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Italian solves U. of Chicago 'Odyssey' mystery

The University of Chicago says a computer engineer from Italy has solved a mystery found in a rare edition of Homer's "Odyssey" in the university library.

The university said in a news release Tuesday that the 1504 edition of the "odyssey" contains hand-written notes in its margins thought to date to the mid-19th Century. But no one knew just what they were.

The university sponsored a contest and offered a $1,000 prize.

Daniele Metilli worked with a colleague who was fluent in French and cracked the mystery. They discovered that the notes are French-language shorthand and most are translations of the Greek text of the book.

The university says Metilli and colleague Guila Accetta continue to try to figure out who wrote the notes.

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