Homeric Backgrounds and Values
| 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 |
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 |
| relatively fixed memorial transmission |
| Definitive period 6th and 5th c Athens? |
| recited in relays in a fixed order |
| kleos 'what is heard; fame, glory' |
| role of the muses, the "Reminders" |
| daughters of Mnemosyne, "Memory" |
| arete: 'virtue', excellence |
| in Homer: courage-and-physical-prowess-and-social-position-and-fame |
| a man who possesses arete is agathos |
| who is aristos akhaiôn, the "best of the Achaeans" |
| "timê" 'honor' with a material component: 'prizes' |
| philotes 'friendship' and xeinie: 'guest friendship' |
| mutual help relationships |
| no emotional component needed |
| characteristic of relations among Greek aristocrats |
| All these values represent an elite ideology |
| yet rulers are close to their people |
| Gifts were presented in a wide variety of situations |
| given either as compensation or in expectation of future service |
| Priam's ransom for Hector's corpse in Bk. 24 |
| recompense: Agamemnon's offer to Achilles in Bk. 9 |
| guest friendship: Diomedes and Glaucus in Bk. 6 |
| marking the end of an inconclusive duel: |
| prizes for athletic contests: funeral games in Bk. 23 |
| other contexts: rewards, tribute, marriage |
| purpose is to establish and maintain personal relations |
| generosity and display are highly prestigious |
| battles fought in open order |
| emphasis on heroic deeds and individual accomplishment |
| massed formations for defensive purposes |
| heroes always accompanied by the laoi 'commoners' |
| If The Iliad is an oral poem, how did it survive? |
| Hypothesis A: Homer dictated his poems to a scribe |
| Earliest alphabetic inscriptions from 8th c BCE |
| differences between the alphabet and a syllabary |
| Hypothesis B: after centuries of memorial transmission, transcripts were made of the poem |
| Pisistratean "recension" 6th c BCE |
| growth of literacy 5th c BCE |
| transcripts for recitation? |
| cf. texts of tragedies and comedies |
| Fact: a uniform text came into being by the 2nd c BCE |
| change in publishing practices |
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