The study of religious or heroic legends and tales. One constant rule of mythology is that whatever happens amongst the gods or other mythical beings was in one sense or another a reflection of events on earth. Recorded myths and legends, perhaps preserved in literature or folklore, have an immediate interest to archaeology in trying to unravel the nature and meaning of ancient events and traditions.
Starflower wrote:I have been following this particular theory for a while now and can't wait to see if it pans out.
In his book, Odysseus Unbound, Mr Bittlestone claims the peninsula was once an island separated from Cephalonia by a narrow sea channel that has since been filled.
He said: "We drilled a borehole where we think the channel used to be.
"We think the core we drilled will be made up of loose rock and debris, not solid limestone bedrock, and that millions of tonnes of mountainside sheered off and filled the channel, joining the two islands years after Homer wrote his poem."
Oops, I really meant to post this bit there:
The test data is being analysed and the results will be unveiled early next year.
Then I was going to post the other and ask if anyone has read his book. He's not another pseudo whatever is he, cause that would really irritate me. Guess we'll know something if the results on the core testing get published.
The whole concept seems sound Starflower, that is , Homer described real places and that these places can be found by using Homers descriptions. It has been done for quite a while, with success.
There was a good show on the History channel about finding Ithaca - pretty convincing. I can't remember if the featured investigator was this fellow or not.
I'll tell you about the pseudo stuff in private mail. That is a recently invented phrase.
Because no one has ever been able to find Ithaca, people felt the Odyssey was like a Lord of the Rings story," Bittlestone said in an interview. "This would say Ithaca was a real place — it doesn't say Odysseus was a real person, that's another jump."
The Dutch-based engineering services company, Fugro Group, will use high-tech surveying equipment normally used in oil-and-gas exploration for the Ithaca project, due to start this summer and last about three years. The Greek Geological Society is also sponsoring the research.
This fellows' theory was posted not too long ago. Now he's out to prove it.
Good luck to him, as I believe the Iliad is based on fact.
From Archaeologica News.
oh good, I am glad I am not alone on this one Beag... I also believe that the Illiad is history, which in turn would make the Odyssesy history. And why wouldn't Odyseus be a real person? I am sure that floating around the Med for years fighting off Cyclops and Hydras were pure entertainment, but the man and the place I think did exist and were significant to the Aegean history. (just my opinion).
Let me back up a little here. I do think the story is based on fact, but that doesn't make it history.
Specifically I think there was a war. Beyond that the story is embellished a great deal. I think that Homer got his geography correct and gave us a basic framework of the events.
Using Homers' descriptions is what aided Schliemann in finding the site. According to him anyway.
I'm still leaning towards Troy being destroyed by the Sea Peoples around 1200 BC...much like everywhere else in the eastern med.
Of course, if there was a primarily Greek heritage to the Sea People then all that Homer did was convert a bunch of burping, farting barbarians into heroic warriors who were guided by the gods.
Homer would merely be like every other PR hack in history!
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
The traditional dates of some famous events and places (some perhaps mythological, you decide which ones):
1st King of Sicyon 2089 BC (src: Eusebius)
Troy built 1325 BC (src: Stromata)
Death of Hercules 1196 BC (src: Stromata, Eusebius)
Rape of Helen 1192 BC (src: Stromata, Eusebius)
Fall of Troy 1183 BC (src: Various)
End of Sicyon kingdom 1129 (src: Eusebius)
1st Temple of Solomon 1012 BC (src: Various)
Founding of Carthage by Dido 884 BC (src: Various)
1st Olympiad 776 BC
Capture of Ninevah 612 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem 586 BC
Of course, if there was a primarily Greek heritage to the Sea People then all that Homer did was convert a bunch of burping, farting barbarians into heroic warriors who were guided by the gods.
Nope. Doesn't even need to be primarily Greek heritage. If a group of Greeks went along for the ride, then Homer could have attributed all of the heroics to them and left the others out. After all, he was writing about his glorious ancestors, not those other scabs over the horizon!
By the way, your 1200bce comment is quite a coincidence, isn't it. Sea Peoples just happen to be going through the area about the same time, give or take 20 years. What are the odds of that?
Forum Monk wrote:The traditional dates of some famous events and places (some perhaps mythological, you decide which ones):
1st King of Sicyon 2089 BC (src: Eusebius)
Troy built 1325 BC (src: Stromata)
Death of Hercules 1196 BC (src: Stromata, Eusebius)
Rape of Helen 1192 BC (src: Stromata, Eusebius)
Fall of Troy 1183 BC (src: Various)
End of Sicyon kingdom 1129 (src: Eusebius)
1st Temple of Solomon 1012 BC (src: Various)
Founding of Carthage by Dido 884 BC (src: Various)
1st Olympiad 776 BC
Capture of Ninevah 612 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem 586 BC
Well.....
Sicyon existed for a long time.
Troy (at least the earliest incarnation) dates from 3,000 BC.
Hercules and Helen were mythological figures..
Aratus of Sicyon was alive and well and ruling in 213 BC.
The archaeological battle over David and his alleged son, Solomon, focuses on the late 10th century....and there is little hard evidence even for that....rather than the 11th.
Carthage was founded in the late 9th century...Dido may well be legendary.
The date for the Olympiad is a best guess consensus based on Greek records.
The dates for Nineveh and Jerusalem are fairly well attested to.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
I think the people you refer to are the Achaeans -
Also referred to as the Danaans and the Argives in the Illyad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaeans
There is supposed to be an ancient Hittite text which refers to the Ahhiyawa, a nation to the west of Turkey. Speculation is that Achaeans refers to them, as well.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
Forum Monk wrote:I think the people you refer to are the Achaeans -
Also referred to as the Danaans and the Argives in the Illyad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaeans
Thank you Monk. I should have looked up the word before I spelled it. It's been a long time.
The other names are the Danaans
That makes me think of the Tuatha de Danaans of Celtic lore.
That makes me think of the Tuatha de Danaans of Celtic lore.
There's another interesting connection to a Danaus who according to legend fled from Egypt to Argos in the late 15th century BC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaus
Guess we'll know something if the results on the core testing get published.
