In the Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is said to have hidden a treasure on the island of Ithaca after finally returning home. Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of treasure which bears a striking resemblance to that described by Homer. Could this be the lost treasure of Odysseus, or is there another plausible explanation for what archaeologists have found?
First, let’s examine what exactly Odysseus’ lost treasure was. The Odyssey, written by Homer in the seventh century BC, tells the story of Odysseus’ efforts on his return trip home to Ithaca. This was after being in battle for ten years in the Trojan War.
Odysseus’ final stop prior to arriving back to Ithaca was the island of Scheria of the Phaeacians, a wealthy civilization of merchants with fast ships. There were thirteen kings of the Phaeacians, and each one provided him with a gift, namely bronze tripods.
In addition to these tripods, they also gave Odysseus various other precious objects, including gold and valuable clothing. Hence, Odysseus returned to Ithaca with a substantial collection of treasure.
According to Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus arrived on Ithaca at the harbor of Phorcys. The two headlands either side of this harbor sheltered it from the wind. These were mountainous but slopped gradually down to the harbor.
Nearby was the Cave of the Nymphs, a sacred spot where these magical spirits called the Naiads were worshiped. It was here that Odysseus hid his treasure with the help of Athena.
Based on Homer’s detailed description, there is little doubt that the harbor of Phorcys was Polis Bay. The headlands on either side of this bay perfectly correlate with Homer’s description, and this spot is even known nowadays for the calmness of its waters.
Furthermore, archaeologists have uncovered a cave on the northern side of Polis Bay. Within this cave, they have detected copious amounts of evidence that this was a sacred site where nymphs and Athena herself were worshiped.
Of course, if this is the spot where Odysseus hid his treasure, then this is quite telling. We could reasonably expect his treasure to have been found during the archaeological excavations there. Hence, the question is whether or not this has in fact been found.
Even prior to the archaeological excavations of the 1930s, a landowner in the area reported the discovery of a single bronze tripod at the location. Archaeologists who subsequently examined the site uncovered evidence of an additional twelve bronze tripods.
Therefore, in total, there are believed to have been thirteen tripods at this sacred cave of Polis Bay on Ithaca, perfectly matching up with the lost treasure of Odysseus described by Homer.
Understandably, certain researchers have unhesitatingly accepted these finds as the discovery of Odysseus’ lost treasure. However, not everyone shares this opinion. Why are some experts doubtful about this impressive archaeological discovery?
While some researchers happily accept the treasure as being the very same left behind by Odysseus himself, others argue it simply cannot be. This is due to the time period to which the bronze tripods are attributed.
They date to about the eighth century BC, conflicting with the traditional date of the Trojan War, which was around 1184 BC. Obviously, if Odysseus brought this treasure back to Ithaca ten years after the Trojan War, and the thirteen bronze tripods found by archaeologists are from many centuries after that, then they cannot have belonged to Odysseus.
Nevertheless, it would clearly be an unbelievable coincidence if they had nothing to do with Odysseus at all. After all, a hoard of thirteen bronze tripods is not something that archaeologists frequently come across. Therefore, there obviously must be some connection.
The most common theory proposed is that this hoard of bronze tripods dated to the eighth century BC was placed in the cave in honor of Odysseus. We know that people did associate him with the cave in ancient times, evidently recognizing it as the Cave of the Nymphs from the Odyssey.
Thus, rather than being Odysseus’ lost treasure itself, this more recent hoard was placed there by someone who wanted to honor the Greek hero by replicating his legendary treasure.
Is there any way of establishing which theory is more plausible? Have archaeologists really found Odysseus’ lost treasure, or have they merely found a later imitation of it?
There are two vital points to bear in mind. Firstly, the most widely accepted date of the Trojan War actually stems from ancient calculations that may well have been exaggerated. Some scholars, such as the Greek historian Nikos Kokkinos, argue that the war occurred centuries more recently.
Secondly, even aside from the issue of the Trojan War, numerous modern scholars acknowledge that Homer’s Odyssey appears to reflect the era of Greek colonization (between the eighth and sixth centuries BC) rather than the earlier Mycenaean Era.
This fact is evident directly in the context of the bronze tripods themselves. It was the Phaeacians of Scheria who gave these tripods to Odysseus. They were able to do so because they were wealthy merchants. Scheria is confidently identified as Corfu, yet there was no notable civilization on Corfu during the Bronze Age.
Therefore, it is evident that the true setting of the Odyssey does, in fact, fit the date of these bronze tripods that archaeologists have discovered.
Furthermore, consider the logical consequence of concluding that these tripods were gifted by someone in later centuries to honor Odysseus. Archaeologists have only found thirteen tripods—exactly the number mentioned in the Odyssey.
If offering a replica of a legendary figure’s treasure was an actual practice, then we would naturally expect to find many more than just the thirteen tripods at the cave of Polis Bay. For there to only be thirteen tripods, we would have to accept that only a single individual in history ever honored Odysseus in such a way. This is far from a logical conclusion.
The fact that archaeologists have only found exactly thirteen tripods is critical. This strongly goes against the notion that they were placed in the cave in honor of Odysseus. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that archaeologists may well have genuinely found the previously-lost treasure of Odysseus.
