Ajaxtalk

Ajax's long-lost palace discovered on Greek island
By Dina Kyriakidou | May 2, 2006

SALAMINA, Greece (Reuters) - On a deserted green hill above the Aegean Sea, archeologists have unearthed what may be the palace of Ajax, one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology.

From a rocky outcrop among the tranquil ruins, it is easy to imagine the warrior-king of Homer's Iliad setting sail from the island for Troy over 3,300 years ago, as crowds lined the pine-covered slopes to wave farewell.

The idyllic location on Salamina island perfectly matches historical references, a fact which led archeologists to wonder whether the scattered stones here might have formed one the most famous kingdoms of pre-historic Greece.

"I had early indications but I wasn't certain I had discovered a palace until we found the twin ceremonial halls," said Yannos Lolos, the Ioannina University archeologist heading the excavation. "It's one of very few cases where a Mycenaean palace can be linked to a top hero of the Homeric poems."