The Lost Treasure of Odysseus and the Theories Surrounding It

View of Vathy Bay, Ithaca, formerly believed to person been the harbor of Phorcys, wherever Odysseus hid his treasure. Photo by Zhang Yu, CC-BY 2.0

In the Odyssey, the leader Odysseus is said to person hidden a treasure connected the island of Ithaca aft yet returning home. Archaeologists person uncovered a hoard of treasure which bears a striking resemblance to that described by Homer. Could this beryllium the mislaid treasure of Odysseus, oregon is determination different plausible mentation for what archaeologists person found?

What was Odysseus’ mislaid treasure?

First, let’s analyse what precisely Odysseus’ mislaid treasure was. The Odyssey, written by Homer successful the seventh period BC, tells the communicative of Odysseus’ efforts connected his instrumentality travel location to Ithaca. This was aft being successful conflict for ten years successful the Trojan War.

Odysseus’ last halt anterior to arriving backmost to Ithaca was the land of Scheria of the Phaeacians, a affluent civilization of merchants with fast ships. There were thirteen kings of the Phaeacians, and each 1 provided him with a gift, namely bronze tripods.

In summation to these tripods, they besides gave Odysseus assorted different precious objects, including golden and invaluable clothing. Hence, Odysseus returned to Ithaca with a important postulation of treasure.

Where did Odysseus fell this treasure?

According to Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus arrived connected Ithaca astatine the harbor of Phorcys. The 2 headlands either broadside of this harbor sheltered it from the wind. These were mountainous but slopped gradually down to the harbor.

Nearby was the Cave of the Nymphs, a ineffable spot wherever these magical spirits called the Naiads were worshiped. It was present that Odysseus hid his treasure with the assistance of Athena.

Based connected Homer’s elaborate description, determination is small uncertainty that the harbor of Phorcys was Polis Bay. The headlands connected either broadside of this bay perfectly correlate with Homer’s description, and this spot is adjacent known nowadays for the calmness of its waters.

Furthermore, archaeologists person uncovered a cave connected the bluish broadside of Polis Bay. Within this cave, they person detected copious amounts of grounds that this was a ineffable tract wherever nymphs and Athena herself were worshiped.

Has Odysseus’ mislaid treasure been found?

Of course, if this is the spot wherever Odysseus hid his treasure, past this is rather telling. We could reasonably expect his treasure to person been recovered during the archaeological excavations there. Hence, the question is whether oregon not this has successful information been found.

Even anterior to the archaeological excavations of the 1930s, a landowner successful the country reported the find of a azygous bronze tripod astatine the location. Archaeologists who subsequently examined the tract uncovered grounds of an further 12 bronze tripods.

Therefore, successful total, determination are believed to person been thirteen tripods astatine this ineffable cave of Polis Bay connected Ithaca, perfectly matching up with the mislaid treasure of Odysseus described by Homer.

Understandably, definite researchers person unhesitatingly accepted these finds arsenic the find of Odysseus’ mislaid treasure. However, not everyone shares this opinion. Why are immoderate experts doubtful astir this awesome archaeological discovery?

A sixth period Greek bronze tripod, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Credit: Public Domain

Another mentation for the treasure

While immoderate researchers happily judge the treasure arsenic being the precise aforesaid near down by Odysseus himself, others reason it simply cannot be. This is owed to the clip play to which the bronze tripods are attributed.

They day to astir the eighth period BC, conflicting with the accepted day of the Trojan War, which was astir 1184 BC. Obviously, if Odysseus brought this treasure backmost to Ithaca 10 years aft the Trojan War, and the thirteen bronze tripods recovered by archaeologists are from galore centuries aft that, past they cannot person belonged to Odysseus.

Nevertheless, it would intelligibly beryllium an unbelievable coincidence if they had thing to bash with Odysseus astatine all. After all, a hoard of thirteen bronze tripods is not thing that archaeologists often travel across. Therefore, determination evidently indispensable beryllium immoderate connection.

The astir communal mentation projected is that this hoard of bronze tripods dated to the eighth period BC was placed successful the cave successful grant of Odysseus. We cognize that radical did subordinate him with the cave successful past times, evidently recognizing it arsenic the Cave of the Nymphs from the Odyssey.

Thus, alternatively than being Odysseus’ mislaid treasure itself, this much caller hoard was placed determination by idiosyncratic who wanted to grant the Greek leader by replicating his legendary treasure.

Comparing these 2 theories

Is determination immoderate mode of establishing which mentation is much plausible? Have archaeologists truly recovered Odysseus’ mislaid treasure, oregon person they simply recovered a aboriginal imitation of it?

There are 2 captious points to carnivore successful mind. Firstly, the astir wide accepted day of the Trojan War really stems from past calculations that whitethorn good person been exaggerated. Some scholars, specified arsenic the Greek historiographer Nikos Kokkinos, reason that the warfare occurred centuries much recently.

Secondly, adjacent speech from the contented of the Trojan War, galore modern scholars admit that Homer’s Odyssey appears to bespeak the epoch of Greek colonization (between the eighth and sixth centuries BC) alternatively than the earlier Mycenaean Era.

This information is evident straight successful the discourse of the bronze tripods themselves. It was the Phaeacians of Scheria who gave these tripods to Odysseus. They were capable to bash truthful due to the fact that they were affluent merchants. Scheria is confidently identified arsenic Corfu, yet determination was nary notable civilization connected Corfu during the Bronze Age.

Therefore, it is evident that the existent mounting of the Odyssey does, successful fact, acceptable the day of these bronze tripods that archaeologists person discovered.

Why this astir apt was Odysseus’ treasure

Furthermore, see the logical effect of concluding that these tripods were talented by idiosyncratic successful aboriginal centuries to grant Odysseus. Archaeologists person lone recovered thirteen tripods—exactly the fig mentioned successful the Odyssey.

If offering a replica of a legendary figure’s treasure was an existent practice, past we would people expect to find galore much than conscionable the thirteen tripods astatine the cave of Polis Bay. For determination to lone beryllium thirteen tripods, we would person to judge that lone a azygous idiosyncratic successful past ever honored Odysseus successful specified a way. This is acold from a logical conclusion.

The information that archaeologists person only recovered precisely thirteen tripods is critical. This powerfully goes against the conception that they were placed successful the cave successful grant of Odysseus. Therefore, determination is each crushed to judge that archaeologists whitethorn good person genuinely recovered the previously-lost treasure of Odysseus.