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Monday, August 17Monday, August 17A cave nestled above olive-covered hills in Bornova, a district of Izmir province on Turkey’s Aegean coast, is being revived as the possible birthplace of Homer’s *Odyssey* by local researchers, as authorities seek to capitalize on renewed global interest in the poet following Christopher Nolan’s film *The Odyssey*.
Residents have long called the area “Homer’s Valley,” and travelers once visited the cave where tradition claims Homer composed his poems, according to researcher Altan Altin, who recently published a book on the subject. The claim dates back to the 2nd century, when Greek geographer Pausanias wrote that Smyrna’s inhabitants had the Melos River, “with its delicious waters,” and at its source lay a cave where Homer was said to have written his works.
Altin argues that a 3rd-century B.C. bas-relief depicting Homer’s deification matches the Bornova cave with striking precision. “This bas-relief was known, but no one had noticed the details identical to Homer’s cave. For the first time, such a detailed geographical description has emerged,” he said . Access to the cave remains difficult, its walls marked by inscriptions and graffiti of unknown age.
Archaeologist Mehmet Akif Erdem cited excavations yielding coins bearing Homer’s image, suggesting ancient Smyrna’s residents considered the poet one of their own. “The *Iliad* and *Odyssey* were written in Ionian and Aeolian dialects, which implies that ancient Smyrna and Bornova could be one of Homer’s homelands,” Erdem said .
While other locations, particularly the Greek island of Chios, also claim Homer’s origins, Altin insists the poet hails from Bornova or broader Ionia, which includes Smyrna and Chios. “For me, there is no doubt: Homer is from Bornova, from Izmir. In any case, he is from Ionia,” Altin said .
At the Yesilova tumulus, a Neolithic site considered Izmir’s oldest human settlement, a bust of Homer bears an inscription proclaiming, “I composed the *Iliad* and the *Odyssey* on this land” . The debate over Homer’s origins has gained momentum amid the release of Nolan’s film, though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s representatives have reportedly sought to distance the site from Homer’s name .
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După succesul filmului lui Nolan, un oraş turc revendică locul de naştere al autorului „Odiseei: „Homer era unul dintre ai noştri „Odiseea ar fi luat naştere într-o peşteră situată deasupra dealurilor acoperite de măslini din Bornova, în provincia Izmir din Turcia, pe coasta Mării Egee, estimează un cercetător turc, în timp ce autorităţile locale speră să beneficieze de pe urma noului interes pentru Homer, generat de filmul lui Christopher Nolan.
digi24 · about 2 hours ago
🇹🇷 On a Turkish hillside overlooking the olive-covered slopes outside Izmir is a cave known to generations of locals as the place where Homer penned "The Odyssey". ➡️ u.afp.com/SHab
bluesky_AFP English · about 2 hours ago
Ζήλεψαν τη δόξα του Νόλαν με την «Οδύσσεια» οι Τούρκοι και ξεσπάθωσαν: Ελάτε σε εμάς να δείτε τη σπηλιά του Ομήρου Ο Μπουρνόβας, ένα προάστιο έξω από τη Σμύρνη που οι ντόπιοι αποκαλούν «η Κοιλάδα του Ομήρου», έχει αποκτήσει νέα δυναμική μετά την κυκλοφορία του blockbuster του Νόλαν, «Η Οδύσσεια» - Η προσπάθεια εκπροσώπων του κόμματος Ερντογάν να «εξαφανίσουν» το όνομά του - «Ο Όμηρος είναι Έλληνας. Ο Όμηρος είναι Ανατολίτης» ισχυρίζονται Τούρκοι ιστορικοί
protothema · about 2 hours ago
"Homère était des nôtres" : une ville turque revendique la naissance de lOdyssée LOdyssée serait née dans une grotte surplombant les collines couvertes doliviers de Bornova, dans la province dIzmir, sur la côte égéenne en Turquie, estime un chercheur turc tandis que les autorités locales espèrent des retombées du regain dintérêt pour Homère avec le film de Christopher Nolan. ...
la libre · about 2 hours ago
Turchia, Izmir e leuforia del dopo-Odissea: Omero è nato qui, ecco le prove. Erdogan non ci sta Dai tempi di Pausania, larea di Bornova, nellimmediato entroterra dellex Smirne, è considerata uno dei possibili luoghi natii del poeta. Tanto da essergli intitolarla. Ora, con il boom del kolossal di Nolan, la città torna alla carica, forte di nuove prove. Il tutto mentre il presidente vuole dedicarla a un combattente turco
corriere · about 2 hours ago
Orașul din Turcia care își revendică „Odiseea: „Homer era unul dintre ai noștri „Odiseea ar fi luat naștere într-o peșteră situată deasupra dealurilor acoperite de măslini din Bornova, în provincia Izmir, pe coasta Mării Egee din Turcia, estimează un cercetător turc, în timp ce autoritățile locale speră să beneficieze de pe urma noului interes pentru Homer.
adevarul · about 3 hours ago