What if the world’s most famous homecoming was really a nightmare of monsters, gods, and one very stubborn king trying to get back to Ithaca?

In our new series Tristan Hughes and classicist Dr. Emily Hauser dive into Homer’s Odyssey, an epic of shipwrecks, sorcery, giants and divine meddling, where Odysseus is never quite sure whether the next shore will save him or destroy him.

They trace his journey from the ruins of Troy to Calypso’s island, the Phaeacians, Circe, the Cyclops, and even the Underworld, asking what kind of hero Odysseus really is, and why his story has lasted for more than 2,500 years.

Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's new epic film, get across the story and all the key characters and plot lines, including rich historical context.

We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - final tickets are available here:

https://fane.com.au/whats-on/an-evening-with-tristan-hughes/

0:00 Introduction

1:51 What is the Odyssey?

3:47 Who was Homer?

6:03 The Bronze Age origins of the text

8:14 Why were hero stories so popular in ancient Greece?

10:07 What did a hero mean to the ancient Greeks?

12:05 The geopolitical landscape of the Odyssey

13:51 The mystery of Ithaca's location

15:57 Odysseus's background and early life

18:07 Odysseus and the Trojan War conscription

20:23 Odysseus's role and cunning at Troy

23:26 The dark aftermath of the fall of Troy

25:23 What does polytropos mean?

27:00 Calypso's island and the start of the epic

28:04 The Telemachy and the fates of other heroes

30:42 The role of the gods in the Odyssey

31:56 Washing up on the island of the Phaeacians

41:10 Odysseus reveals his identity

43:40 Leaving Troy and the lotus eaters

45:38 Trapped by Polyphemus the Cyclops

49:45 The curse of Poseidon

51:23 Landing on Circe's island

56:55 Summoning the dead in the underworld

1:01:25 The threat of the suitors at home

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Producers are Joseph Knight & McKenna Fernandez, senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Editor is Natasha Hughes. Channel manager is Vilde Øksnes.

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