Why Is Agriculture Important In The Odyssey

In the Ancient Greek society, agriculture was something to be praised and admired, and was an integral part of Ancient Greek culture. Agriculture had been the foundation of the ancient Greek economy and an activity that most of the population was involved in. In his books Odyssey and Iliad, Homer defines the model of Greek agricultural culture.

In the Odyssey, Homer tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus. During his journey home after the fall of Troy, Odysseus arrives at the land of the Cyclopes and comes across an island offshore of the mainland. In the depiction, Homer emphasizes the wonderful opportunity for agriculture on the island. The island is forested and has never been plowed or planted. It has an innumerable number of

The Greeks valued agriculture very highly and the island’s soft and fertile land would wonderfully accommodate a Greek’s need for crop growing, farming, and harvesting. Furthermore, since goats were one of the most common types of livestock in ancient Greece, a Greek can also do well with the numerous amounts of wild goats that inhabit the island. The easy harbor is also another aspect that he can benefit from since the Greeks depend on the sea for

On the shield’s layers we can see a collection of the images portraying Greek culture and their appreciation of agriculture and hard work. One image depicts a field being ploughed for the third time where the workers drink honey-sweet wine between shifts. Another image depicts a king’s estate of the harvest being reaped where men, women and children joyously take part in the reaping. A depiction of a vineyard shows how the grape pickers are as well, happily taking part. “Young girls and young men, in all their light-hearted innocence, carried the kind, sweet fruit away in their woven baskets…and with singing and whistling and light dance-steps of their feet kept time to the music” (Il. 18.567-572). The Greeks also had a great quantity of goats and sheep as livestock. The shield illustrates a pastoral setting of “A lovely valley for the glimmering sheepflocks, with dwelling places upon it, and covered shelters, and sheepfolds” (Il.18.588-589). Sheep and goats were an important part of Greek lifestyle as they were used to help on the farms and to provide meat and wool. On the shield there is another image of young men and women celebrating with song and dance, and thanking the gods for the grain from the harvest. From the depictions on the shield, the Greeks not only worked hard to grow crops and farm the land, but also did it joyously and