Butchering

Odyssey Book 17 line 154-155 Barry B Powell
Odyssey Book 17 line 161-163 Barry B Powell
Odyssey Book 17 line 166-167 Barry B Powell

Old school butchering

As we saw earlier, the suitors are already in the hall when Melanthios arrives at 15:20. The butchering of such an amount of animals is going to take considerable time, although they are with many, an hour or more. So, they came in at about 14:00 hours, and took there place in the hall after 15:00 hours. And when Eumaios and the beggar approach the palace (15:30), the usual diner had started already. But the prepared feast is still to come.

The suitor are coming in early. Some extra preparation needs to be done before diner which we did not expect. Our calculation was that only one pig and one goat (or sheep) is needed to prepare a usual diner, but Homer writes:

... the suitors took their pleasure with the discus outside Odysseus' hall, and with throwing the javelin in a course.

The suitors are having a contests just outside the palace. They also walked back from Pyrgi like Telemachos and Theoklymenos did. This is what Homer wrote about diner-time. The herald Medon said:

Young men, now that you have taken pleasure in the contests, come into the house where we will prepare a diner. It is not a bad thing to take your diner on time. So he spoke and the suitors stood up and went inside, obeying his word.

Then they butchered large sheep and fat goats, and they butchered fat pigs and a cow from the herd, making ready the feast.

This is much more to butcher then usual. There can only be one explanation, a feast is coming up soon. The suitors butchered the animals in advance.