Odyssey 20.356-57 and the Eclipse of 1178 B.C.E.: A Response to Baikouzis and Magnasco

Abstract

The 2008 argument of C. Baikouzis and M. Magnasco that Odyssey 20.356-57 preserves a reference to the solar eclipse of 26 April 1178 BCE has received widespread attention in generalist publications. Unlike Carl Schoch’s 1926 argument, which came to the same conclusion, the new argument cannot be rejected on the basis of the passage’s context. Baikouzis-Magnasco require several other tacit assumptions, however, and many of these may be rejected with great confidence.

Keywords: Homer, Greek epic, Astronomy, Odyssey, Trojan War, Eclipse

JEL Classification: Z00