UK Edition - Today's top story: Can we map The Odyssey? How ancient geographers and modern researchers have traced Odysseus’s travels View in browser

13 July 2026

UK Edition

The Conversation
 

The stars of Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of The Odyssey – which is in cinemas from Friday – have talked extensively about the dramatic landscapes they filmed in, from extreme mountain hikes and open-sea shoots to daily helicopter rides for Anne Hathaway. It’s a testament to the extraordinary variety of terrain that features in Homer’s epic poem. But how do location scouts – or any readers of The Odyssey – trace the route Odysseus actually took on his journey from the Trojan war back to his homeland of Ithaca? The riddle has puzzled scholars since ancient times, as a cartography expert explains.

Elsewhere, former home secretary David Blunkett argues that police leadership needs radical reform to deliver the protection the public deserves. And new research suggests weight-loss jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro could fuel a “pharmaceutical yo-yo” effect, with many patients regaining weight after stopping treatment.

 

Anna Walker

Senior Arts + Culture Editor

 
Matt Damon as Odysseus in The Odyssey (2026) and a map of ancient Greece. Universal Studios/Library of Congress

Can we map The Odyssey? How ancient geographers and modern researchers have traced Odysseus’s travels

Pragya Agarwal, Loughborough University

Attempts to transpose the locations of The Odyssey accurately to modern maps have proved difficult.

Kevin George/Shutterstock

David Blunkett: police leadership needs radical reform to give people the protection they deserve

David Blunkett, University of Sheffield

A third of police forces across England and Wales are judged by the inspectorate as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”.

karen roach/Shutterstock

Weight-loss jabs may create a new kind of yo-yo dieting

Oliver Hamer, Edge Hill University

Many people regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medicines. Long-term support may be as important as the drugs themselves.

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