Archaeologists from the University of Ioannina working for decades at the main archaeological site of Agios Athanasios on the Greek island of Ithaca, called the School of Homer and located in the northern part of the island, found the location of the sanctuary of the hero Odysseus, the mythical king of the island who is one of the most prominent characters of the Iliad and absolute protagonist of the Odyssey, both works of Homer.

The core of the site is a large rocky formation situated in an area with springs, with excavations located on two terraces connected by two staircases carved into the rock, as well as at various lower-altitude points. On the Upper Terrace, the remains of a Hellenistic tower from the 3rd century BCE stand out, while a large rectangular building has been found across much of the Lower Terrace.

The earliest evidence of human activity at the site is now dated to the Final Neolithic phase (late 5th/4th millennium BCE) and includes, among other things, several dozen flint artifacts, as well as several hundred ceramic fragments. Regarding Bronze Age evidence, several dozen fragments from around 30 different vessels dating from the late 14th and 13th centuries BCE have been identified so far.

odysseus sanctuary ithaca
View of the subway spring, from the northeast. Credit: Χρ. Μαραμπέα / Greek Ministry of Culture

An underground spring with side walls constructed using the corbeling technique with large blocks was also found at the site—one of the few known of its kind. Based on its shape, structural features, and the discovery of fragments of Late Mycenaean-period vessels inside it, dating it to the Mycenaean palatial phase seems highly probable, as also supported by earlier researchers.

This Mycenaean settlement at the School of Homer likely served for the oversight of ports and lands, as well as for the protection and management of the region’s rich water resources. It may be integrated into a network of 7–8 Mycenaean sites scattered throughout the fertile and well-connected northwestern Ithaca. This network appears to roughly delineate the main area of the island’s urban center during the Mycenaean palatial period (14th–13th centuries BCE).

As for the historical period, the largest volume of ceramic material found dates to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (up to the 1st/2nd centuries CE). Among the fragments of large vessels, eight fragments of ritual containers used in Greek sanctuaries for ablutions or water purifications have been identified so far.

odysseus sanctuary ithaca
View of the upper wing of the southern carved staircase, from the south. Credit: Χρ. Μαραμπέα / Greek Ministry of Culture

In addition to a large number of small objects, the finds include a set of 34 fragments of clay offerings, several dozen clay loom weights, a small treasure of gold jewelry, and other objects mainly made of bronze. More than 100 coins from various cities (3rd century BCE to 2nd century CE) reveal a continuous flow of visitors to the site.

Thousands of fragments of Hellenistic and Roman tiles were also found, 14 of which were stamped with inscriptions in Greek and Latin. One bears a stamp with part of an inscription and the letter Δ; another is stamped with the letters ΔΗ, inverted (perhaps as an abbreviation for “public”?), while two preserve part of the name of Apollo Agyieus, indicating a local cult.

Fragments were also found with inscriptions bearing the name ΟΔΥCCEOC (Odysseus, in the genitive case), and some with his name likely in the dative case, possibly from a devotee: ΟΔΥCCEI, as well as a miniature bronze bust with the features of Odysseus, according to the depiction of his figure in Greco-Roman art and on bronze coins from Ithaca from the 4th–3rd centuries BCE.

odysseus sanctuary ithaca
Fragment of sealed tile, with part of the name of Odysseus, Hellenistic period. Credit: Χρ. Μαραμπέα / Greek Ministry of Culture

The flourishing of the complex is placed between the Hellenistic and early to mid-Roman periods (up to the 1st/2nd centuries CE). The complex is characterized by robust structures on terraces, incorporating impressive carved architectural elements as well as niches for offerings or inscriptions, attesting to the intensive use of the lower space for cultic purposes.

The Hellenistic monumental complex can now be confidently identified as the sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca, which is mentioned—along with related competitions (the Odysseia)—in a decree by the people of Ithaca around 207 BCE. The nature of the Odysseion and its exact location in relation to the competitions had been the subject of fruitful scholarly debate since the 1930s.

Now, approximately a century after the discovery of the votive inscription ΕΥΧΗΝ ΟΔΥCCΕΙ (“thanks Odysseus”) on a fragment of a clay mask from the late Hellenistic period in the cave at Polis Bay, two new epigraphic testimonies from the same era (ΟΔΥCCΕOC and ΟΔΥCCEI) about the hero cult in northwestern Ithaca—combined with the rest of the available data—document the development of a prominent public complex at the site, playing a central role in the religious, social, and possibly political life of the Ithacans during the Hellenistic and early Roman times, as well as serving a broader function as a place of pilgrimage.

SOURCES

Greek Ministry of Culture

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