Oldest Known Excerpt of Homer's Odyssey Discovered In Ancient Olympia

  • by XpatAthens
  • Monday, 16 July 2018
Oldest Known Excerpt of Homer's Odyssey Discovered In Ancient Olympia
Archaeologists in Greece have discovered what they believe to be the oldest known excerpt of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.”
 
After three years of surface excavations in ancient Olympia, archaeologists from the Greek Archaeological Services and the German Institute of Archaeology, unearthed a clay slab that was engraved with 13 verses of the Odyssey. It was found close to the remains of the Temple of Zeus at the site of the Olympic Games. The Greek Culture of Ministry announced that it could be the earliest record of the poem.
 
The clay slab that contained the engravings is believed to date back to the 3rd century AD, during the Roman era. The excerpt, which is from book 14, describes the return of Odysseus to his home island of Ithaca.
 
Composed orally during the 8th century BC, Homer's epic poem was transcribed during the Christian era onto parchment, of which only a few fragments have been discovered in Egypt.

Original source: Protothema
Translated by: XpatAthens