Thrinacia, the island of Malta

Abstract

In this article, the author proposes that Odysseus did come to Malta, but to the bigger island as Thrinacia. This paper intends to first put Thrinacia in the perspective of the itinerary of Odysseus. To enable us understand the geography of the Mediterranean and the reason why certain routes were adopted and others avoided, Odysseus’ itinerary is here compared to that of Aeneas as reported in Vergil’s Aeneid and, to a much lesser extent, to that of Jason and the Argonauts as given in Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica. Following the discussion on the Island of Thrinacia, this paper will also take the opportunity of discussing the location of Ogygia, the landmark after Thrinacia, and the confusion that Classical and modern authors created when they transposed Melite and Ogygia from the Adriatic Sea, as indicated by Apollonius of Rhodes, to our waters at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea.