Odysseus Unbound

Help us solve the greatest mystery of the Classical world

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Reading the Odyssey - Photo by Tbel Abuseridze on Unsplash

Scholars have been baffled for centuries.

In the Odyssey Homer gives a detailed description of Ithaca, Odysseus’ homeland.

But where is it?

Kefalonia Sunset - Photo by Joia de Jong on Unsplash

Robert Bittlestone had an inspired idea.

What if Paliki, the peninsula on the western coast of Kefalonia, was actually a separate island at the time of Odysseus?

Then it perfectly matches Homer’s description of Ithaca.

Our compelling research, from geophysics to classical history, means we are close to finding the answer!

Greece Boat - Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash

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NEWS UPDATES

2022 Fieldwork Report

Our 2022 fieldwork exceeded all expectations. We succeeded in gathering a huge amount of data thanks to the generous support of our donors.… Read More

NEWS UPDATES

First Annual Dinner for Patrons and Friends: “a brilliant event”

Delayed by the COVID pandemic, in April we held our first-ever Annual Dinner for Patrons and Friends in London to thank them for their tremendous support.… Read More

NEWS UPDATES

Prof. John Underhill, our lead scientist, heads new energy transition centre

John Underhill, our lead scientist, has been appointed by Aberdeen University as Director of its new, interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Transition.… Read More

More News

“This book is a gem. Its reconstruction of prehistoric Ithaca has a convincingly Homeric ‘look and feel’ to it. Reading the Odyssey is unlikely ever to be the same again”.… Read More

Prof. Gregory Nagy - Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington DC, USA

“’Epoch-making’ aptly describes what this book has unleashed.”… Read More

Dr Frederico Lourenço - Centro de Estudos Clássicos, Lisbon, Portugal

“There seems to be no doubt at all that Paliki was once a separate island from the rest of Kefalonia.”… Read More

Prof. Mary Beard - Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

“[Bittlestone] is the first to have tried to prove in a systematic way that Paliki, during historical times, formed its own island as identified in Homer’s description of Ithaca. It is an original theory that needs to be investigated further.”… Read More

Prof. Denis Searby - Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

“The geological argument in particular is first-class and leaves me in no doubt about the possibility of the theory being proposed.”… Read More

Prof. Tjeerd van Andel - Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

[Bittlestone’s] case for equating Paliki with Ithaca is breathtakingly cogent. Site after site is shown to jibe with the details of Homer’s narrative.”… Read More

Prof. James Holoka - Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

“Bittlestone’s theory is fundamentally simple… and it is almost certainly correct.”… Read More

Prof. Peter Green - University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

“The book provides… a departure point in an investigative project of impressive potency. This augurs well for its future acceptance.”… Read More

Prof. Adolfo J. Domínguez Monedero - University Autónoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Help us solve the greatest mystery of the Classical world

Scholars have been baffled for centuries.

Robert Bittlestone had an inspired idea.

Then it perfectly matches Homer’s description of Ithaca.

Be the first to find out about all our latest news and research results.

Latest News

2022 Fieldwork Report

First Annual Dinner for Patrons and Friends: “a brilliant event”

Prof. John Underhill, our lead scientist, heads new energy transition centre

What they say about Odysseus Unbound

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