Geography of The Odyssey - Identification of Ithaca and Neighboring Islands

Identification of Ithaca and Neighboring Islands

The geographical references in the Odyssey to Ithaca and its neighbors seem confused and have given rise to much scholarly argument, beginning in ancient times. Odysseus's Ithaca is usually identified with the island traditionally called Thiaki and now officially renamed Ithake, but some scholars have argued that Odysseus's Ithaca is actually Leucas, and others identify it with the whole or part of Cephalonia. For further information on these debates, see "Homer's Ithaca"; for more on Robert Bittlestone's recent work, identifying the Paliki peninsula with Homeric Ithaca, see "Odysseus Unbound".

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