The Odyssey: Is It Real or Fiction?

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Imagine how it was to live in ancient Greece. Every aspect of their lives back then was different from today. This includes everything from their food, to their culture, and to their language. The life of the ancient Greeks can be seen in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. Homer was a bard from Greece. The Odyssey is about an epic hero, Odysseus, and his journey home. It is believed that The Odyssey was written after the time period it is set in yet it is still very accurate. The Ancient Greeks’ travel methods started ours and their athletics were the beginning of them all. The Greeks believed in many gods and were big on weaponry. Although it is a work of fiction, The Odyssey represents the culture of Ancient Greece because it shows their means of travel, athletics, their weapons, and their belief in Athena and Poseidon. The modes of traveling in ancient Greece can be seen in The Odyssey because Odysseus and Telemakhos travel from place to place by sea. The method of travel most commonly used in Ancient Greece was sailing. The best winds to catch to be able to sail are the winds that come from the sides or from behind. If there are no winds or the winds are coming from the wrong side, then they are unable to move (“Transportation and Travel”). The Greeks overcame this wind problem by using galleys instead, which are “ships powered by human rowers as well as sails. Because of the rowers, galleys did not have to rely solely on the wind. [….] But when the wind died down or blew in the wrong direction, the rowers put out their oars and the ship was able to continue on its way” (“Transportation and Travel”). Like in anything, there are disadvantages with sea travel. They were only able to travel between late spring and early fall. T... ... middle of paper ... ...illan Reference USA, 2005. 586-588. World History in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. “Games, Greek.” Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Carroll Moulton. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1998. 81-83. World History in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. Gardner, Barbara. “Poseidon.” Oceania-Poseidon. Ed. C. Scott Littleton. Vol. 8. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Print. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print. “Transportation and Travel.” Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Carroll Moulton. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1998. 105-107. World History in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. “Weaponry.” World Eras. Ed. John T. Kirby. Vol. 6: Classical Greek Civilization, 800-323 B.C.E. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 196-197. World History in Context. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

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