This female body is thought to be a personification of the Odyssey, the epic Greek poem first written down by Homer. On her armour are shown Scylla, Aiolos, the Sirens and Polyphemus — all characters encountered by Odysseus in the poem.

The sculpture was found under the Stoa of Attalos, the long public building used for trading and gatherings along the side of the Agora in ancient Athens; an inscription confirming the identity of the torso was found nearby much later