W. Dorpfeld's theory "Alt Ithaka" [Wilhelm Doerpfeld's hypothesis for the 'real' location of Odysseus' Ithaca]

lefkadahistory.gr ^ | 2020 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Wilhelm Dörpfeld was a German architect and archaeologist, a pioneer of stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects... 

In 1877, Döerpfeld became an assistant at the excavations of Ancient Olympia, Greece, conducted under Richard Bohn, Friedrich Adler, and Ernst Curtius. He later became the technical manager of the project. The group uncovered, among other artifacts, an intact statue of Hermes by Praxiteles. The excavations revived the memory of the ancient Olympic Games and contributed toward the establishment of the modern Olympic Games, in 1896. 

In 1882, Dörpfeld joined Schliemann, who was then excavating Troy... 

The two eventually became good friends and continued their collaboration on other projects as well. They excavated in Tiryns, from 1884 to 1885, and at Troy again from 1888 to 1890. Dörpfeld also excavated at the Acropolis of Athens from 1885 to 1890, where he unearthed the Hekatompedon temple (the pre-Classical Parthenon). He continued excavations at Pergamon (1900–1913, with Alexander Conze) and in 1931 in the Agora of Athens... 

After Schliemann's death in 1890, his widow hired Dörpfeld to continue from where Schliemann had stopped in his excavations of Troy. Dörpfeld found nine separate cities, one atop the other, at the Hisarlik site. He argued that the sixth was the legendary Troy because it was larger than the first five cities and had high limestone walls, surrounding the city. Dörpfeld also found evidence for his claims in Mycenaean pottery, which he found in the same strata... 

Lefkada isn't still named Ithaca cause after Dorians conquered the island its citizens moved to "Same" and renamed it to "Ithaca". 

Lefkada was always a "weird" island (like "Homeric Ithaca") to the ancient Greeks and in "Odyssey" it is descri[b]ed as is today.

---

TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; homer; ithaca; odysseus; odyssey; wilhelmdoerpfeld; wilhelmdorpfeld

[SunkenCiv]

Wilhelm Döerpfeld

[SunkenCiv]

• Lefkada on a map
• Lefkada on YouTube

[SunkenCiv]

[cloudmountain]

Homer, the blind Greek poet, wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey. They were just stories...GOOD ones but all made up.
That we still read them today tells me what GOOD stories they were.

From the Internet
The Iliad focuses on the tragedy of war and combat among soldiers.
The Odyssey focuses on a long journey home, cleverness and domestic life.

Not much has changed today, has it?

Iran was Persia and Persia was as evil back in 480 B.C. with Xerxes as it is today. Not much has changed.
If it weren't for the Spartan warrior Leonidas we WOULD be speaking Farsi today.

[SunkenCiv]

Leonidas’ 300 and the 1000 or so other volunteers were all killed, but merely slowed the advance a bit — little if any impact on the outcome.

[Adder]

“He compared several passages from the Odyssey to the actual geographical location of Lefkada, and he concluded that it must be the “Homeric Ithaca”. His excavation started in early 1900s….”

Of course Ithaca was hard to find...look how long it took Odysseus...and he knew where it was...