Just heard that there is some astronomical information in the final part of the Odyssey - a solar eclipse, some constelations, state of the moon and a reference to Hermes that could be the retrograde motion motion of Mercury - and it al ties up to a day about 13 years after what is accepted as the most likely date for the Trojan war. This realy amazed me.

Do you have a site? It might be interesting for you to post it.

There's no reason why ancient literature, including religious writings such as the Bible, shouldn't include some actual astronomical/meteorological events. Such things don't attest to the reality of the myths and religious stories involved, but they do support other pieces of historical evidence that ancient peoples, and the writers and talespinners among them, were far more attuned to the natural world -- and to the heavens -- than we are today.

I saw it in the history section of livescience.com

I'm not an actual editor but would think if you're talking both non fiction and the actual subject matter rather than the presentation then it could go in the subject area, this could be history or if more technical even sci tech. I'd have thought the dominant topic of a mixture would be the most appropriate, that's how I sort the chat topics anyhow.

If this is regarding a quiz then it needs to be moved to the appropriate forum.

Its just that I was so amazed by the findings I felt I had to share it with some people.

tntrees,
Thanks for putting up where you found that, it's a fascinating site! I went to take a 'quick glance' which wound up lasting 30 minutes and I just bookmarked the link. I didn't take it as you asking about a quiz, just putting up interesting info.

Have to take into account how soon after the Trojan War that the Odyssey was written.

Could Homer, or someone who was copying the work, have added the astronomical events to make the story more interesting?

I would think that the section of the poem would need to have been written soon after the events for the astronomical information to be remembered.

We need to be careful of dismissing or rather allocating Homer's Iliad to literature where it has been cosily nestled for centuries. Heinrich Schliemann,using the Iliad located the site of Troy and excavated a city there.
Heinrich Schliemann,also found the grave of Agamemnon.
So Iliad fact or fiction? How about faction.
Although Ulysees is mostly fiction and is acceptable as such it does refer to real places at a time when sailing the Mediterranean was fraught with danger and difficulties and sailors were always great liars, reporting the manatee as sighting mermaids for instance. Mind you if I spent months at sea I might find a manatee sexy looking too.

What Schlieman called the mask of Agamemnon was made well before the presumed date of the Trojan war - and at Troy he dug through & pretty much ignored the relevant level.

Thanks TnRees. I have learned something. Still and all he did find the place from the Iliad.