Geography and Journey

This section follows the spaces imagined by the poems: recognisable coasts, the sea, navigation, borders and the geographical associations proposed by later readers. It will grow as further English pages become available.

A Word to SeafarersA single sea, its invisible pathways, the winds and the ships through which Homer’s people live between one shore and another. What Were Homer’s Ships Like?Between poetry and archaeology: oars, sail, Linear B tablets and the images that help us think about Homeric ships. Odysseus’ WanderingsA critical map and a narrative itinerary from Troy to Ithaca: recognisable geography, later associations, losses and return. What Happened at Ismarus?The first stop after Troy: sack, disobedience, losses, and the wine Maron gives Odysseus that will reach Polyphemus. What Happened When Odysseus Rounded Cape Malea?Cape Malea, Cythera, adverse winds and the last point in a recognisable geography before the wanderings. Who Were the Lotus-Eaters?A sweet food, the forgetting of homecoming, later North African associations and the many plants called lotus. Who Was Polyphemus?The Cyclops of the Odyssey, the eye, Nobody, hospitality and the later traditions of Sicily, Etna and Galatea.