According to Scientific American:
Researchers say that references to planets and constellations in the Odyssey describe a solar eclipse that occurred in 1178 B.C., nearly three centuries before Homer is believed to have written the story. If correct, the finding would suggest that the ancient poet had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of astronomy.
Those familiar with The Odyssey should not be surprised at all by this claim. Just look at the names of the characters and lands which Odysseus encounters on his way home. From the first line of the epic poem (Hom. Od. 1.1) we learn that Odysseus finds himself in the lands of Helios Hyperion (the sun) and Calypso (the ‘Concealer’). These are just two of many people and places with “sun” or “darkness” related names in the epic.
On a side note,
Another prominent theme is that of “cycles” and “circles, the most obvious example being Odysseus’ return home to Ithaca. He leaves for Troy a king and general, he loses all that he has, returns home a wanderer and comes full circle at the end by reclaiming his land.
We learn that “as the seasons revolved” the year finally came in which the Gods finally allowed him to return home. If a diligent student had the time, she could explore the great epic poem, noting that in Hom. Od. 2.1 Telemachos gathers an assembly of the men of Ithaca to decide what should be done while king Odysseus away. She might also find it interesting that, as the seasons revolved (Od. 16.375), men who had come to woo (who they thought to be Odysseus’ widow) Penelope, began to plot and plan behind the backs of the Ithacans:
Themselves meanwhile went all together to the place of assembly, and none other would they suffer to sit with them, either of the young men or the old. Then among them spoke Antinous, son of Eupeithes: “Lo, now, see how the gods have delivered this man from destruction. Day by day watchmen sat upon the windy heights, watch ever following watch, and at set of sun we never spent a night upon the shore, but sailing over the deep in our swift ship we waited for the bright Dawn, lying in wait for Telemachus, that we might take him and slay the man himself; howbeit meanwhile some god has brought him home. But, on our part, let us here devise for him a woeful death, even for Telemachus, and let him not escape from out our hands, for I deem that while he lives this work of ours will not prosper. For he is himself shrewd in counsel and in wisdom, and the people nowise show us favour any more. Nay, come, before he gathers the Achaeans to the place of assembly-for methinks he will in no wise be slow to act, but will be full of wrath, and rising up will declare among them all how that we contrived against him utter destruction, but did not catch him; and they will not praise us when they hear of our evil deeds. Beware, then, lest they work us some harm and drive us out from our country, and we come to the land of strangers. Nay, let us act first, and seize him in the field far from the city, or on the road; and his substance let us ourselves keep, and his wealth, dividing them fairly among us; though the house we would give to his mother to possess, and to him who weds her.
We see that the power in Ithaca has revolved with seasons, after Odysseus left, men still respected his authority for a period of time. Next, it was the elders of Ithaca who assembled and made decisions. Finally, the band of suitors, who had come to pillage Odysseus’ lands and fight for the hand of his widow, associated themselves separately and distinctly from the assembly of Ithacans planned to seize power and property by murdering the rightful king and owner.
The tale comes full circle when Odysseus returns home to slay the suitors and assume his position as king.
Apparently, according to the astronomers and researchers, “the references [in the Odyssey] imply that Homer chose to set the slaying of the suitors on the day of” the 1178 B.C. solar eclipse.
6 Comments
Well now, this is very interesting. If this is correct, then it would mean that Homeric Greek was contemporary with Mycenaean. This in turn would suggest that Mycenaean was not, in fact, ancestral to Classical Greek, but was rather a sister language (or, to be more precise, an aunt).
How familiar are you with Greek?
Sergei,
I wouldn’t go that far. It seems that “Homer’s” poems were not actually the work of one man, but rather of generations and generations of bards who recited the works by memory. That said, there are several inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the works, in the Odyssey, it’s pretty clear that the tale was supposed to end when Odysseus defeats the suitors, however, it seems that someone tacked on a few books explaining how Odysseus fulfills his duty to the gods and wanders inland until nobody recognizes his oar and there, he founds a new town, etc.
Another effect that this telling and retelling by traveling bards had was that Homeric Greek … oh, wait … yes, Mycenaean was a sister language of Homeric Greek (I thought you were saying that classical Greek was a sister of Mycenaean).
Anyway, in the 6th century B.C.E., Pisistratus had definitive versions of Homer’s works written in Athens. This would have preserved the tales in Attic Greek.
I can decipher some Classical Greek and I know a bit about the way it works, but just enough to double check translations that I think could be wrong. Mycenaean (from what I understand) would not have been spoken in Attica (which was sub-divided in the classical era and the most prominent polis became Athens).
When you say “Mycenaean” are you talking about Linear B?
This proves that Greco-Roman “myths” have some basis in truth. I’m Totally convinced that the old Roman/Latin legends of a Wolf raing Romolus and Remus are true.
Trajan,
Many of the myths were about the constellations and the movement of the stars because this was a good way to help farmers and sailors pass along their knowledge from generation to generation before the time of writing.
A good example of this is in Hesiod’s Works and Days
“It seems that ‘Homer’s’ poems were not actually the work of one man”
That doesn’t matter. “Homeric Greek” refers to the variety of Ionic Greek that is used in the works attributed to Homer.
“yes, Mycenaean was a sister language of Homeric Greek (I thought you were saying that classical Greek was a sister of Mycenaean).”
Homeric Greek is a variety of Ionic Greek, which is a dialect of Ancient Greek, also called Classical Greek. Mycenaean is the language that, according to conventional wisdom, developed into Ancient Greek; it is attested from c. 1425 ʙ.ᴄ. (or possibly earlier) to c. 1190 ʙ.ᴄ. Ancient Greek was spoken during the Archaic and Classical periods (obviously, nothing is extant from the Dark Ages).
“Mycenaean (from what I understand) would not have been spoken in Attica”
Mycenaean tablets have been found in Mycenae and Thebes, so it’s reasonable to assume that it was spoken in Attica.
“When you say “Mycenaean” are you talking about Linear B?”
Linear B is what Mycenaean was written in.
I know that if you go into a book store you’ll find dictionaries and lexicons for “Ancient” or “Classical” Greek (rarely, and if it’s a good book store, you’ll find a “Homeric Greek” lexicon) but this seems to me to be quick and easy way to refer to Attic Greek (Attic was the dialect used in Athens where a great deal of classical literature was conceived). However, if you look Herodotus’ Greek and the Greek used by Pindar, you can see that the languages are similar but do not conform exactly to each other. “Homeric” Greek was earlier than “Classical” and the difference between Homer and Herodotus is greater than that of Pindar and Herodotus.
I think that this may, in part, be the result of an expanding world-view and an expanding vocabulary to coincide with new ideas and discoveries in the Classical age.