Modern scholars believe the Homeric poems of the Odyssey and Iliad are the oldest Greek literature, yet much has been debated of the historical period it reflects and the actual author. These epics were oral traditions that was sung in dactylic hexameter. This was done to aid in the retransmission of the epics but how faithful is it to the original story is remained to be unknown. The degree of historical accuracy portrayed in the Homeric Poems is nonexistent and Snodgrass suggest rather it is a mixture of periods consisting of Mycenaean era as well as the time of Homer. Others point towards before 1200 BCE using archeological evidence. Finley provides limited but perhaps the most convincing evidence that the five centuries spanning from the collapse of the palatial period till the first signs of the early poleis is what Homeric society represents.
The institutions in place during the dark ages focused on the oikos . Likelihood of survival depended on how successful the estate was managed. Those who joined an oikos therapontes , was subservient to the head of the oikos, basileus . The meaning of the word originally meant king but as Greece moved into the Dark Age the word stayed but the meaning has changed. The Homeric society is a patriarchal society and can be seen through the naming of Zeus, father of all gods. Usually the fiercest and bravest man in the community would take this position. When a therapontes joins a strong Basileus, protection was given but that too comes with a price. Social mobility and freedom of choice was stripped . However, that did not mean complete loss of freedom, therapontes were not slave status. These men joined with their own will in exchange, the basileus is able to use thei...
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...he chief, his slaves, his wife, therapontes and thetes. To increase the number of members an oikos can support meant an increase in power and influence. Formulation of law eroded the power the oikos. Act of any kind of murder can be returned by the aggrieved party “we have shame of face…if we avenge not ourselves on the slayers of our sons and of our brethren” . Unlike the meeting of the assembly in the Athenian democracy, basileus has the ability to call forth an assembly at any moment “he bade the clear-voiced heralds to call the long-haired Achaeans to the assembly….were assembled quickly”. This assembly could not vote on issues but gave advice. Political alliances in the form of arrange marriage was not out of the question. Basileus had full control of the daughter “he may himself set the bride-price for his daughter, and bestow her on whom he will”.
Homer. (800 BCE). The Iliad: Translated by Samuel Butler. Retrieved March 17, 2006 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Web site: http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html
In Odysseus's mind he has very good reasons to kill the suitors. He decided to kill them when he found out that they wanted to marry his wife. The suitors has all assumed that he was dead, for 20 years. As a result they tried to marry his wife. Penelope also believed that he was still alive and she tried to delay any marriages. Odysseus's idea to kill them all is not very logical especially because while he was away on his 20 year expedition he cheated on his wife two times. Odysseus actions were very rash. The reader can see this when Eurymachus says, “Rash actions, many here,” (Homer 818). Eurymachus knows that Odysseus has made rash decision and he is trying to show him his ways and how it is bad. Later the reader reads that Odysseus doesn’t really see that and he is just excited to be reunited with his wife.
Two major forms of government existed during Ancient Greece: oligarchy and democracy. The government in Sparta was controlled by an oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council of Elders and an Assembly. Male citizens over age sixty could serve on the Council while anyone, male or female, over the age of twenty could be a member of the Assembly.1 Though the citizens had little say in the decisions made by the government, the system worked effectively. It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority in the city-state. Every man in the army fought with a great deal of passion for his country. The beliefs of Sparta were oriented around the state. The individual lived and died for the state. The government in Athens followed a very different course than that of Sparta. Upper class male citizens over the age of thirty were the only Athenians who held any right to vote. The democracy in Athens consiste...
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.
You are permitted on settle on your choices yet you need support not permitted to lift those results" that quote recognizes for a few pieces in the odyssey. The subject "Through Also through flexibility is An all the all the more persuading move over destiny" may be for a few encounters in the odyssey: those secured proprietor, eating up Hyperions dairy creatures, Moreover The minute that odysseus returns home.
Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995.
Whether Homer was real or not, a group of people, a boy or a girl; one thing we are sure of is that “Homer” wrote two of the best epic poems. The Iliad, which was based on the tenth year of the Trojan War and the Odyssey, which was about a guy named Odysseus who goes on many adventures as he tried to get home to his son and his wife. From what we know Homer was the most famous of all Greek poets because of his written works, his legendary history, and his influential work.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
...ily have the right to take all of these men’s lives. However, through hubris Odysseus feels righteous and powerful, enough to simply slaughter the suitors only moments after bragging.
In the city-state of Athens around fifth century BCE, men and women worked around the clock, making sure that their oikos (household) reflected exceptionally upon the polis (city-state). Citizens were the only people who had full control over the household, while everyone else who was not a citizen lacked and/or lucked out on many of the privileges. Being a citizen came with many entitlements, but it also brought a great deal of responsibility with it as well. Running a highly respect oikos required effort from not only the men, but also from the women, who played many vital and significant roles. Daily responsibilities were split among men and women; however, in order to maintain the oikos both had to contribute exponentially, and no work of either sexes was more important than
Brains over brawn, who will win this battle?Homer's tale of Odysseus' adventures in “The Odyssey” show that being intelligent and cunning can be far better than having physical strength. Being physically strong certainly has its advantages, but not in all circumstances. Strength in intelligence shows new meaning of strength. Odysseus is amused with himself when he defeats Polyphemus. His great skills with a bow outweigh the others abilities. Knowledge of the placement of his bed win his beloveds heart.
The current governmental system employed by Western society is based on the ancient Greek concept of the polis. In order to comprehend how the West came to adopt the principles of democracy in the early modern period, it is integral to build one’s understanding of the ideas surrounding the establishment and maintenance of the Polis during the dark and classical ages in Greek history. For instance, prior to the development of democracy in Greek city-states, Greek poleis went through periods of oligarchical and tyrannical governmental regimes whose policies served the aristocracy at the detriment of the poorer classes. Of the two prominent poleis Athens is the primary city-state that embodies the qualities of the polis outlined by Aristotle.
This paragraph will concern the social structure of ancient Greece society. In ancient Greece society, only native-born men were granted citizenship and entitled to full protection of the law in a city-state (wikipedia.org/Ancient Greece). In the majority of city-states, social prominence did not include special rights. In some situations, families controlled public functions, but this did not exactly grant extra power for the government. In the state of Athens, the population was divided into four social classes which was based on wealth. A persons amount of income was able to determine of they were eligible to change classes. In Sparta, male citizens received the title of equal if they completed their education requirements. With this being
The extent that ancient Greek states promoted democracy in the classical era was very limited. Based on the text democracy was views as poor man’s government, and in this paper I will explain why the educated felt that only the poor could support the democracy. Also, I will explain why the idea of democracy was rejected and considered to be futile. Lastly I will break down the social differences, and explain how that applies to the division of the political system.
Modern archaeological research has uncovered artifacts similar to those described in the poems, providing evidence that Homer wrote at a later date. Because the poems display a considerable knowledge of Eastern, or Ionian, Greece and are written in the dialect of that region, most scholars now suppose that Homer was Ionian of the 8th or 9th century BC. Homer writes nothing of himself in his poems, but similes in the Iliad and the Odyssey frequently make reference to the humble lives of farmers and artisans, so it is sometimes conjectured that Homer was of this class.