Multiple formats will be published. Throughout the book "Ithaki" refers to the modern island and "Ithaca" to the island of antiquity. Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-419) and indexes.
Contents:
Introduction: the Homeric perspective -- Part one: - Looking for Ithaca : The realm of Odysseus -- The island of Odysseus -- Dulchians on the move -- The Dulchian suitors -- Dulchians in Ithaca -- Homeric tracees on Ithaki in antiquity -- Ithaca on the coins -- Ithaca from the Middle Ages --Part two: - Landing on Ithaca -- The last six days of Odyssey -- The season of the last six days -- Odysseus returns -- The farm of Eumaeus -- Telemachus returns -- From the farm to the city -- The city of Ithaca -- The farm of Laertes -- The palace of Odysseus -- Part three : - Ithaca adrift -- Introduction -- Cephalonia -- Lefkada -- Corfu -- Sicily -- Spain -- Denmark -- The Atlantic Ocean -- Part four: - Homer in Ithaca -- Returning to Ithaki.
Summary:
Odysseus was notoriously vague about where he lived. Ithaca was the place, he said, but his description of its whereabouts was a mixture of geography and poetry. Tradition says that it was the modern island of Ithaki in the Ionian Sea. Other theories, however, have placed it elsewhere. This book takes a close look at the traditional view, and at some of the other theories. The author examines the Odyssey in detail, draws on ancient and modern scholarly texts (some translated into English for the first time), reproduces antique and contemporary maps, and satellite imagery, quotes from the accounts of earlier travellers and topographers, sails the Ionian Sea, and above all, walks the landscape of Ithaki exploring the extent to which the island matches the Ithaca of the poem. The result is a treasure trove of documentation and discovery. The author proposes new explanations for some age-old problems: where was Dulichium? Where did Telemachus land in Ithaca? Where was the city? Where was the palace of Odysseus? He suggests localities for them all. His analytical approach is informed by wide research into historical, literary and archaeological sources, and is abundantly illustrated. For the first time, several Ithacan landmarks that conform closely to the words and action of the Odyssey are identified. The author then travels to Cephalonia, Lefkada, Corfu, Sicily, Spain, and the Azores to explore other proposed localities for Ithaca. He returns to Ithaki, and reflects on how Homer could have known the island that so closely matches the island of his poem. An ideal companion for lovers of Homer and travellers alike.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.