The World of Homer
If Homer actually existed, then he lived in the 8th c BCE, in Ionia--the west central coast of modern Turkey, Boeotia or the island of Euboea in Greece. (See maps on pp. 68f. of Fagles trans.)
He was reputedly blind, and is credited with composing both the Iliad and The Odyssey.
| Eris 'strife' and the wedding of Peleus and Thetis |
| an apple 'Let the fairest take it' |
| The Iliad is an episode in the tenth year of the war |
| Fall of Troy: The Trojan Horse |
| Nostoi 'Returns': the journeys home of the Achaeans |
Homeric Poems: Fact or Fiction? |
| historical kernal: Fall of Troy, c. 1250 |
| Ancient Greeks: Homer as first historian |
| wealthy amateur archaeologist |
| discovered ruins of Troy, demonstrating a kernal of historical fact |
The historical background |
| cultural peak from 2000-1500 BCE |
| no decipherable documents |
| women play a significant role |
| Mycenaean culture 1600-1200 BCE |
| Centered in the Peloponnese |
| spoke Greek, thus were Indo-European invaders (c. 2200 BCE) |
| fusion of Aegean (esp. Minoan) and IE cultures |
| highly organized and sophisticated |
| massive engineering projects |
| used writing for inventory |
| Greek "wanax" written in Linear B |
| Increase in fortifications in 13th c |
| most citadels destroyed by 1200 |
| The resulting dark age 1200-800 BCE |
| collapse of centralized economy |
| loss of writing and other "high" skills |
| transformation from palace to village society |
| migration to Ionia (west coast of modern Turkey) |
| 1. Strife among Mycenaean kingdoms |
| legendary feuds in royal house |
| 4. Combination of all three? |
| does not equal "city-state" |
| the whole communal life of the people |
| Aristotle: "Man is a political animal." |
| divine patron or patroness |
| Athens second largest at 2,5000 sq. km. |
| 350,000 inhabitants in 5th c |
| polis viewed as a formative entity |
| goal was to lead citizens to arete "excellence" |
| Influences on development of Greek poleis |
| a. Political isolation from the East |
| Aegean had no political importance or influence |
| b. Contacts with the east |
| skills and techniques of crafts |
| c. broad opportunities for trade and colonization |
| d. weak kings who gradually disappeared |
| e. power, conquest and service to community not important in the archaic period |
| the poleis did not (usually) try to conquer each other |
| f. ancient polis lacked centralization |
| everyone belonged to an oikos 'household' instead of a clan |
| g. dominant aristocrats not very unified |
| frequently had ties of guest-friendship with aristocrats in other poleis |
| h. status mattered more than power |
| response to population pressures |
| often several poleis working together |
| Sicily and southern Italy |
| 3. Establishment of the Olympic Games 776 BCE |
| in conjunction with religious observances |
| truce to protect travellers |
| 4. Establishment of the Pythian Apollo's Sanctuary and Oracle at Delphi c 750 BCE |
| most influential oracle in Greece |
| Pythia delivers oracles in a trance |
| consulted on political matters |
| important role in Tragedy |
Development of Homeric poems |
| oral tradition descended from Mycenaean period |
| despite the lack of historical records, |
| the poems preserve significant traces of Mycenaean culture |
| use of chariots in battle |
| names of peoples and places in catalogue of ships |
| the poems also present significant differences |
| although called a "Wanax", Agamemon appears to be first among equals |
| Poems probably reflect culture of the century preceding composition |
| homeostatic nature of oral culture |
| no explanations of customs such as gift-giving and behavior in the assembly |
| no two performances the same |
| local, often conflicting traditions |
| Panhellenic period from mid 8th to mid 6th |
| Definitive period 6th and 5th c Athens? |
| If The Iliad is an oral poem, how did it survive? |
| Earliest alphabetic inscriptions from 8th c BCE |
| differences between the alphabet and a syllabary |
| transcripts for recitation? |
| change in publishing practices |
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