The Real History Behind The Odyssey

The Real History Behind The Odyssey

From Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

July 12, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 1813

About this episode

This episode explores the historical truths and meanings behind Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, with insights from leading classicists.

Is there any truth in the Odyssey, and what does it all mean? We know it's a story where a man convenes with monsters and gods, ghosts and mythological beings, but the Odyssey actually does tell us a lot about Ancient Greece - about traditions, anxieties, storytelling, geography, values and what it is to be human. In this episode, Dan is joined by world-leading classicists Professor Dame Mary Beard and Professor Edith Hall to break down Homer's epic poem to make sense of its history, characters, the mythology, what is based in truth and what we do and don't know about its elusive author. Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore You can enjoy more history from Mary Beard in her podcast Instant Classics. We need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6 Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . You can also email the podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Snow

Guests: Professor Dame Mary Beard, Professor Edith Hall

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit

Books & works: The Odyssey

Places: Ancient Greece

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