The Asian Age

TABLET OF ODYSSEY EPIC FOUND IN GREECE

- — AFP

Athens: An ancient tablet engraved with 13 verses of the Odyssey has been unearthed in southern Greece in what is possibly the earliestre­corded trace of the epic poem, the culture ministry said on Tuesday. The clay slab is believed to date back to 3rd century, during the Roman era. “If tdate is confirmed, the tablet could be the oldest written record of Homer’s work ever discovered” in Greece, a ministry statement said. The extract, taken from book 14, describes the return of Ulysses to his home island of Ithaca. The tablet was discovered after three years of surface excavation­s by the Greek Archaeolog­ical Services in cooperatio­n with the German Institute of Archaeolog­y. It was found close to the remains of the Temple of Zeus at the cradle of the Olympic Games in western Peloponnes­e. First composed orally around the 8th century BC, the epic — which is attributed to Greek author Homer.

 ?? — AFP ?? Clay tablet with an engraved inscriptio­n discovered after three years of excavation­s.
— AFP Clay tablet with an engraved inscriptio­n discovered after three years of excavation­s.

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