ABSTRACT
The annular solar eclipse, of 30 October 1207 B.C. (Julian Day-JD 1280869),
calculated by NASA together with the analysis of the weather’s and the
environment’s description (long nights, plants, animals and peoples’ habits)
and the astronomical data (guiding constellations and Venus in the east
horizon) mentioned by Homer in the epic, constitute an autumn return of
Odysseus to Ithaca five
days before the above characterized day. The latter offers a precise astronomical dating of the event
and dates the legendary Trojan War’s end as well.
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA
St. P.
Papamarinopoulos1, P. Preka-Papadema2, P. Antonopoulos3*, H. Mitropetrou1,
A.Tsironi1 and P. Mitropetros2
1
University of Patras, Department of Geology, 26504 Rio Patras, Greece 2
University of Athens, Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanism,
Faculty of Physics, 15784 Athens, Greece 3 University of Patras, Department of
Physics, 26504 Rio Patras, Greece
Corresponding
author: antonopoulos.pan@gmail.com
Received:
31/10/2011 Accepted: 02/12/2012
KEYWORDS:
Homer’s Odyssey, Theoclymenus’ prophecy, solar eclipse, guiding constellations,
Venus
Mediterranean
Arhaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 12, No 1, pp.117-128 Copyright © 2012 MAA
Printed in Greece. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
In ancient
Greece it was known what a genuine myth meant. For instance, Ploutarchus
(Fragmenta 157) says the following: “The old physical science for both, the
Greeks and the Barbarians is natural logos (logos in antiquity meant fact)
hidden deeply within myths”. Much earlier than Plutarchus, Plato, in the 4th
century B.C., defined
Science in Phaedrus (277.b.5277.c.3) and mythology in Timaeus and Critias
(110.a.2-110.a.4). Plato himself knew the difference between genuine and fabricated myth. He
wrote it in Timaeus and Critias (26.e.4-26.e.5) and in Republic
(Resp.377.b.6-377.b.6) respectively. Plato in the Republic (Resp., 379.a.1)
says that “it is appropriate for the founders to know the patterns on which the
poets must base their stories and from which they must not deviate”. This
phrase means that in antiquity some of the poets were deviating, from time to
time, from the recorded tradition which passed orally to them, and they had to
be told. Homer is not different in this context. This means
that some of his passages might not be but mere fantasies. However, Kraft et al
(2003) offered
compliments to Homer saying characteristically the following. “The reality of
Homer’s description of place, event, and topography correlated with geologic
investigation helps show that the Iliad is not legend but regularly consistent
with palaeogeographic reconstructions.” Kraft et al (2003) does not understand
the subtle difference
between legend and fabricated myth from the stand point of ancient Greek
authors and for this reason he calls it legend. The correct word would be
paramyth meaning fabricated myth. Moreover, in the volume “Science and
Technology in Homeric Epics” (2008) there are numerous papers in which Homer
has been tested, with the principles of science, repeatedly and found correct.
Also, a number of authors have considered different astronomical aspects, facts and allusions
in the Homeric Epics (Theo
dosiou et
al. 2011). However, ancient researcher Heraclitus of Pontus (Allegories, 75, 1,
1-9, 3) had long recognized and explained the passage Od.20.356-357 as a solar
eclipse. He was the first
to suggest that the Odyssey person, called Theoclymenus, described an incoming
solar eclipse to suitors, hours before its occurrence and before their death.
One of us, Papamarinopoulos (2008) and two other authors Baikouzis &
Magnasco (2008) independently to each other, had proposed the 16th of April of
1178 yr B.C. (JD 1291264) as the day Odysseus returned to Ithaca. All the
three, mentioned above, have interpreted Homer’s passage Od.20.356-357: and the
sun has perished out of heaven and an evil mist covers all, as a spring`s total
eclipse event. They based their interpretation on NASA/Espenak and other
studies respectively. However, all the three, authors had ignored other significant diagnostic information
mentioned by Homer. Before we focus in the Odyssey`s passages we studied
initially what the ancient Greek authors, archeologists and historians had said
about the dating of the Trojan War’s end because we intended to connect it with
Odysseus` return since Homer says that Odysseus returned 10 years after the
Trojan War’s end (e.g. Od.5.106-108, Od.2.174-176). Table 1 and Table 2
tabulate main opinions respectively. We even took into consideration the
ancient Greek textual and pictorial mythological sources which mentioned two
successive Trojan Wars conducted by Achaeans against Troy (Kakridis 1986). The
second, from the Trojan Wars, was the legendary War mentioned by Homer in which
Ajax and his companions fought. The first was realized, a generation earlier from the second, in which Ajax’s
father participated. The heroes of the two wars are presented in the temple of
the Athena’s Aphaea temple in Aegina Island. We note that Hiller (see Table 2)
proposed two Trojan Wars coinciding with the Greek’s mythological tradition.
118 ST. P.
PAPAMARINOPOULOS et al
Although
Homer is not a historian, like Thucydides for instance, we took the liberty to
examine specific Homeric
passages in order to extract possible testable information in connection with
Odysseus’ return in Ithaca.
APPROACH
AND METHODOLOGY 2.1 Searching for the Homeric solar eclipse
Homer
describes a palace scene, during noon in which δείπνον, dinner is offered. In thatthe suitors, disguised Odysseus,
his son Telemachus, and Theoclymenus are all to
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA 119
Author’s
name Years B.C Douris of Samos
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1454 or 1514* Cleitarchus of Alexandria
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1274 or 1334* Timaeus of Tauromenium
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1274 or 1334* Eratosthenes of Alexandria
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1184 or 1228 or 1288* Ephorus of Cymaeus
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1189 or 1249* Phanias of Eresus
(Stromateis,1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5) 1169 or 1229* Herodotus of Halicarnassus
(Histories, 2, 145, 16-17) about 1250 Dicaearchus of Sicily (Scholia vetera in
Apollonii Rhodii Argonautica, 278,11-12, Fragment 58 a 4-5) 1212 Parian
Chronicle (paragraph 24) 1208 Sosibius of Lacon (De die nat. , c. 21) 1171
*Clemens of
Alexandria in his text, Stromateis, (1,21,138,1,1-139,5,5): The two different numbers do not signify two different Trojan Wars but only one. They
are composed by three ‘time’ components. The coming of Heracleids, the
commencing of the Olympiads and Alexander’s the Great coming to Troad. For the first there are two opinions. For the
second there are three different opinions and for the third there is one historic opinion. The Eratosthenes dating of 1184 is composed
entirely different from
the others dating and presents a seeming contradicting opinion of the other
ones.
TABLE 1.
Trojan War’s dating in accordance to the ancient Greek authors
Author’s
name Layer* Years B.C. Dorpfeld W. (Zengel 1990) Troy VI ca 1250 but after
Kadesh’s battle. Blegen C. (Zengel 1990) Troy VIIa 1270-1240 Mylonas G. (1964)
Troy VIIa ca 1200 Desborough V. R. d’A (1966) Troy VIIa 1250-1230 Nylander C.
(1963) Troy VI Not historic Trojan War. Finley M. et al. (1964) - Not historic
Trojan War. Wood M. (1998) Troy VI 1260-1250 Hiller S. (1991) Troy VIh In the
middle of the 13th century Troy VIIa End of the 13th /start of 12th century
Hood S. (1998) Troy VII b2 10th century Mountzoy P. (1999a) - ca 1300 for VIh
Mountzoy P. (1999b) - ca 1210 for VIIa Korfmann M. (2004) Troy VI/VIIa 1200-
1180**
* The
layers in Latin numbers illustrate the archaeologists’ stratigraphic differences in dating Homeric Troy. ** He proposes, the ratio VI/VIIa as being
the Troy`s catastrophe layer VI. He does that by equating VIIa=VIi (Korfmann
2004b).
TABLE
2.Archaeologists’ and historians’ references on the Homeric Troy.
gether.
Then, Theoclymenus predicts the suitors’ death and the sun’s eclipse saying,
for the latter, the following: the sun has perished out of heaven and an evil
mist hovers over all, (Od.20.356-357). As the suitors heard what Theoclymenus
said, they called him mad, because there was still some day light which they
could see it themselves (Od.20.360-362). The suitors mocked the seer because
they were incapacitated by drunkenness and confusion because they did not
realize the eclipses’ beginning. Homer, further, describes a next palace scene.
The suitors have eaten already their dinner, the hours passed, and they were in
late noon time before the supper δόρπον was offered (Od.21, 269-427). We notice that the suitors have not started
this supper, because Homer says very clearly, in the following passage, that
the supper is not ready. It is under preparation (Od.21.428429): But now is
time that supper to be made ready for the Achaeans, while yet there is light,
after that must other entertainment be made with song and with the lyre. At
that moment Odysseus takes the bow and shots an arrow to a specific target. Then, the killing of the
suitors, starts exactly as in the previous passage is indicated
(Od.20.390-394): For they had made their dinner in the heart, for they had
slain many beasts. But no supper could be more graceless than the one a goddess
and strong man were soon to set before them. It is defined in Od.21.428-429 with the words ενφάει which means day light. It is also
defined that supper is
prepared. The latter is understood from the word τετυκέσθαι which means to be prepared. Then
the suitors’ killing occurs at late noon and before evening, exactly after
Odysseus’ first
successful shot (Od.21.409). Taking
into account all the information mentioned above we concentrate our attention
to the correct solar eclipse associated with Odysseus’ return as it was
observed in the Ionian Islands during 1300-1130 yr B.C. time span. Although the
two Tables 1 and 2 define
a period between 1514-1171yr B.C.
we choose
to begin from 1300 yr B.C. because in this latter period the Achaeans had
reached the maximum political, economic and military organization and there
were capable to organize a 1200 ships naval power (Iliad.2. 494-762 and
Iliad.2.816-877) ready to act away from Greece in Troy. We also extend it by 41
years until 1130 yr B.C. in order to include the Achaeans’ Palaces ruling
system destruction. From Xavier Jubier’s website “Five Millennium (-1999 to
+3000) Canon of Solar Eclipses Database”
(http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_ecl
ipses/5MCSE/xSE_2_Five_Millennium_Can on.html) based on Espenak & Meeus
(2006), we found 64 solar eclipses (Total or Annular or Hybrid or Partial)
which could be visible from the Ionian Islands region during 13001130 yr B.C.
The NASA’s list is based on models VSOP87D for the calculation of the position
of Sun and ELP-2000/82 for the calculation of the position of Moon (Espenak
& Meeus 2006 & 2009c) However, in the Odyssey there are
remarkable seasonal observations about Ithaca: a) Climate: (Od.5,
467-469)-Frost and fresh dew in the night and breeze blowing cold in the
morning. (Od.14.518-522)-Bed near the fire, and covering Odysseus’ body with skins of
sheep and goats and a great thick cloak due to the terrible cold storm.
(Od.14.529-533)-Eumaeus, put about him a cloak, very thick …and picked up the fleece of a large, well-fatted goat.
(Od.14.457-458)..rained the whole night through. …and rainy strong West Wind
blew. (Od.17.2325)-…I have warmed myself at the fire… .the morning frost. (Od.17.190-191)-…colder
evening… b) Trees and Plants:
(Od.13.196)-luxuriant trees. (Od.14.353)-…thicket of leafy wood… (Od.24.221)-near
to the fruitful vineyard…( Od.24.234)-..tall pear tree. (Od.24.246-247)...fig tree, vine, olive, pear…
(Od.24.340344)-…pear-trees thirteen, ten apple and forty fig trees and fifty rows of vines and they yield
grapes of every kind…
120 ST. P.
PAPAMARINOPOULOS et al
c) Animals:
(Od.14.410-414)-…..and the swine and the swineherds drew near…to sleep in their
accustomed sties…(Od.17.170171)-…the flocks came …from the fields…( Od.15.397)-…and follow our masters swine. d) Long lasting nights:
(Od.15.391-394)they are αθέσφατοι. The latter greek word means long lasting. e) Peoples’ habits:
(Od.17.96-97)-…leaning against a chair and spinning fine threads of yarn. (Od.18.315-316)-…and twist
the yarn… (Od.24.226-227)…digging about a plant… All the above mentioned information
leads to an autumn period except those in connection with the luxuriant trees
and the flocks which are
outside from the sties. They latter fit both with spring and autumn too. It is noticeable in the following
passages, (Od.22.301)-…along in the season of spring, when the long days come
and in Od.18.366-367-…in working in the season of spring, when the long days
come…in relation with Od.15.391-394 - these nights are longer...(αθέσφατοι) that Homer defines the long days of spring very
clearly. Moreover in Od.18.366-367, Homer explains why Odysseus, would prefer
to fight with Eurymachus
in the spring, because then he says the days are long, whereas at that
situation, the fight
with Eurymachus, the nights are long (Od.15.391-394) and consequently the days
are short because it is autumn. Additionally, in Od.11.187-194 is mentioned
that Odysseus’ father, Laertis, stays in his vineyard in the summer and in the
autumn. In Od.24, Odysseus meets Laertis in that vineyard only in the autumn in
accordance with Homer’s astronomical references, (see below). From the 64 solar eclipses (Total or Annular
or Hybrid or Partial) observed in
Greece, in the Ionian Islands, within this period of 230 years, only 14 were
visible within September, October and November. Homer in Od.14.161-162 and
Od.19.306307 specifically
says that Odysseus will come in this very month here and further explains be
tween the
waning of this moon and the waxing of the next. Homer uses the word Λυκάβας. It is interpreted as the time
period between old and new moon (Russo et al. 2002) and is derived from the
proto-hellenic words Lyka+vanta (the light is gone). Homer also declares in
Od.14.457-now the night came on, full and without a moon. The above mentioned
information (new moon) is a necessary condition during the course of a solar
eclipse. However, Homer sets two more
additional astronomical conditions connecting Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. The first is planet Venus, to be visible
in the east, five days,
before the eclipse, (Od.13.93-95). The second is, that the Pleiades (open
cluster belonging to the Taurus’ constellation), Boötes, Ursa Major and Orion
were visible, all nights during his trip (Od.5.270-277). The latter requires
the simultaneous Pleiades’ and Boötes’ presence in the night sky which occurs
only in two periods during autumn and spring.
However, the spring’s case is invalidated in accordance with our
arguments clearly mentioned above. It is known that Venus is visible either in
the east or in the west. In order to demonstrate if Venus is really in the east
five days before the
solar eclipse’s day we used the Starry Night 6 Pro Plus. The latter offers the position of the eight major
planets within 5 arcseconds accuracy for a 3000 time span to the present.
Similarly the moon`s position is accurate within 10 arcseconds for several
thousand years in either direction. We used Ithaca’s coordinates (38° 22′ 0″ N,
20° 43′ 0″ E) as representative for all Ionian Islands. From this mentioned
study, 5 from the 14 solar eclipses (Total or Annular or Hybrid or Partial)
remain (Table 3) available for further analysis, because they satisfy the first Homeric condition. However,
three of them (1298, 1252 and 1234 in years B.C.) are not practically visible.
From the remaining two, the first which has occurred in 1143 yr B.C. is rejected since the Achaean’s
Palaces economic and organization system has been al
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA 121
ready
collapsed. The last remaining one, however, seems to satisfy both Homeric
conditions and the Table’s 1 and 2 presented data. This is the annular solar
eclipse of the 30th of October of 1207 yr B.C. (JD 1280869). It was visible in
the Ionian Islands with 75% significant obscuration of the solar disc. In order to calculate the Sun’s
illuminance during the solar eclipse we used the equation (Eq. 1) proposed by
Möllmann & Vollmer (2006):
L/Lmax=1-p (1)
L= the
Sun’s illuminance during the solar eclipse Lmax=the maximum of Sun’s
illuminance p= the obscuration of the solar disk By setting p=0.75 in the
equation 1 the Sun’s illuminance becomes 25% of its total value. The latter
means significant
reduction of illuminance which is absolutely compatible with Homer’s phrase
(20.357) κακήαχλύς
means evil mist. The phenomenon started in local time (LT) 14.30 (12.30 UT) and
ended in 17.25 LT (15.25 UT) in the Ionian Islands. The maximum, ¾ obscuration
of the Sun, was observed in 16.00 LT (14.00 UT) in late noon and before
supper`s preparation. In addition, the Delta-T (ΔΤ) value of this eclipse is ∆T = 29136 sec (8.09
hours), with uncer
tainty of
±1077 sec (17.95 min) on the determined time and uncertainty of ±4.5° on the
longitude of the determined path. It is calculated by taking into account the
variation of the Earth’s rotation (Espenak & Meeus 2006 &
2009c), based on the work by Morrison & Stephenson (2004). We note that
Stephenson (1997) and his colleagues (Stephenson & Houlden 1986) were
pioneers in that kind of calculations. The eclipse’s maximum time coincides
with the suitor’s killing and it is ended just before the sunset because
immediately after the killing, the servants came with torches and shed light
(Od.22.497 and Od.23.290293). In accordance to Starry Night calculations,
Homer’s description in the above mentioned passages fit with the sunset at 17.58 LT (15.58 UT) on the
30th of October 1207 yr B.C. (JD
1280869).
2.2
Analysis of the Homeric Astronomical References
Figures 1A
and 1B illustrate the sky above the horizon in the Ionian Islands at 16.00 LT
(14.00 UT) on the 30th of October (JD 1280869) and at 06.05 LT (04.05 UT) on
25th of October of 1207 yr B.C. (JD 1280864) respectively using Starry night 6
Pro Plus. In Figure 1A, the solar eclipse is observed at 20ο altitude within the south-west
horizon
122 ST. P.
PAPAMARINOPOULOS et al
Date Start
Middle Maximum End Venus rise** Sunrise** (Years B.C.*) (LT) (LT) Obscuration
(LT) (LT) (LT) 1298 Sep 17 13:38 14:01 0.82 % 14:23 4:30 6:04 1252 Sep 18 08:33
09:04 1.92 % 9:37 2:20 6:06 1234 Sep 30 18:06 under horizon --5:26 6:18 1207
Oct 30 14:31 (33ο)
16:03 (20ο) 74.70 %
17:23 (6ο) 5:13 6:50
1143 Nov 11 06:51 (-4ο)
07:58 (8ο) 51.50 % 9:11
6:06 7:04 *‘Τhe Julian
calendar does not include the year 0, so the year 1 BCE is followed by the year
1 CE. …Years prior to the year 0 are represented by a negative sign. Historians
should note that there is a difference of one year between astronomical dates and BCE dates. Thus, the
astronomical year 0 corresponds to 1 BCE.’ (
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/calendar.html) **Rise time five days before the solar eclipse.
LT=Local Time, which is equal to Universal Time (UT)+2 hours The degrees in
parentheses are the altitude of the sun above (+) or below (-) the horizon.
TABLE 3.The
five solar eclipses`
characteristics.
in Scorpius
constellation, near to Antares (Anti-Ares) which exhibits a red like blood
color similar with that of red Ares (Mars). It is one of the brightness stars
of the sky. All the known planets in prehistoric Aegean
Sea, except
Saturn, are projected within 75ο angular distance, near to the solar eclipse. We note that the value of ΔT, which this program uses, is 29300
sec (8.14 hours). There is a slight difference of 164 sec (2.73
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA 123
Figure 2.
(A) the sky above the horizon at Gibraltar’s Straits (36° 8′ 0″ N, 5° 21′ 0″ E)
(20.00 LT or 18.00 UT) on 1st of October (JD 1280840) and (B) at Palermo (38°
7′ 0″ N, 13° 22′ 0″ E) (3.00 LT or 1.00 UT) on 19th of October of 1207 yr B.C.
(JD 1280858) are shown respectively. The constellations, Ursa Major, Taurus
(open cluster of Pleiades), Boötes and Orion guided Odysseus during his voyage
from west to east. They are observed all night in the latitudinal width of the
Mediterranean Sea internally and externally of it. Pleiades move east-west and
Boötes north-west to north-east. Orion raises later than the others
constellations.
Figure 1.
(A) The sky above the horizon in the
Ionian Islands (38° 22′ 0″ N, 20° 43′ 0″ E) at the maximum phase (75%) of the
solar eclipse (16.00 LT or 14.00 UT) on 30th of October of 1207 yr B.C. (JD
1280869) and (B) five days before this solar eclipse on
25th of October (JD 1280864) (6.05 LT or
4.05 UT) are shown. Planet Venus is observed eastward.
min)
between this value and the one calculated by Espenak & Meeus (2006
& 2009c). This slight difference does not have any significant effect in
our results and the representation of the sky in our figures. According to the Homeric text
(Od.13.9395) Odysseus arrived in Ithaca early in the morning five days before the suitors’ killing
(Figure 1B). At that moment planet Venus observed in the eastern horizon within
the Libra constellation (as Starry Night 6 Pro Plus shows). Both Venus and Sun
rose at 05.13 and 06.50 LT (4.50 UT) respectively. Venus with exceptional
clarity (magnitude = -3.94) was for 1.5 hours before sunrise at an altitude of
18ο above the horizon.
Saturn, which was known in the Aegean prehistoric period, is projected near to
the Cancer constellation. The great planets Jupiter and Saturn projected in the
Capricorn and the Cancer constellations, in other words, in the constellations
of the winter and summer solstices respectively. Figure 2 is representative of
the autumn’s night sky everywherewithin Mediterranean’s latitudes. We offer, to the reader, two examples.
Odysseus is already, en route,travelling west to east having to his left always
Ursa Major. The mariner observes the latter and Pleiades and Boötes all night
(between 19.30 and 05.30 LT or between 15.30 and 3.30 UT). Homer in
Od.5.272-274 says: as he watched the Pleiades, and late-setting Boötes, and the
bear, which men also call the Wain, which ever circles where it is and watches
Orion” The Greek word δοκεύει is semantically stronger, than the English one watches. The Greek word
contains the elements of anxiety and persistence of the animal which is waiting
its hunter, Orion, to come. And indeed this happens. Orion appearsat 22.30 LT
(20.30 UT) two hours later after the previously mentioned constellations (see
Fig. 2). Pleiades are moving from east
to west all night while Boötes is in the north-west sky in its course to set.
Homer uses the phrase οψέδύονταΒοώτην. It means literally that Boötes is temptingto set slowly but in reality
it doesn’t
completely. In Fig. 3, different Boötes’ positions, during all night, are presented. Boötes’ two
stars, β Bοötis (Nekkar) and γ Bοötis (Seginus) do not set at all! As Boötes
approaches slowly its set, these two stars, remain above the horizon steadily.
Then sequentially Boötes starts to rise again remaining all visible above the
horizon in the north-east sky all night up to the sunrise. Boötes dives in a
setting mode initially in the north-west direction and then continues emerging
up moving in a north-east direction.
DISCUSSION
AND CONCLUSIONS
In
connection with Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, there are three scientific attempts for its astronomical
dating, which are the following: Schoch (1926), Papamarinopoulos (2008) and
Baikouzis & Magnasco (2008). These authors propose the total solar
eclipse of the 16th April 1178 yr B.C. (JD 1291264) as the Homeric one without
taking into account of the Epic’s significant details in connection with the climate,
the environment, the plants, the animals and the peoples’ habits, which were
presented in our text above and strongly prove the autumn as the season of the
Odysseus’s return to Ithaca. Also, Baikouzis & Magnasco (2008) suggest
the 1st of April of 1178 yr B.C. (JD 1291249) as the vernal equinox then; but
it is well known that after the vernal equinox the night gets shorter. The
Homeric passage mentions the nights are, αθέσφατοι, in other words long lasting. Their conclusion
is incompatible both with the Homeric text and with the astronomical
references. Furthermore, we have calculated the night’s length of Ithaca for both
the two suggested dates: On the 14th
of April 1178 yr B.C. (JD 1291262) the night’s duration was about 11 hours
(sunset 19.00 LT or 17.00 UT and sunrise 06.14 LT or 4.14 UT). On the 30th of
October of 1207 B.C. (JD 1280869) the night’s
124 ST. P. PAPAMARINOPOULOS
et al
duration
was about 13 hours (sunset 17.58 LT or 15.58 UT and sunrise 06.57 LT or 4.57
UT). Our suggested date is absolutely compatible both with the Homeric text and
the astronomical knowledge for autumnal equinox which was on 4th October of
1207 yr B.C. (JD 1280843). Also, Baikouzis & Magnasco (2008) write that
‘close to noon ….the total eclipse of the sun occurred at 12.02 p.m local
time’. This is fully in
compatible
with the timing of the suitors’ killing. Theoclymenus made his statement about
the suitors’ killing and the solar eclipse, during dinner (δείπνου is genitive in Greek) at noon, and
then the suitors’ killing started, at late noon during supper’s (δόρπουis genitive in Greek) preparations,
in accordance with the Homeric text. The suggested, by us, solar eclipse of
30th of October of 1207 B.C. observed at late noon, 16.00 LT (14.00 UT).
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA 125
Figure
3. The sky above the horizon at Palermo
(38° 7′ 0″ N, 13° 22′ 0″ E) on the 10th of October of 1207 yr B.C. (JD 1280849)
(A) at 19.00 LT (17.00 UT), (B) at 21.00 LT (19.00 UT), (C) at 23.00 LT (21.00
UT) and on the 11th of October of 1207 yr B.C. (JD 1280850) (D) at 1.00 LT
(10th October 23.00 UT), (E) at 3.00 LT (1.00 UT), (F) at 5.00 LT (3.00 UT), is
shown respectively. ‘Late-setting Boötes’ is going toward its setting, but the
two stars, β Bοötis (Nekkar) and γ Bοötis (Seginus), do not set at all! Boötes
starts to rise again remaining all visible above the horizon all night.
Both
Homeric astronomical conditions (Venus and constellations) exist in both
proposed scenaria. Homer describes four constellations as orientation guides
during Odysseus’ return trip. However, in Baikouzis & Magnasco (2008)
denote exactly the following: on 4th of April of 1178 yr B.C. (JD 1291252) was
the heliacal setting of the Pleiades, the last night they were visible before
hiding for 40 days and hence Odysseus could not have followed Calypso’s
directives… This means that, a day, before Odysseus’ raft was sank in
accordance to their calculations, Pleiades were not observable in the night
sky. This is correct astronomically but it contradicts with the Homeric text.
Furthermore, they mentioned all three constellations Ursa Major, Boötes and
Pleiades (Taurus), but they missed Orion. But Homer specifically describes that Ursa Major
watches Orion. In other words Ursa Major is waiting Orion’s coming. Indeed,
Orion in the autumn is observed eastwards in the night sky about two hours
later after the Pleiades’ rise. However, in the early spring, Pleiades are
observed westwards and both Orion and Pleiades are simultaneously visible in
the night sky only for a few hours. The
co-existence of Boötes and Pleiades, in the night sky, occurs during the spring
and autumn. Boötes, in the autumn, is in the westward while in the spring is in
the eastward horizon respectively. Baikouzis & Magnasco (2008)
mentioned the Homeric phrase οψέδύοντα and interpret it as follows: ‘around March as the sun approaches these
(Pleiades) set early while Boötes sets late; in September, it is Boötes that
sets early while Pleiades set late’. In our text, earlier, we offered to the reader both the correct
philological interpretation and the correct astronomical explanation of it as
Fig.3 shows clearly. Boötes’ unique westward motion is observed only in the
autumn’s night sky, because then Boötes attempts to set, but it cannot set
entirely moving always all night
from
north-west to north-east. In the spring, Boötes certainly does exactly the same
motion westwards, but in the day light and consequently cannot be
observed. Except from these two Homeric
astronomical conditions, they suppose another one; a retrograde motion of the
planet Mercury. However this motion occurs every 116 days (3 times per earth
year). It is an ordinary phenomenon without any extreme condition which could
be caused the informants’, of the poet, attention. Finally, they propose a kind
of relation between the vernal equinox and Odysseus’s shipwreck. It is
understandable that angry Poseidon, the god of the sea, is related with the
shipwreck. However, if we wish to associate an astronomical phenomenon with
this shipwreck, the partial (50%) lunar eclipse of 15th of October 1207 yr B.C.
(JD 1280854) observed westwards in Ionian Islands at 5.30 LT (3.30 UT) (Espenak
& Meeus 2009a & 2009b) and everywhere within the
Mediterranean’s latitudinal width, is the best idea. It is well known that this
phenomenon assumed as a bad omen within the prehistoric and historic ancient
world, see Arrian (Anabasis Alexandri3, 7, 6, 1-4), as an example. In accordance with our hypothesis, we
conclude that the annular solar eclipse of 30th of October of 1207 B.C. (JD
1280869) observed in the Ionian Islands with a significant obscuration 75% is the described
phenomenon by Homer (Od.20. 356-357) related with the Odysseus’s return to
Ithaca because it fits
with all seasonal, environmental and other astronomical data of the epic.
Taking into account this dating, and Homer’s passages (e.g. Od5.106-108), the
legendary Trojan War’s end can be dated as well. We offer our proposal to the International Scientific Community. It might be useful for
further future Homeric and Eastern Mediterranean archeological and
archaeometric studies.
126 ST. P.
PAPAMARINOPOULOS et al
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To
Professor William Mullen for his suggestion, to us, to study the seasonal
details in the Epic. To Emeritus Professor George Korres for his useful input.
To postgraduate student Athanasios
Kouloumvakos
for his assistance during the course of our work.To the two anonymous reviewers
for their, in depth, constructive criticism.
DEDICATION:
This paper is devoted to the former Rector of the University of Patras
Professor Kostas Goudas.
A NEW
ASTRONOMICAL DATING OF ODYSSEUS’ RETURN TO ITHACA 127
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