Newly Discovered Greek Tomb Could Make Researchers Rethink 'The Odyssey'

Newly Discovered Greek Tomb Could Make Researchers Rethink 'The Odyssey'
March 5, 2008 10:16 p.m. EST

Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer
Athens, Greece (AHN) - Greek archaeologists have unearthed a 3,000-year-old Mycenaean-era tomb on the island of Lefkada as part of a road-widening project. Since the island was never before thought to have connections to the Mycenaean civilization, it could fuel debate on a major prehistoric puzzle; where the homeland of Homer's legendary hero Odysseus was located.

The tomb is thought to date from between 1580-1100 BC. While the nearby island of Ithaki is generally identified as the hero's kingdom, other theories have proposed Lefkada or neighboring Kefallonia.

The tomb has a nine-foot diameter, and is very small compared to others, such as the Tomb of Atreus in Mycenae, which was more than 46 feet across and built of stones weighing up to 120 tons.

The find is a miniature version of the large, opulent tombs built by the rulers of Greece during the Mycenaean era. Such beehive-shaped monuments are very rare in the western Ionian Sea islands, and previously unknown on Lefkada.

The vault contained numerous sepulchers, fragments of terracotta vases, pearls and other archaeological finds. It also contained several human skeletons, as well as smashed pottery, two seal stones, beads made of semiprecious stones, copper implements and clay loom weights.

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