Archaeologists and Classicists Discuss The Odyssey - Ethno 44
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been out for a few weeks, but how does it hold up to a panel of archaeologists and classicists?
In this episode, I’m joined by archaeologist, author, and YouTuber Raven Todd DaSilva, classicist, researcher, and PhD student Cosima Carnegie, and classicist and ancient dog expert Dr. Alyce Cannon to break down Nolan’s The Odyssey from the perspectives of archaeology, ancient history, and the original Homeric epic.
We get into the film’s Bronze Age armor and architecture, the Trojan Horse, Agamemnon’s infamous helmet, the Sea Peoples and Bronze Age Collapse, and what the movie gets right and wrong about the ancient Mediterranean world. We also compare Nolan’s versions of Polyphemus, Circe, Calypso, the Sirens, Scylla, Argos, and the Underworld with their counterparts in Homer and ancient Greek art.
We also discuss some of the movie’s biggest changes to the original story: turning Odysseus’ hubris into a story about trauma and PTSD, removing much of the sexuality and complexity of Homer’s female characters, changing Odysseus’ relationship with Argos, and reducing some of the cunning and deception that define Odysseus in the original epic.
And then there are the Sea Peoples…
Despite all our archaeological and literary nitpicking, this was a super fun and productive convo. Nolan delivers some genuinely incredible sequences, particularly Polyphemus, the Sirens, Scylla, Circe’s pigs, and Odysseus’ epic return to Ithaca. And if the movie gets more people interested in Homer, Bronze Age Greece, archaeology, and the Late Bronze Age Collapse, isn't that a good thing?
So how accurate is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey? And more importantly: does it actually matter? Let us know!
Links:
Raven - / digitiwithraven
Cosi: / cosisodyssey
Alyce: / historydoggos
ArchPodNet
APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet