2025 identification of Odysseus sanctuary on Ithaca

July 17, 2026GreeceExcavationSignificant FindShare

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Key facts

• In 2025, archaeologists from the University of Ioannina reassessing finds from the School of Homer Ag. Athanasios exc. (Ithaca) in northern Ithaca identified it as a sanctuary of Odysseus
• The site yielded an incised dedication reading 'To Odysseus' and two roof tile stamps reading 'Of Odysseus' dating to the late Hellenistic period
• Other finds included a small bronze bust of Odysseus from the Roman period, 34 fragments of clay votives, loom weights, gold and bronze jewelry, and over 100 coins from multiple city-states
• The site functioned as a religious center for over 1,000 years, from the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE
• Researchers concluded the site was a shrine to the hero cult of Odysseus known as the Odysseum, visited by locals and pilgrims across the Mediterranean
• Early 20th century excavations in a seaside cavern on northwest Ithaca found bronze cauldrons dating to the 9th or 8th centuries BCE, evoking gifts from the Phaeacians in the Odyssey
• A clay mask fragment from approximately 100 BCE inscribed with 'a vow to Odysseus' was also found in the cave, indicating a hero cult operating for hundreds of years

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