A team of Greek and German researchers have found what is believed to be the oldest known inscription of Homer’s epic poem ‘Odyssey’. Discovered near the ruins of the Temple of Zeus in the ancient city of Olympia—the birthplace of the Olympic Games—the clay tablet is believed to date back to the 3rd century AD Roman era.
It took three years of excavations by the Greek Archaeological Services in cooperation with the German Institute of Archaeology to unearth the historical tablet. The tablet contains 13 verses from the Odyssey’s 14th Rhapsody, in which Odysseus addresses his lifelong friend Eumaeus. The original poem, though, is a 12,000-line epic composed in the late 8th century. It narrates the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who spends 10 years trying to get home after the fall of the kingdom of Troy.
While the exact date of the plaque is yet to be ascertained, the Greek cultural ministry has called the discovery “a great archaeological, epigraphic, literary and historical exhibit.” Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, along with his other epic ‘Illiad’, are considered to be among the greatest works of literature.