On the track of Ulysses

In Short

William James Stillman sets sail aboard a small yacht to trace the physical routes of Homer’s Odyssey through the Ionian Islands. Armed with an artist’s eye, camera equipment, and classic texts, he inspects the rugged coastlines of Corfu, Ithaca, Cephalonia, and Zante, cross-examining local traditions against the poem's literal descriptions. His field investigations eventually shift to the island of Melos, where he examines the site and archæological record of the Venus de Milo to argue against popular theories of her original pose. The work endures as a vivid blend of nineteenth-century travelogue, field archæology, and classicist inquiry.

The Story

The narrative opens as Stillman charters the Kestrel, a twelve-ton cutter-rigged yacht out of Malta, along with a captain and a crew of two sailors. Setting out to explore the classical lands, his immediate objective is to retrace the wanderings of Ulysses and verify whether the geographical settings of the Odyssey match actual Mediterranean landscapes. Beginning at Corfu—the ancient Scheria—he rejects local folklore that places Ulysses’ landing at the harbor of the modern city, arguing that the landlocked channel could never produce the fierce tempests described by Homer. Navigating around the island’s steep, rock-bound western coast near Palæcastrizza, he finds terrain that accords perfectly with the poem’s descriptions of a treacherous, storm-beaten shore.

Sailing onward, Stillman arrives at Ithaca, the long-fabled home of Ulysses. He finds a stark contrast between the island's legendary past and its contemporary reality: a meager population, neglected ruins, and a quiet capital at Port Vathy. Exploring the topography, he evaluates the rival claims for the true "Port of Phorcys," determining that Port Dexia's soft, sandy beach fulfills Homer's requirements far better than the rocky shores of Vathy. He inspects Cyclopean ruins perched on high conical rocks, unearths and photographs archaic inscriptions written in the alternating boustrophedon style, and identifies the agricultural countryside where the elderly Laertes worked his vineyards.

Leaving Ithaca, the voyage continues through the neighboring Ionian Islands. At Cephalonia, Stillman visits the village of Samé, examining massive ancient walls built from best-cut stone and suffering the relentless badgering of local souvenir sellers, though he meets one generous host who presents him with ancient Greek stelæ. He drives across to the subterranean springs of Crané, sails toward the sandy, unstable cliffs of Zante, and later investigates Cythera, where he reflects on the early Phœnician settlement that introduced the cult of Astarte to Greek shores.

In the book’s second major phase, Stillman turns his investigation to the island of Melos and the archæological controversy surrounding the discovery of the Venus de Milo. Visiting the precise field where the statue was exhumed in 1820, he examines the remaining masonry niche and reviews conflicting consular records. He reconstructs the circumstances of her burial, arguing that she was hidden centuries after her creation during the Roman era. Analyzing her posture and balancing points through photographic tests with live models, Stillman rejects theories that placed her in a multi-figure group or portrayed her holding a shield, concluding instead that her pose reflects a serene, balanced moment of forward action.

How It Unfolds

• Setting sail from Corfu — Stillman charters the yacht Kestrel, hires a crew, and begins his voyage by challenging local traditions regarding Ulysses' landing place on Scheria.
• Exploring the Ithacan coast — Navigating the waters of Ulysses’ homeland, Stillman compares Port Dexia and Port Vathy, concluding that Dexia’s soft sand represents the genuine Homeric landing site.
• Unearthing the Ithacan past — Among ancient Cyclopean ruins and mountain paths, Stillman hires local laborers to excavate a buried stone, photographing an archaic boustrophedon inscription for academic study.
• Sailing the neighboring Ionian Isles — Stillman inspects the ancient city walls of Samé on Cephalonia, examines the geological curiosities of Crané, and charts the crumbly, sand-based cliffs of Zante and the ruins of Cythera.
• Investigating the find-spot at Melos — Shifting focus to art history, Stillman visits the field where the Venus de Milo was unearthed, measuring the niche and dismantling previous archæological reconstructions.
• Testing the goddess's pose — Stillman reviews various restoration hypotheses, using photographic experiments with human models to demonstrate that the statue’s stance reflects a balanced, independent figure rather than a shield-bearer or group component.

The People

• William James Stillman — The author and narrator, an observant traveler, photographer, and amateur archæologist. Driven by a desire to resolve classical mysteries through physical exploration, he combats local misinformation and unreliable academic theories using fieldwork and artistic intuition.
• The Master of the Kestrel — The owner and captain of Stillman's chartered yacht. He agrees to navigate the Mediterranean archipelagos, provide cooking, and maintain his vessel for fifteen pounds sterling a month.
• The Saméan Host — A hospitable resident of Cephalonia who invites Stillman into his guest-chamber, serves coffee and sweetmeats, has his daughter gather fresh roses, and offers ancient grave stelæ as a gift to aid Stillman's research.
• Mr. Brest — The son of the French consul who originally secured the Venus de Milo for the Louvre. He guides Stillman through the ruins of Melos to the exact field where the statue was exhumed.
• Professor Comparetti — A Italian scholar at Florence to whom Stillman submits his photographs of the Ithacan inscription, leading to a formal academic presentation before the Academy of the Lincei.

In Its Own Voice

"Here I found fit to my purpose a little yacht of twelve tons, cutter-rigged and Malta-built, the Kestrel, with whose master and owner I made my bargain..."

Stillman introduces the modest vessel that carries him across the Mediterranean to begin his Odyssean investigations.

"A scanty population, the greater part of the island indeed uninhabited; ruins of great cities where now there is not a shepherd’s hut... this is what the island of Ulysses, which fills so large a part of the Old World’s poetry, shows us to-day."

Reflecting on the stark modern reality of Ithaca, Stillman contrasts its contemporary quiet with its legendary status in ancient epic.

"Brest took up a stone, and as we stood on the wall of débris above, cast it into the field, and said, 'There stood the Venus!'"

During his field trip to Melos, Stillman stands at the precise spot where the famous masterpiece was exhumed from the soil.

What It's Really About

Underneath its nautical travelogue, the book is an inquiry into how physical geography and tangible artifacts intersect with legendary literature. Stillman tests whether poetic descriptions in ancient epic represent real-world landscapes or pure mythic invention. By comparing actual sea channels, rock formations, and harbour beaches against classical texts, he argues that Homeric geography is grounded in genuine Mediterranean sites rather than mere fantasy. His secondary focus on the Venus de Milo explores how modern archæology often misinterprets ancient art through flawed records, urging scholars to rely on artistic perception, structural logic, and direct field examination over blind academic consensus.

Why Read It Today

This account appeals to classicists, maritime travel enthusiasts, and art history buffs who enjoy watching a sharp nineteenth-century mind test literary tradition against raw geography. Stillman writes with clear, confident prose that captures the quiet magic of the Greek islands—from wading through mountain brooks to inhaling fragrant roses in a Saméan courtyard.

Readers should expect the deliberate pacing of late-nineteenth-century archæological debate. The text occasionally pauses for technical discussions of epigraphy, manuscript discrepancies, and competing German art-historical theories. Yet these academic detours are continually refreshed by the sea air, the practicalities of small-boat sailing, and the direct observation of ancient landscapes that remain familiar to Mediterranean travelers today.

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