Attn.: The Editors, or to whom it may concern (Trojan War, Odysseus, Penelope, etc. absolute dates)

November 20, 2002 Dear Wikipedia,

I cannot access this kind of dialogue box under the heading "Penelope," and not sure how to send you comments regarding any page. So I try to do it here. Namely, "Penelope waits twenty years for the return of her husband from the Troy war." There is a grammatical mistake: it should be "Trojan War" (both words capitalized), as widely accepted by historians. Other observation: although Homer mentions the twenty years of his absense, he also mentions repeatedly that Penelope resisted the army of suitors after the fall of Troy for almost four years. (From the summer of 1182 to April 1178 BC.) You may consider including a new absolute date for the slaying of the suitors by Odysseus on April 16, 1178 BC, during a total eclipse of the Sun observed at Ithaca. We came up with this proposal six years ago in Robinson, 1996:97, and by now three web pages have accepted it. I can give you the details if you are interested, including some academic publications. (A total solar eclipse occurs at the same place once in an average of 410 years.)

I congratulate for your excellent Wikipedia. Best regards,

Zoltan Andrew Simon, Senior Editor/ Land Surveyor Vitória, Brazil E-mail: zasimon@hotmail.com

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