An ancient tablet engraved with 13 verses of the Odyssey has been unearthed in southern Greece in what is possibly the earliest-recorded trace of the epic poem, the culture ministry said Tuesday.
The clay slab is believed to date back to the third century, during the Roman era.
"If this date is confirmed, the tablet could be the oldest written record of Homer's work ever discovered" in Greece, a ministry statement said.
The extract, taken from book 14, describes the return of Ulysses to his home island of Ithaca.