Palace Of Odysseus FOUND At Last!

When the Greek Reporter released an article this week about modern Greeks having Mycenean DNA, it made me think about the elusive Odysseus and the search for Him that has been by far one of the hardest.

But a few years ago, I became fascinated by the quests of modern adventurers like the late Tim Severin who proved the voyage of Jason possible, and then I moved on to the geographical research into Homeric Ithaka. Like Severin, I refused to accept the analysis of "myth busters," mainly because they've been proven fools numerous times. I was not content with the conclusion that Homer's Odyssey describes an island civilization that didn't exist. Because the problem with this analysis is that Homer's world was not set in stone, but one forever in motion due to earthquakes. Even Troy was only accepted as factual when Schliemann dug it up from the earth and matched it to Homer's descriptions. And Schliemann, among others, also visited Ithaka during his time as an archaeologist and mythologist. Not only were coins discovered depicting Odysseus, but a sanctuary to Apollon from 1,400 BCE, before the Trojan War (the specific worship of Apollon on Ithaka is mentioned in Homer). But of course, evidence of life on the island goes all the way back to 3,000 BCE, with findings that prove Mycenean civilization was there at one time. So there is no debate whatsoever that Ithaka was notable during the Iliad Era. 

It was perhaps only a matter of time before we either found the location of Odysseus' home or declared it lost forever. Indeed, Greece has always been a very seismic region, especially on the islands. Sometimes earthquakes completely wiped out the town or village and sent part of it plunging into the sea. Some things from Homer may be unfindable simply because they were destroyed not only by the Christian church, but through natural movement and erosion. I suppose I've always been fascinated by Odysseus and Ithaka because The Odyssey was my first taste of ancient Greece when my English high school class watched the film. I was captivated at that point. I even dressed up like Odysseus during Hero Day, one of the days held during School Pride Week. In truth, I never doubted the story for a minute. I always believed it.

For a long time, Odysseus' palace remained the only Homeric royal residence that had not been located. But by 2018 and on into today, it has been declared found by archaeologists on Ithaka. The Greek government was so sure of this that the Prime Minister sent 120,000 Euros to continue funding the excavations. The large building found in Agios of Ithaka has been confirmed to be a Mycenean complex, which existed at the time of Odysseus' rule and fits perfectly with Homeric details. The archaeologists and professors responsible for the find are not leaving it to mere interpretation either. They believe it proves Odysseus was real. The final piece of the palace puzzle has now fallen into place. Homer is history. With so much discovery and truth of the ancient stories, and now one more added to the pile, one may wonder how long it will take before the Greeks realize where they truly come from.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.

Sources

Picture: Fresco of a Mycenean Woman, 1,300 BCE. Image is in the public domain in the United States because it is PD-Art and the copyright term therein has expired 100 years after the author's death.

Article 1 (Ithaka Archaeology)

Article 2 (Excavation of Odysseus' Palace)

Google (Palace Landmark and Visitation)

As Good As You Create, Or As Bad As You Overrate

Compared to even our most recent grandparents, life today is pretty awesome. It's not my opinion, but a fact that humans now live better than at any other time in our evolutionary history. We are living the high life of our timeline, and yet, people are more depressed, scared, angry and anxious than ever. Our ancestors had the worst life, but we are led to believe they were happier than we are. So what's the reason for this unorthodox reality?

To my mind, there are two main culprits: The media and the government, and the two are often intertwined. We are also more connected to the world than ever, and thus, we know every single thing that happens, which is only exaggerated by the two former entities because ratings and shock value are literally their bloodlines. A happy and productive world has no need for news and little need for government. But if things were half as bad as they say, we'd all be gone by now. The world isn't going to end (it NEVER does). You know this if you've been keeping count since Y2K. 

There is also the fact that we hear about literally everything that happens in the world, and we think that these things have never taken place before. Well, you're half right. They haven't. They've actually been far worse than now. But a thousand years ago, or even a hundred, if an earthquake happened on the other side of the world, or even a fire in the next county, chances are you would have never known about it unless you were there or had contacts. Nor would it have had any impact on you whatsoever. But in our time, if someone so much as urinates on the sidewalk, you're going to hear how the smell caused a nosebleed. 

As long as you rely on news, media and government to make you believe in a good world, you're on a fool's errand, because the simple fact is that the world will never be good enough for them. If it ever becomes good, they're all out of a job. People have actually become so mentally conditioned to the web of negativity that they will unconsciously spread it when the outlets can't or don't. You probably have some of these people on your social media accounts. Ya know, the ones who, instead of being happy about Spring, will remind you it's tornado season. Things like that. The inherent negative mindset that most people don't even realize has been programmed into them, can only respond in a negative fashion to any and everything, no matter how positive something may actually be, or how ridiculous a fear or hysteria might manifest.

The question is, what can we do as individuals to alter the course of this self-destructive path? As with any addiction, the only solution is detox. There is NO safe amount of poison. But the problem is that, like an addictive drug, people have been so cultivated that they're convinced they need the negativity. They will resist and fight against light. You'll find that it's literally like withdrawal symptoms. However, deep down, I think most of us desire to be free of these chains. We only need to also find the courage to turn off the news and politicians for good.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

Chris Aldridge.