Synopses & Reviews
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 3D satellite images. Over a century after Schliemann's discovery of Troy, this breakthrough will revolutionize our understanding of Homer's texts and of our cultural ancestors in Bronze Age Greece.
- Offers a compelling solution to one of the oldest problems in classical scholarship using a combination of literary, geological and archaeological clues
- Tells the story of the author's discovery in lively prose enhanced by numerous stunning colour images
- Enables the reader to follow the events of the Odyssey through a real landscape brought vividly to life
Review
"This book is a gem. Its reconstruction of prehistoric Ithaca has a convincingly Homeric 'look and feel' to it. Reading the Odyssey is unlikely ever to be the same again." Professor Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University, and Director of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington DC
Review
"This curious, spellbinding book is a masterpiece of writing for the general public. The geological argument in particular is first-class and leaves me in no doubt about the possibility of the theory being proposed." Professor Tjeerd van Andel, Honorary Professor in Earth History, Quaternary Science and Geo-archaeology, University of Cambridge
Review
"A fascinating and compelling book." Library Journal
Review
"Resplendent with hundreds of landscape and satellite images, Bittlestone's freelance investigation is enthralling, accessibly presented, and possibly true and, like its subject, finds its soul more in the journey than the destination." Booklist
Review
"The rest of this beautifully produced book, illustrated throughout in color, chronicles Bittlestone's full-scale, ultimately convincing attempt to prove this thesis, with the aid of everything from outer-space photography to linguistic, geological, and seismological analysis." Choice
Review
"A sumptuous production, this, with thousands of illuminating illustrations, likewise opulent in valuably synthesising charts of historical and scientific data...stupendous work. A non scientific neutral, I find the geological arguments impressive to overwhelming." Fortean Times
Review
"The reader's reward is truly thrilling detection supported by breathtaking illustration, yielding a revitalized epic whose prime location of Ithaca is made newly recognizable and powerfully evocative." Foreword
Synopsis
Extraordinary story of the exciting discovery of the true location of Odysseus' homeland of Ithaca.
Synopsis
Where is the Ithaca described in such detail in Homer's Odyssey? This highly illustrated book tells the extraordinary story of the exciting recent discovery of its true location. Literary, geological and archaeological clues are carefully examined to solve a problem which has baffled scholars for over two millennia. We can now identify all the places on the island mentioned in the epic-even the site of Odysseus' Palace. Over a century after Schliemann's discovery of Troy, this breakthrough will revolutionise our understanding of Homer's texts and of Bronze Age Greece.
Video
About the Author
Robert Bittlestone studied 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. He is the author of numerous business articles and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture & Commerce.
James Diggle is Professor of Greek and Latin at Cambridge and a Fellow of Queens' College. His publications include The Textual Tradition of Euripides' Orestes (Oxford University Press, 1991), and Euripidea: Collected Essays (Oxford University Press, 1994), Theophrastus: Characters. He was University Orator at Cambridge for eleven years, and has published a selection of his speeches in Cambridge Orations 1982-1993.
John Underhill is Chair of Stratigraphy at the University of Edinburgh and Associate Professor at the Department for Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University.