For centuries people have tried to find Troy and Ithaca, to uncover evidence of the Trojan War, and to map Odysseus’ meandering journey. There is much speculation but no definitive proof. Many say it was all a figment of Homer’s imagination. 

Taking an approach used successfully in innovation projects, the author Henk van Oosten, decided to analyse a key feature of Homer’s tales – Achilles’ shield – in a radically new way. He began by asking: why is the making of this shield described in such great detail? What is hidden in these details? The result was a startling breakthrough: 

Achilles’ shield is not simply a decorated weapon, but a source of information. 

The details on the shield shed new light on famous events in Homer’s poems, including the motives for the Trojan War, and the celestial navigation described in the Odyssey. This ultimately leads to the discovery of Troy and Ithaca – in a completely different part of the world.