Barrier
Made on an iPad
CONTACT
STORY
HELP
BACK
NEXT >
It's a bit curious why Homer would use the word 'demos' or 'land' of Ithaca here, while he could just have said 'the island of Ithaca'.
A reasonable assumption would be that the 'demos' of Ithaca encompassed more than just the island. This seems to be supported by the story Laërtes, Odysseus' father, tells when he is reminiscing about his younger self.
When approaching Ithaca from Scheria, the first thing you encounter is the beachrock barrier, which encloses the lagoon near modern Lefkada city (founded 700 BCE). It stretches from the west coast of Ithaca along the north-west coast of Plagia to the mouth of the Amvrakian Gulf (yellow line).
A large part of the beachrock is now submerged and displaced, butI'll elaborate on this later on.
Now there is in the demos of Ithaca a haven of the Old One of the Sea, Phorkys.
Ithaca
Aktio
Voulkaria
Barrier
Ancient barrier
INDEX
START
Plagia
Odussey Book 13 line 95-96 Samuel Butler