You really don’t want to be standing on it when these earthquakes hit. At one point, Bittlestone postulates that the violence of the earthquakes in the region made it absolutely certain that Poseidon would be in the story. I’ve felt a few earthquakes, but nothing like the ones he describes. The 1953 earthquake is terrifying to read about, as are the 19th century descriptions of other seismic events.
Just beyond the pages of the book lurk the author’s family members, too. This dude seems like he is always on a weekend getaway to Greece (nice work if you can get it, I suppose), and more than once jokes about how his family thinks he has completely lost it. It’s interesting to think about why people form obsessions. Not that I want to call this an obsession, exactly-–it’s an unsavory word that implies an inability to keep food in the house or your hair clean. But at one point his curiosity blossomed from a what-if to a quest. It’s not the worst quest in the world; it’s on a beautiful island in your time zone or a couple over, in a place with cars and bathrooms… it’s turned into at least one book deal… it’s based on classical literature upon which many tenets of Western society are based. He’s not looking for reptilian aliens in a cave in New Mexico or anything. It’s a pretty high-brow pastime, so far as pastimes go, and it’s definitely conferring high status at cocktail parties. But does one do when your fancy is captured so entirely by something so far outside of your profession? He’s a commerce specialist. All the press on him refers to him as an amateur archaeologist. You get the impression while reading that he never expected to be that guy, and yet here he is, Mediterranean traveler on the media circuit.
The other question that I can’t fully answer for myself is so what? So what if the Odyssey was inspired by true events? So what if Ithaca isn’t Ithaca? In my limited way I’ve been trying to come up with a way that this could enhance or undermine Western culture. I suppose if it were true, there would be renewed interest in tracking down sources for other popular stories and legends, which would be way cool. I’m not saying that way cool isn’t a good enough reason to do things. I just wonder if it will change anything. Would it just be this amazing psychological experience, to think that stories really can live so long? One of the big things about Odysseus was that he could never keep his mouth shut. Sure, he was in a hurry to go home, but he can’t just get there without telling everyone who he is and what he’s been up to. It’s a poem as much about fame as the Iliad is about glory (I think–remember, I’m not sure I’ve read it). People think sadly of Troy and admire from afar the tragic and heroic figures in it, but do you know what they really remember? That stupid horse. You know who thought of that horse? Odysseus. You know what else? He got a whole poem all to himself after that… and they made a frikkin noun out of his name, and then a frikkin minivan. A minivan that we might actually buy! (Suck that, Hector!)
So what would it mean for Odysseus to be real? It’s not like there aren’t documents of real people surviving from that far back in history. The personal connection to our ancestors is a powerful one to make, but it’s there. We know individuals. Events lately online have gotten me thinking about how long our legacy can last, even when we don’t want it to. Would Odysseus be happy to learn that his name has been carried on the wind through time (OK, that’s a pompous phrase… sorry)? It’s like reality TV will never go away. Odysseus came out pretty good in the retelling, if you think about it. Or does he? If we learn where Troy was and then where Ithaca was, and if they are anywhere near where it looks like they were, he’s going to have some splaining to do. It’s not even a twenty-year walk.
August 6, 2014
I have fond memories of this book.
I read this at the tail end of my senior year of high school, through road trips and long afternoons with nothing to do. It was too big to bring to school so I could only read it at home, and it became the book that I looked forward to reading every night. Which is really weird because this isn't a book, really, but rather a very long thesis about proving that the island of Paliki is Homer's Ithaca.
Knocking out the basics:
Writing: very good. Much better than other theses I've read.
Repetition: on the heavy side. A few things get annoying but otherwise Bittlestone does a good job hammering in terms, locations and events so that by the end of the book he could reference any of them and your recall would be pretty good.
Graphics: good. Bittlestone generally does a good job linking the graphics to the text and explaining them. There are a lot of pictures that he took himself but they're all appropriate.
Pacing: slow at first but it picks up.
Humor: scattered throughout, not very common. Most of his humor is academic, not things a layman would understand without context; there's also some funny anecdotes from his time exploring the area on and around Paliki. I think I caught most of it.
Now onto the argument!
Bittlestone argues that Homer's ancient island Ithaca was the now-named Paliki, which is an isthmus of Kefalonia, the island to the west of the now-named Ithaki. He argues that where Paliki meets Kefalonia there existed a waterway that was eventually filled in by rockslides, and that the geography of Paliki and the surrounding area matches the locations and actions described in the Odyssey more closely than the geography of Ithaki.
He makes a good argument, combing through the Odyssey and Iliad for clues regarding the actions of characters and location descriptions for clues. He uses the movements of the characters on Ithaca as well as the suitor's plan to ambush Telemachus to support his argument, as well as millennia-old descriptions of the isthmus that support the channel theory.
He gains backing from geological data, some archeology - though understandably Paliki is not a center of archeological activity - history, tectonic activity, and several experts in the region and on the Odyssey.
I found the argument convincing, but then again I'm not the most judicious person in the world. Yes, there are some things that don't make sense or are missing, and Bittlestone admits this. But with more focus and excavation the theory could gain traction.
I'll still have good memories of this book, though, no matter the future of the theory.
I read this at the tail end of my senior year of high school, through road trips and long afternoons with nothing to do. It was too big to bring to school so I could only read it at home, and it became the book that I looked forward to reading every night. Which is really weird because this isn't a book, really, but rather a very long thesis about proving that the island of Paliki is Homer's Ithaca.
Knocking out the basics:
Writing: very good. Much better than other theses I've read.
Repetition: on the heavy side. A few things get annoying but otherwise Bittlestone does a good job hammering in terms, locations and events so that by the end of the book he could reference any of them and your recall would be pretty good.
Graphics: good. Bittlestone generally does a good job linking the graphics to the text and explaining them. There are a lot of pictures that he took himself but they're all appropriate.
Pacing: slow at first but it picks up.
Humor: scattered throughout, not very common. Most of his humor is academic, not things a layman would understand without context; there's also some funny anecdotes from his time exploring the area on and around Paliki. I think I caught most of it.
Now onto the argument!
Bittlestone argues that Homer's ancient island Ithaca was the now-named Paliki, which is an isthmus of Kefalonia, the island to the west of the now-named Ithaki. He argues that where Paliki meets Kefalonia there existed a waterway that was eventually filled in by rockslides, and that the geography of Paliki and the surrounding area matches the locations and actions described in the Odyssey more closely than the geography of Ithaki.
He makes a good argument, combing through the Odyssey and Iliad for clues regarding the actions of characters and location descriptions for clues. He uses the movements of the characters on Ithaca as well as the suitor's plan to ambush Telemachus to support his argument, as well as millennia-old descriptions of the isthmus that support the channel theory.
He gains backing from geological data, some archeology - though understandably Paliki is not a center of archeological activity - history, tectonic activity, and several experts in the region and on the Odyssey.
I found the argument convincing, but then again I'm not the most judicious person in the world. Yes, there are some things that don't make sense or are missing, and Bittlestone admits this. But with more focus and excavation the theory could gain traction.
I'll still have good memories of this book, though, no matter the future of the theory.
July 23, 2009
Scholars have long believed that Homer’s account of the travels of Odysseus were based on factual geography. Through years of research, Bittlestone describes his new theory on the whereabouts of these ancient Greek sites, specifically Ithaca. I expected this book to be boring and I thought that I would lose interest early on, but Bittlestone’s description of his travel and research kept me intrigued. Furthermore, I found the accounts from ancient geographers to be quite interesting and the numerous pictures and diagrams were fun to examine and kept the reading easy.
I read the Odyssey years ago so I was worried that I wouldn’t remember most of the scenes being examined. Fortunately, the text provides direct quotes and explanations from the Odyssey and as a result, it was a great review! It’s not quite as narrative as non-fiction texts that I really like, but it’s still a good read if you’re interested in geography or archeology, love the Odyssey, or are looking for something different and slightly academic. One gripe I should mention is that sometimes Bittlestone’s claims seem to be based on a self-fulfilling prophecy, rather than from real proofs. I kept expecting him to bring up some hard proof, but it never really happened. Also, this book is large and heavy and is not well suited for “reading on the go”.
I read the Odyssey years ago so I was worried that I wouldn’t remember most of the scenes being examined. Fortunately, the text provides direct quotes and explanations from the Odyssey and as a result, it was a great review! It’s not quite as narrative as non-fiction texts that I really like, but it’s still a good read if you’re interested in geography or archeology, love the Odyssey, or are looking for something different and slightly academic. One gripe I should mention is that sometimes Bittlestone’s claims seem to be based on a self-fulfilling prophecy, rather than from real proofs. I kept expecting him to bring up some hard proof, but it never really happened. Also, this book is large and heavy and is not well suited for “reading on the go”.
January 8, 2016
i really loved this book . i was always captivated by the story of the odyssey ever since i first saw a documentary about it way back in the early 70,s on tv one sunday afternoon. i tried reading a version of the story however and was highly disappointed by the early non modern translation and couldn't get in to it .What a dilemma ! heres a great, very old , perhaps the oldest story in western history handed down and fascinating tale but i was unable to enjoy reading it . well fast forward 40 years and here i am discovering this beautiful book clearly illustrated , great photos and intelligently told all unfolding like a detective story to fire my imagination again . after reading this book i found a much better translated version of the odyssey by Robert Fagles and finally i enjoyed reading it . the fact that much of this story may be true only adds to its mystique
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February 11, 2012This book has something for everyone at all interested in the ancient world: it's part travelogue, part literary criticism, part geological study, and part detective story. Bothered by the fact that modern Ithaca is the eastern island of its group while Homer's Odyssey describes it as being in the west, Bittlestone set out to find an Ithaca that fits Homer's description. With help from geologists, classical scholars, archaeologists, local inhabitants, experts in various kinds of technology, and his young sons, he not only finds Ithaca but imagines how a real Odysseus, Telemachos, and Penelope would have lived there. Gorgeous photographs, satellite images, diagrams, and charts help support his argument and make it a weighty but still readable volume.
April 1, 2016
This is really an amazing journey, if you love literature, geology, geography, this book blends it in. Read the Odyssey first, they make a lot of references to that while trying to find the Ithica based off of the poem.
January 5, 2008
This book is beautifully put together -- both in research and contents and just the presentation alone. Gorgeous photographs.
March 12, 2009
An interesting idea, just taken too far.The geological bita about the "real" Ithaca is great, from there on this book gets too speculative.
July 24, 2016
This is just a theory and even if Paliki was an island in the ancient times this does not prove her as Homer's Ithaca. This is a nice theory, but with no archaeological support.
March 8, 2013
After flipping a few pages, I just realized why I flunked the Geographic paper in 'O' Levels years back. Recommended only for hardcore "Odysseus" fans.
June 20, 2012
Fabulous! Seldom give five stars but I really enjoyed this one!
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