Customer Reviews

Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca

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Robert Bittlestone's "Odysseus Unbound" is a massive book, nearly 600 pages filled with excellent illustrations (maps, photographs, aerial photographs, satellite images) and a highly detailed narrative explaining the development of and evidence for the author's theory: that Homeric Age Ithaca, the kingdom of Odysseus, was not located on the modern island of Ithaki, but instead on the western peninsula of the nearby island of Cephalonia. The evidence presented is complex, involving literary sources, geology, and archaeology, but a critical portion of the author's argument is whether in Homeric times this western peninsula was separated from Cephalonia by a sea channel since closed up by earthquake-induced rockfalls.

Although Bittlestone is "only" an enthusiastic amateur, his research has been reviewed and backed by his professional co-authors, one a professor of Greek and Latin and the other a geologist specializing in the Ionian island area.

I find Bittlesone's analysis to be persuasive, but as yet -- and he recognizes this -- the evidence is not wholly conclusive. This may come in the next several years with additional geological work to confirm the existence of the sea channel and with archaeological surveys to study various associated sites.

Odysseus Unbound was a wonderful book to read. Being that i love Greece and the Odyssey I truly loved it. The way it was written was great, the way it was explained with pictures and diagrams was also wonderful. The excerpts and clues were amazing to read and I really felt as if i was traveling in Ancient Ithaca.
Just a few days before i bought the book I was reading the Odyssey and it said the Ithaca lies low and away, the farthest out to sea, and I thought how could modern Ithaca be that? Then this book comes out and answers me. I truly loved it and i don't know how else to explain how much it means to me now. I can feel that Odysseus was a real person, and that some sort of journey took place. It was just soooooo amazing and i highly reccomend it for anyone who loved Greece, "Homer", or the Odyssey.

--Jacob Fishbein
9th grader

Who wouldn't be fascinated by the presumption, if nothing else, of the premise: Odysseus' Ithaka found after two and a half millennia! But Bittlestone's book, instead of a grueling epic, is a quiet, beautiful story of information-age discovery. It shows how incredibly far an intelligent amateur can go when backed up by the power of our technology. Bittlestone attacks the mystery with the might of GPS location finding, LandSat photos, internet advice from true experts...and a little true Sherlock Holmesian deduction. (He even quotes from Holmes a few times!) The photos are beautiful, the logic is elegant, the science is very educational, and the conclusion is convincing!

Mr. Bittlestone argues that the Paliki peninsula of present-day Cephalonia is the true location of ancient Ithaca. He tries to support his hypothesis with literary and geological arguments.

First, let me say that although I live in Cephalonia, I was born and raised in Thessaloniki, so I don't have a vested interest in this affair any more than the author does. I 'd like to believe that I am just as impartial as he is.

The book makes a good case for the existence of an ancient channel between Paliki and Cephalonia, although it does not prove that the channel was navigable. However, even if the channel were navigable, it does not prove that Paliki was Ithaca. As far as I am concerned, Paliki was close enough to Cephalonia to be regarded as one kingdom, just as the United Kingdom is composed of several isles. Also, the author has not considered all the alternatives. What if Strabo's channel was further to the North-East, across Pylaros? There is a narrow valley running across Pylaros, and one of the maps in the book clearly shows a fault line running through it.

According to Homer, Mount Neriton is pre-eminent. However, what Mr. Bittlestone calls Mount Neriton is rather unremarkable! Because I live there, I can testify that it is not visible from afar. On the other hand, Mount Ainos on mainland Cephalonia has been a navigation landmark for centuries. It is hard for me to believe that an insignificant hill on Paliki caught Homer's attention, as opposed to majestic Mt. Ainos just across from the strait.

What does "panypertati" mean with respect to Ithaca? The author interprets the word as "furthest out to sea." However, "panypertati" in Greek means tallest or topmost. In what way is Paliki tallest or topmost? I could not find a satisfactory answer in the text.

There are ambiguities in Homer himself. He claims that Ithaca has a mountain visible from afar, yet the island itself lies low in the sea. How is this possible? He claims that Ithaca is the westernmost of four islands, yet it is surrounded by three islands. Although the co-author, Mr. Diggle, interprets the word "amphi" as "near" rather than "on either side," how can we be sure of the intended meaning? To me, all this means that you cannot rely on a literal interpetation of Homer. For all I know, it may have been a metaphor. By the time the epics were first recorded, Homer was long dead. In the intervening centuries there may have been any number of changes to the original verses. During much of their life the epics were oral tradition, and therefore continually evolving. In the appendix, Mr. Diggle explains that there have been different versions of the epic, a fact that Mr. Bittlestone does not once mention in his text. I think I would rather stick to the spirit of the poem rather than try to decipher it word-by-word with strict logic. Trying to interpret art using science is a potentially controversial proposition.

Some of the author's initial speculation regarding the location of Odysseus' palace (e.g., figs. 19.17-19.18) remind me of the interpretations of a Rorsach inkblot: One can see what one wants to see. All the signs on the landscape could be manmade, albeit much more recent. As far as dry stonewalls in the Greek countryside, like the author says, they may delineate livestock corrals, or property boundaries more than anything else. The soil in Paliki naturally is stony, so to improve the land farmers removed the stones by hand and made walls out of them to mark their property. I understand that the author is eager to discern signs to support his hypothesis; On the other hand, people have been seeing artificial channels on the face of Mars. Finally, we should do not underestimate the power of pranksters. Mr. Bittlestone is not the first visitor looking for homeric Ithaca, and the locals know that.

The author suggests that the final act of the Odyssey unfolds in winter or early spring, yet Telemachos sailed to Pylos with a following wind from the west. First of all, a favorable wind from Paliki to Pylos should be northwest, not west. This is not a minor point. Island people have a very acute sense of wind direction, so if the wind is northwest (maistros in modern Greek), Homer would say so. Second, northwest is the predominant wind direction only during the summer.

As far as convincing the Greek authorities to share his vision, I think that Mr. Bittlestone overestimates the English proficiency of Greek bureaucrats. Unless he translates the book into Greek, nobody (of importance) will read it, and even that will be an uphill battle.

Mr. Bittlestone does not prove that the Paliki peninsula of Cephalonia was Homeric Ithaca. He just shows that it is possible that Paliki was ancient Ithaca. Whatever the case, it makes for an enchanting reading. I am looking forward to the continuation of his searches.

*** UPDATE (17 JAN. 2008) ***

Tonight I had the rare privilege of chatting briefly with the author, Mr. Bittlestone, during his visit to Cephalonia. He kindly clarified a few points for me, such that Ithaca could be lying low AND have a tall mountain at the same time. He ruled out the possibility of Strabo's channel running through the Pylaros valley based on the angle of the rock strata.

I did not get a satisfactory explanation as to what "panypertati" means with respect to Ithaca. Mr. Diggle, his co-author, translates panypertati as "furthest out to sea." Two authoritative modern Greek translations of the Odyssey (by Maronitis and Kazantzakis-Kakridis) translate "panypertati" as taller, not furthest out to sea. This is very puzzling...

Mr. Bittlestone's logic is that if assumption A is correct, then B is correct, and if B is correct, then C is correct, you get the idea. If all the assumptions in his train of thought are correct, then there is a good chance that he has found the real Ithaca. The problem is that some assumptions rely on a specific interpetation of key terms, such as panypertati, amphi, and island. Here is an example:

Assumption A: Strabo's channel existed

Assumption B: "amphi" means "near" as opposed to "on either side"

If Assumptions A and B are correct, then Conclusion C is unavoidable:

Conclusion C: Paliki was the westernmost of a cluster of four islands. Now, continue with the assumptions:

Assumption D: Asteris island really was a peninsula

Assumption E: Strabo's channel was navigable

Because we accepted C as correct, and if Assumptions D and E hold, then Conclusion F is unavoidable:

Conclusion F: Telemachus avoided the suitor's ambush at Asteris peninsula by circumnavigating Paliki through Strabo's Channel.

However, as we have seen, some of these assumptions rely on specific interpetation of key terms.

A great concern is that Mr. Bittlestone takes a specific version of Odyssey literally. He claims that Homer had no reason to commit a so called "motiveless crime" by changing the facts of the myth. On the other hand, 200 years may have elapsed between Homer's time and when the epics were first recorded. In the intervening years, the epics were memorized and passed on to the next generation as oral tradition. There is no way telling what changes have happened in the intervening years. As an amateur stage actor, I have to memorize lines, too. When I fumble a line, I will make up something and go on. The Odyssey contains 12000 verses, who knows how many have been improvised after Homer. Language is a living, organic thing that constantly mutates, not fixed in perpetuity. Although Homer may not be guilty of a "motiveless crime" as Mr. Bittlestone puts it, there may have been accidental crimes along the way. This problem may reflect fundamental differences in the backgrounds of the two personalities: Homer is a product of an oral culture, Mr. Bittlestone is the product of a decisevely written culture.

One of Mr. Bittlestone's arguments is "Occam's razor." That is, among all possible explanations for the location of ancient Ithaca, the simplest one must be correct. Unfortunately, "Occam's razor" is an axiom, not a fact. Makes intuitive sense, yet it does not prove anything. Occam was a theologist.

To me, Mr. Bittlestone appeared like a man that has passed the point of no return. That is, he has invested so much intellectually and emotionally in his theory, that there is no going back. All the same, I wish him luck because I believe he is onto something. To me, the only conclusive evidence for the existence of ancient Ithaca on Palliki would be the discovery of Odysseus palace. This is very unlikely, as a long history of destructive earthquakes would have anihilated any potential evidence. Sad to say, it is very unlikely that conclusive evidence will ever be found.

The book has been translated to Greek. Let us hope that it will be more accessible to Greek intellectuals who can exercise a more expert judgement than me. I sincerely wish to thank the author for taking the time to chat with me.

I bought this book for my husband and he said it was everything he could have ever hoped it would be. He is so pleased with it and he reads from it or just browses through it just about every single day.

Any admirer of Homer's Odysseus will love this work. It is important in reminding us also never to underestimate the work of amateur historians and archeologists. Through convincing geographical example and a thorough knowledge of ancient classics, the author takes us on the investigation to find the home of the ancient Odysseus. The result is a very convincing tale and perhaps the best hope yet that the ingenius warrior's home is real and has been discovered. A wonderful collection of photographs and maps enhance the study. Very well done and very convincing.

I have read this book three times and will probably read it again. It's well-written and very informative. The illustrations add a lot to understanding the texts. I look forward to another book after more research is done.

a very convincing review of the story of the Odyssey in terms of modern geological and other scholarship

Informative and full of substantial facts. Good reading for all who like history. Great illustrations to back up the information.

There are two books here, one evidential, one personal.

One book gives evidence for believing that Paliki, the western section of the island of Cephalonia, is Ithaca of the Odyssey. The argument rests on a thesis that Paliki was once separated from Cephalonia by a sea channel. The channel has been infilled, it is argued, by earthquake-triggered rockfall. Bittlestone calls this sea channel 'Strabo's Channel', from a note in the 1st century writer's remarks on Cephalonia.

In support of Strabo's Channel, Bittlestone presents the work of John Underhill, a geophysicist from Edinburgh University. Underhill himself provides an appendix summarising his work. It's quite a thesis to establish, since the infill, if such it is, extends over 4km, and raises the ground more than 100m above present sea level. The argument is impressive, however, and perhaps the most persuasive part of the whole book.

Additional evidence for Paliki as Ithaca comes from a close reading of the Odyssey, together with detailed examination of the topography. Bittlestone is supported by James Diggle, professor of Classics at Cambridge. Diggle provides translations of passages in the Odyssey together with philological discussion, and has been on field trips around Paliki. Diggle is clearly convinced by Bittlestone's thesis. He, like Underhill, supplies an appendix reviewing the evidence from his own specialism.

This evidential book is accompanied by Bittlestone's own personal voyage of discovery. Here imagination is given free rein. We get travel plans and frustrations. There are poetic passages about the beauty of the landscape. Hopes rise and fall as experts question his ideas or give them credence. We're invited to come on board.

The two books are intertwined. Maps based on satellite imaging are presented with place names derived from Bittlestone's theories, as if the labels were a given. Strabo's Channel is marked as a present-day sea channel. Within the text the refrain is 'could it not be'. The book constantly attempts to vault the gap between the possible and the actual. It's like being nagged to drop your critical faculties - it raises scepticism rather than diminishing it.

Bittlestone does make a case for Paliki as Ithaca. He offers, however, not just that identification but a detailed map of Odyssean Ithaca - pig farm, palace, harbour, the location of the suitors' attempted ambush of Telemachos. He over-determines the topography and seems to recognise this when he addresses the question of how such a precise and detailed first-hand knowledge of Ithaca c. 1200BC could have reached a Homer (editor or whatever) c. 700BC - given that Cephalonia is on the extreme west of the Hellenic world, and the final redaction of the Odyssey probably happened somewhere in Anatolia. It's a huge leap.

At the close of the book Bittlestone outlines future research. He's clearly aware that the fatal flaw in the academic argument is the lack of archaeology - there are brief mentions of bronze age potsherds, and he discusses a supposed bronze age wall. So he notes the many different disciplines which will 'need' to be focused on Paliki. In the process he seems ambitious virtually to own Odyssean Paliki. Comparisons with Schliemann and Troy are inescapable.

It's a pity, because identifying the Ithaca of Odysseus would be wonderful. There's a core of solid argument here - the evidential book. But radically editing Bittlestone's own story would have made Odysseus Unbound much shorter and more persuasive.