Legend has it that the island of Ios in Greece was where Homer took his last breath and that now he lies in his tomb on a hill at Plakoto, in the northernmost part of the island.
The tomb itself is about a 300-meter walk at the top of the hill. There is a small square structure built of stone and marble, about 1 meter high. There is a marble plaque that reads: “HERE THE EARTH COVERS THE SACRED HEAD OF MEN AND HEROES HOMER THE DIVINE POET.”
While it has never been proven to be his final resting place, there are a number of inscriptions and coins that document the birth of Homer’s mother on Ios and help validate the claim.
Homer was the most revered and influential author in history. He is world-famous thanks to his epic poems, including the Odyssey and the Iliad.
He supposedly died somewhere between 1100 BC and 900 BC. Some say that his mother, Clymene, was from Ios and that is why he chose to spend his last days there. Some say he died succumbing to a sickness that developed after he had a fall, others that he was unable to solve a riddle posed to him by the locals and died from distress.
Claims and counterclaims that Homer’s tomb is on Greece’s Ios
The islanders had little evidence to prove that Homer was truly buried there until a 17th-century archaeologist found some graves in the same region and declared that one of them had an inscription that identified it as Homer’s grave.
The claim that Homer’s tomb is on Ios dates back to antiquity. Several ancient sources, including Pausanias (a 2nd-century Greek geographer) and the “Suda” (a 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia), mention Ios as the burial place of Homer.
The geographer Strabo, writing in the 1st century BC, also mentions the tradition that Homer was buried on Ios. He notes that Ios was one of several places that claimed to be the poet’s final resting place.
The drive to the ruins winds through many picturesque mountains that overlook hidden coves and beaches, and it’s a recommended spot for a visit.
However, the burial place of Homer is a subject of legend and speculation. Skeptics say while ancient texts and coins suggest Homer’s connection to Ios, there’s no definitive archaeological proof that the specific tomb is his.
They also point out that several locations across the Greek world claim to be his final resting place. For example, Chios, another Aegean island, has a strong tradition linking itself to Homer. The poet is sometimes referred to as “Homer of Chios,” and the island is home to the Homeridae, a clan of rhapsodes (reciters of Homeric poetry) who claimed descent from him.
Smyrna is one of the cities that claims to be the birthplace of Homer. In antiquity, several cities vied for the honor of being his birthplace, and Smyrna was a strong contender. While Smyrna is more often associated with Homer’s birth, some traditions suggest that he might have been buried here.
Early bronze settlement on Ios
An early Bronze Age settlement found in Ios is Skarkos. It is the most important prehistoric archaeological site of the Cyclades, located only a few kilometers from the port of Ios, and about one thousand years older than the famous Akrotiri of Santorini.
Skarkos provided archaeologists with important information and significant evidence on how societies were organized in the Cyclades during this period. It was built in a circular shape and at a high altitude so that its residents could overlook the port and the sea.
According to ancient Greek historian Plutarch, it is thought that the name of the island derived from the Ancient Greek word for violets “Ία”(Ia) because they were commonly found on the island. This is the most accepted etymology.
It is also posited that the name was derived from the Phoenician word iion, meaning “pile of stones”.
Related: Ios: The Greek Party Island Boasts Stunning Beaches