Riding the wave of the Odyssey effect

The Greek news outlet Ekathimerini turned to two University of Cincinnati Classics experts for context about how the Christopher Nolan movie “The Odyssey“ was inspiring tourism in Greece.

Tour operators have been capitalizing on the public interest with packages that include visits to real places mentioned in Homer's classic about the long and mythology-filled trip home of hero Odysseus after the Trojan War.

The movie so far has made $1.1 billion at the box office.

UC Classics Professor Jack Davis and Senior Research Associate Sharon Stocker gave some tips about must-see attractions for people who want to follow in the Greek hero's fictional footsteps.

Davis recommends the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, referenced in the movie when Odysseus' son Telemachus pays a visit to the palace off camera to try to learn of his father's fate after the war.

“This is a real Bronze Age palace, the best preserved of the entire Mycenaean civilization,“ Davis told Ekathimerini. “Together with the Ministry of Culture, we have significantly improved the infrastructure for visitors.“

UC Classics Professor Carl Blegen made startling discoveries at the Palace of Nestor during excavations before and after World War II, including tablets that were instrumental in translating the ancient language Linear B.

The Archaeological Museum of Chora is expected to reopen later this year after renovations, Davis said. It holds many of the artifacts from Davis and Stocker's 2015 discovery of a Bronze Age tomb of a Mycenaean warrior they called “the Griffin Warrior“ for his ivory plaque engraved with the mythological part-eagle, part-lion griffin.

The tomb and two others the UC Classics researchers found in 2017 are helping historians better understand Bronze Age society, culture and economics 3,500 years ago. 

They also recommend excavations in Ithaca by Professor Emeritus Yannos Lolos from the University of Ioannina and the cave of Nestor, where Nolan's film suggests the Cyclops lived. UC Classics researchers conducted archaeological work in the cave where they found prehistoric remains, Davis said.

Stocker told Ekathimerini that the movie is introducing wide audiences to the area's rich history and literature.

“The epics, and especially ‘The Odyssey,’ are an excellent starting point for learning about Mycenaean culture,“ Stocker said. “We hope that the film will draw attention to the numerous places mentioned by Homer, but also to the Mycenaean era in general.“

Featured image at top: A statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Photo/Josef Tautenhayn and Hugo Haerdtl/iStockPhoto