Exciting new data on the historical and cultural development of Ithaca have emerged from the University of Ioannina’s research program at the significant archaeological site of Agios Athanasios-Homer’s School, located in the northern part of the island.
Since 2018, this program has been actively managing, documenting, and promoting findings from the systematic excavation conducted between 1994 and 2011 by the late Assoc. Prof. Litsa Kontorli-Papadopoulou and Emeritus Professor Athanasios Papadopoulos. The current program is led by Emeritus Prof. Giannos G. Lolos, with Dr. Christina Marampea, an archaeologist from the University of Ioannina, making key contributions to the research.
Homer’s School at the Ithaca site is steeped in history
Having been referred to as Homer’s School since the early 19th century, the site is centered around a large rocky formation on the eastern slopes of Exogi, an area rich with water springs. Excavated antiquities are spread across two terraces, connected by carved staircases and various lower points. The Upper Andiro features the remains of a Hellenistic tower (3rd century BC), while a large rectangular building dominates most of the Lower Andiro.
The earliest evidence of human activity at the site now dates to the Final Neolithic phase (late 5th/4th millennium BC), including dozens of flint artifacts and hundreds of pottery fragments. Bronze Age evidence, specifically from the late 14th and 13th centuries BC, includes dozens of fragments from approximately thirty different vessels.
Of particular interest is an intact underground fountain/cistern. Its shape, structural characteristics, and the discovery of Late Mycenaean kylix fragments within are strongly suggestive of a Mycenaean palatial phase dating, corroborating earlier research.
The Mycenaean settlement at Homer’s School likely served to oversee ports and lands, protect and manage water resources, and integrate into a network of seven to eight other Mycenaean sites in the fertile northwestern part of Ithaca. This network appears to define the major urban (traditionally Odyssean) center of the island during the Mycenaean palatial period (14th-13th century BC).
For historical times, the largest volume of ceramic material dates to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (up to the 1st/2nd century AD). Fragments of large vessels, common in sanctuaries, have been identified.
Rich finds at Homer’s School on Ithaca
Beyond numerous small objects, key findings include:
- 34 fragments of clay offerings
- Dozens of clay objects
- A small cache of gold jewelry and other, primarily bronze, jewelry and objects
- Over 100 coins from various cities (3rd century BC to 2nd century AD), indicating a steady flow of visitors
Ongoing work sorting thousands of Hellenistic/early Roman roof tile fragments has revealed fourteen stamped samples with Greek and Latin inscriptions.
The Odyssey connection
Interpretation of the complex has also incorporated findings from W. Vollgraff’s 1904 excavation at Ano Andiros, some of which date to the late Roman period. Among these is a miniature bronze bust with the characteristics of Odysseus, consistent with his depiction in Greco-Roman art and on 4th to 3rd century BC bronze coins from the island.
The flourishing period of the building complex is placed in the Hellenistic to early/middle Roman period (up to the 1st or 2nd century AD). Its sturdy terraced structures, impressive carved architectural elements, and niches for votive offerings or inscriptions all point to intensive cultic use of the Lower Andiros.
Crucially, the Hellenistic monumental complex can now be definitively identified with the Odysseion of Ithaca (a sanctuary/hero of Odysseus). This identification is supported by a resolution from the Ithacian deme of approximately 207 BC from Magnesia in Asia Minor, which mentions the Odysseion alongside related games (the Odyssey). The precise nature of Odysseus’s character and his relationship to these games have been subjects of scholarly debate since the 1930s.
According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, the findings document the development of a prominent public complex at the site, playing a major role in the religious, social, and possibly political life of Ithacians during the Hellenistic-early Roman periods, and serving as a broader pilgrimage destination.
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