Did Odysseus really exist?
The person on whom Homer’s epic was based probably did exist in some form. However, certain exploits were obviously fictionalized and exaggerated. According to astronomical research by doctors Baikouzis and Magnasco, certain astronomical phenomena referenced in the Odyssey indicate a date of 16 April, 1178 BC as the date of the return of Odysseus from Troy. This correlates roughly with the archaeological burn layer of Troy VIIa, indicating the city was destroyed and burnt between 1300-1190 BC. However, historicity and objective factual truth in ancient times weren’t as much an issue as they are in our time, and exact retelling wasn’t as important as an exciting story, so certain elements were probably added. Also current archaeological research seems to indicate that modern Ithaca, Greece is not the location of ancient Ithaca described by Homer, which is increasingly believed to be located on the peninsula of Paliki, Greece.
