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Archaeologists and Classicists discuss The Odyssey | @DigItWithRaven , Cosisodyssey , & Dr. Cannon
Raven - @DigItWithRaven
https://www.Instagram.com/digitiwithraven/
Cosi:
https://www.Instagram.com/cosisodyssey/
https://cosisodyssey.substack.com/
Alyce:
https://www.Instagram.com/historydoggos/
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!
Topics include:
• Homer’s Odyssey vs. Nolan’s adaptation
• Archaeological accuracy
• Mycenaean & Bronze Age armor
• Agamemnon’s armor and helmet
• The Trojan Horse
• Odysseus & Argos
• Polyphemus the Cyclops
• Circe & Calypso
• The Underworld
• The Sirens & Scylla
• The Sea Peoples & Bronze Age Collapse
• Odysseus’ return to Ithaca
• What the film gets right and wrong
Timecodes:
0:00 Intro
2:40 Establishing the movie
3:45 Cosi: The laestrygonians
4:37 Alyce: Initial thoughts
7:47 Raven: Initial thoughts
9:49 Comparisons to Troy (2004)
15:33 Alyce on Argos the Dog
21:58 Raven on the Trojan Horse
26:00 The Cyclops
30:00 Laestrygonians 2
30:53 Cerci and Feminism
36:12 Cultural Controversies
37:33 Calypso Film vs. Epic
40:51 The Underworld and Sinon
44:04 Agamemnon's and his armor
49:05 The Sirens
51:23 Cosi on Scylla
53:52 Animals Apollo's Island
55:13 The Shipwreck
56:03 The Return to Ithica
58:58 The Servants and Women's roles
1:03:38 Raven on the Palace Archaeology
1:05:18 THE SEA PEOPLES
1:08:51 Final thoughts
