Ajax's long-lost palace discovered on Greek island

SALAMINA, Greece, Apr 28 (Reuters) On a deserted green hill above the Aegean Sea, archaeologists 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The idyllic location on Salamina island perfectly matches historical references, a fact which led archaeologists to wonder whether the scattered stones here might have formed one the most famous kingdoms of pre-historic Greece.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 archaeologist 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.'' Across the sea from Salamina lies the coast of northeastern Peloponnese, the peninsula of the kingdoms of Agamemnon's Mycenae and Nestor's Pylos.

The Iliad is the epic story of Greek cities joining forces to wage war on Troy and recover Helen, the kidnapped queen of Sparta. Ajax, son of Telamon, is described as a massive man and a great warrior, second only to his cousin Achilles.

An icon of strength and dignity, he is mentioned by several writers of the ancient world. He appears among the early suitors of Helen, ''the face that launched a thousand ships''. In fact, the Greeks gathered 1,186 ships, including 12 offered by Ajax.

In Homer's Odyssey, the long-wandering hero Odysseus finds Ajax dead in the underworld but still angry he was not awarded the armour of the dead Achilles. One version of his death has him so offended at the snub that he goes mad and commits suicide.

UNIQUE FINDS Six years of excavations at the site of Kanakia, on the southwestern tip of Salamina island, have revealed a maze of stone walls making up at least two major palatial complexes, the settlement around them stretching down to the natural port.

The building with the two great halls - or megara - covers 750 square metres and has 33 rooms on four levels. Unlike Mycenae, Salamina is not surrounded by great walls but is built with defence in mind, with narrow, guarded entrances.

Among the finds are tools, Cypriot pottery and bronzes, proof of relations with the eastern Mediterranean. But the most stunning discovery is a single bronze scale from an armour breastplate that bears the stamp of a famous Egyptian pharaoh.

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