[21twelve]

I always thought Achilles was a myth. But this account makes it sound like he was a real person. Or at least the tomb was real.

A quick search indicates that the tombs of Achilles and Alexander are lost to time. Augustus was cremated and an altar was erected afterwards at the location and is the only significant feature of the temple that still remains.

[Antoninus]

I always thought Achilles was a myth. But this account makes it sound like he was a real person. Or at least the tomb was real.

My assumption is that the characters in the Iliad and the Odyssey were real people, but the stories are mythologized and/or overlaid with poetic interpolation. There apparently was a real Troy and there are indications that it was burnt. I read an article that said that even Suleiman the Magnificent visited the tomb of Achilles on his way to attack Constantinople in the 15th century. Of course, whether or not the tomb contained the actual body of Achilles or some other ancient dude is an open question that can never be answered.