June 24th News

The big story of the day is the dating of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey (which by default means that they've dated The Iliad as well).

New stories as of 7:21 PM:

Can An Eclipse Really Help Us Date Events In Greek Mythology?
Discover Magazine
Chinese, Greek, and many other ancient cultures left references in their texts to the sky going dark during the day, possible allusions to solar eclipses. These mentions are tantalizing clues to scientists, who think they might use those clues to date historical events...
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/06/24/can-an-eclipse-really-help-us-date-events-in-greek-mythology/

Odyssey Eclipse Dates Fall Of Troy
New Zealand Herald
The Odyssey is one of the great works of ancient Western literature, written eight centuries before the birth of Christ and four centuries after the fall of Troy...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10518190

Scientists Find Date Odysseus Returned Home To Penelope
dbtechno.com
Washington (dbTechno) - Scientists think that they have managed to pin down the exact date when King Odysseus returned home from the Trojan War to his Queen Penelope...
http://www.dbtechno.com/science/2008/06/24/scientists-find-date-odysseus-returned-home-to-penelope/

Look To the Ancient Skies
Nature.com
Using a clever bit of retrospective stargazing researchers have managed to date Homer’s classic work The Odyssey. Another team has used a similar technique to shift Julius Caesar back in time by a few days...
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2008/06/look_to_the_ancient_skies.html

"Arab" Found In Danish Iron-Age Grave
National Geographic News
An ancient Dane with Arabian genes is part of a DNA study that suggests Scandinavians of 2,000 years ago were more genetically diverse than today...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080624-arab-dane.html

How Dark Was It? A New History Of Medieval Europe
The New York Sun
How did a tiny bronze statuette of Buddha find its way to sixth-century Sweden? Why did Napoleon choose bees as his emblem when he became Emperor? These questions take us to the world that arose out of the ruins of the Western Roman Empire, when in 476 C.E. the last emperor, a boy with the big name Romulus Augustulus, was evicted from his throne by a "barbarian" (or non-Roman) general, and Byzantine emperors from the east failed to fill the gap...
http://www.nysun.com/arts/how-dark-was-it-a-new-history-of-medieval-europe/80590/

Medieval Boat Uncovered
The Advertiser
ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on the north Suffolk coast have unearthed an early medieval boat...
http://www.advertiser24.co.uk/content/advertiser24/news/story.aspx?brand=WAVOnline&category=News&tBrand=WAVOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED24%20Jun%202008%2009%3A17%3A05%3A467

Odysseus' Bloody Homecoming Dated To 1178 B.C.
Discovery News
June 24, 2008 -- Using clues from star and sun positions mentioned by the ancient Greek poet Homer, scholars think they have determined the date when King Odysseus returned from the Trojan War and slaughtered a group of suitors who had been pressing his wife to marry one of them...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/24/homer-odysseus.html

New stories as of 8:44 AM:

The End Of An Odyssey - Homer's Epic Is Finally Pinned Down
The Independent
For years, debate has raged over Homer's epic. Now research on astronomical detail in the story of Odysseus dates its dramatic climax to one particular day...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-end-of-an-odyssey--homers-epic-is-finally-pinned-down-852850.html

Ancient Games Re-Enacted
BBC News
Athletes and spectators have been re-living history in the ancient Greek stadium of Nemea, with a re-enactment of what they say are the 'true' Games...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7470858.stm
The story is an embedded video link.

Homer's Odyssey Contains Celestial Clues Hinting At Eclipse, Claim Experts
SmasHits
Washington, June 24 (ANI): A Rockefeller University scientist says that an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, called The Odyssey, seems to be containing astronomical references that provide corroborating evidence of a total solar eclipse...
http://news.smashits.com/265166/Homer-39s-Odyssey-contains-celestial-clues-hinting-at-eclipse-claim-experts.htm

Astronomical Clues Point To Eclipse In Homer's 'Odyssey'
AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Astronomical clues found in Homer's "The Odyssey" could help confirm a total solar eclipse when Odysseus returned home, providing a potentially accurate timeline for the fall of Troy, two scientists reported Monday...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iOUsgbo-CbfcuK95LWYrbjW2oEgQ

Celestial Clues May End Ancient Debate About Eclipse In Odyssey
The Guardian
"The sun has been obliterated from the sky, and an unlucky darkness invades the world." With these words from Homer's Odyssey, the seer Theoclymenus foresaw the violent deaths of the suitors who, during the hero's spell away from home, had gathered to court his wife, Penelope...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/24/spaceexploration.sciencenews

Ancient Eclipse Found In "The Odyssey," Scientists Say
National Geographic News
"The sun has perished out of heaven, and an evil mist has overspread the world."...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080623-homer-eclipse.html
It's obvious that they're using a different translation than the article above for The Guardian. It would be interesting to know which translations were used in both articles.

Odysseus' Return From Trojan War Dated
MSNBC
In the epic "Odyssey," one of the cornerstones of Western literature, the legendary Greek hero Odysseus returns to his queen Penelope after enduring 10 years of sailing the wine dark sea...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25337041/

The Odyssey Astronomically Accurate?
World Science
Schol­ars have long de­bat­ed wheth­er there are bits of truth to The Od­ys­sey—the an­cient Greek ep­ic of a king’s long sea­far­ing strug­gle to get home as he bat­tles or out­wits mon­sters...
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080623_odyssey.htm

Homer's Odyssey Said To Document 3200-Year-Old Eclipse
Scientific American
Researchers say that references to planets and constellations in the Odyssey describe a solar eclipse that occurred in 1178 B.C., nearly three centuries before Homer is believed to have written the story. If correct, the finding would suggest that the ancient poet had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of astronomy...
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=homers-odyssey-may-document-eclipse

Is An Eclipse Mentioned In Ancient Odyssey Poem?
New Scientist Space
A solar eclipse that occurred more than 3000 years ago may be mentioned in the Odyssey, an ancient poem based on Greek mythology, a new study suggests...
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14191-is-an-eclipse-mentioned-in-ancient-iodysseyi-poem.html

Ancient City In Syria Provides Insight Into Structures Of Pre-Roman Hellenistic Settlements
Thaindian News
Vienna, June 24 (ANI): The discovery of an ancient city buried beneath the sands of modern-day Syria has provided evidence for a Hellenistic settlement that existed for more than six centuries extending into the time of the Roman Empire...
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/ancient-city-in-syria-provides-insight-into-structures-of-pre-roman-hellenistic-settlements_10063816.html

Roman Remains Are Revealed
Hartlepool Mail
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed more fascinating finds at a 2,000 year old Roman village...
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/Roman-remains-are-revealed.4216038.jp