Love Homer? Here Are 3 Must-See Greek Destinations
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are some of the world’s most renowned texts because they bring Greece’s ancient heroes to life. While the characters and their extraordinary tales are more legend than history, lovers of ancient literature can still visit some of the sites that provided the backdrop for the stories of Odysseus, King Nestor, Helen of Troy, and other characters in these epic poems. While scholars are still debating exactly where Homer set some of his scenes, the following locations will give you a real-life taste of places where these characters could have lived and visited.
Here are three must-see places for a Homeric tour of Greece.
Ithaki
While Odysseus traversed the ancient world on an epic adventure, his faithful wife Penelope waited patiently at home, warding off a slew of impatient suitors for 20 years. Her vigil took place in Ithaki, where Odysseus was king, and this peaceful island remains a favorite for Homer aficionados and vacationers looking for a quiet getaway. It’s home to hiking and mountain biking trails that wind along the coastline and through olive, cypress, and carob trees in the hills. Vacationers also can scuba dive, kayak, or simply relax on one of the island’s many beaches.
If you’re looking for a connection to Homer, be sure to visit the Cave of Nymphs in Ithaki, where the Phaeacians supposedly abandoned Odysseus while he was sleeping and where Odysseus hid gifts he had received from the King of Phaeacia. The cave that archaeologists have traditionally associated with this story is about 180 meters above the Bay of Dexa, and visitors can access it via a paved road that leads to an entrance at the foot of the hill. Visitors descend on a ladder about 10 meters into the stalactite-filled cave.
In nearby Vathi, the island’s capital, visitors can see artifacts and findings from archaeological digs in the Archaeological Museum of Ithaca. Other villages vacationers might wish to visit include Perachori, which is built on the edge of a forest and offers gorgeous views of the island and some medieval ruins. On the northern end of the island, Stavros is known for a first-century clay mask inscribed with a dedication to Odysseus in ancient Greek. The mask can be seen in a small archaeological museum.
Lindos
Located on the east coast of the island of Rhodes, the ancient town of Lindos played a significant role in the Iliad. According to Homer, Lindos was built around the 12th century B.C. by the Dorians. Rhodes was a major contributor to the Trojan War — in Homer’s account, the island sent nine ships, likely from Lindos, to assist in the conflict. The town grew around its naval power, constructing two harbors and an acropolis. Centuries later, its leaders wrote the Rhodian Naval Code, which became the foundation of Roman naval justice and modern laws of the seas.
Today, Lindos is popular with both tourists and island residents, who enjoy swimming at its gorgeous beaches. The ruins of the acropolis still stand, and visitors who make the climb up the hill above Lindos will find a 13th-century fortress, several columns built around 200 B.C., and the Temple of the Athena Lindia, which was constructed around 300 B.C. Archaeological work in the early 1900s uncovered 5,000-year-old tools and a plaque from about 99 B.C. that recorded the temple’s visitors, who included the Homeric characters of Hercules and Helen of Troy. The hilltop acropolis also offers scenic views of the town and St. Paul’s Bay below.
Visitors will find the town of Lindos to be a lovely vacation spot as well. It has two main beaches near town, whitewashed houses and cobblestone streets, and lots of small shops and cafés.
Pylos
For a more off-the-beaten-path Homeric destination, plan a trip to Pylos in southwestern Greece. In the Iliad, King Nestor — who enjoyed telling tales of the how ancient heroes were stronger than modern ones — ruled Pylos. The town is also the site of the discovery of several clay tablets featuring Linear B script, the earliest Mycenaean Greek written language. These clay tablets were written by a few dozen scribes and then baked (and thus preserved) in a fire. The tablets’ script dates to around 1200 B.C. and records details of daily economic life, such as inventories, lists of commodities, and records of gifts for the gods. Historians have found the texts helpful in understanding Pylos’ political structure. The thorough records and other details suggest the existence of a highly complex bureaucracy and clear hierarchy of power.
To see where these tablets were found, visit the ruins of the Archives Complex at the Palace of Nestor; the tablets themselves are now held at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Visitors also can get a taste of King Nestor’s world as they walk through the ruins of the palace, which includes rooms containing a nearly intact bathtub and a large hearth. The nearby Archaeological Museum of Pylos, which has been moved to the Niokastro Fortress, features artifacts from the region dating back to prehistoric times.
