CLASSICS 2LW3 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Greek Dark Ages, Basileus, Koinon
28 Jun 2018
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No written documentation in this period - technical dark age where writing, high culture, art,
monumental building are lost
•
Transitory populations in tiny hamlets of 12 - 50 people, compared to the 30 000 in Mycenae living in
wood and mud buildings
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Mixed economy of agriculture and pastoralism
•
All settlements previously inhabited by Mycenaeans continued to be occupied
•
Small communities that were largely egalitarian with very little social stratification or hierarchy; there was
no centralized authority - instead, local leadership by chieftains/village strong-men sowed the seeds of
the polis
•
1150 - 750 BC - Greek Dark Ages
900 BC - Lefkandi House
This archaeological site is an example of post-palatial occupation.
750 - 700 BC - Homer and Homeric Society
Poems are likely a result of centuries of oral tradition that originated during the Dark Ages, and "Homer"
is likely just the label
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Traditionally a blind bard from Asia Minor and known for the Homeric epics, the first works of western
literature.
"Men who safeguarded the laws of Zeus" - a carryover from Mycenaean society administrators
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There was a quantitative, rather than qualitative distinction between the ruler, and the ruled
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Agamemnon, the basileus of Mycenae was "more kingly than the others"
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Basileus were the chiefs/kings, in charge of their own followers or attendants
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The laoi were a popular assembly of warriors who represented a kind of popular power/authority
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Achieved vs. ascribed authority maintained that leaders were not born, but made - they attained
greatness by being superior in Greek values, such as martial prowess or military leadership
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Brought to meson, "to the middle" of the assembly in the public koinon, a shared space/middle
amongst warriors
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Fairly equal distribution of booty
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Thersites Principle
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He abused Agamemnon in front of the assembly, before being beaten by Odysseys, likely acting as
a disguised voice of protest contesting social conditions
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Described as being the "ugliest man by far of the Greeks," his inclusion in the Iliad demonstrates a social
principle - that theoretically, anyone can speak in Homeric society, even when speech is dominated by
the basileus .
Shield of Achilles
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Describes two cities: one being besieged, and another at peace; the second city depicts both a
wedding, and the first depiction of a court case in recorded literature
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The agora or meeting-place
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Voluntary submission to arbitration with self-help as an option
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Histor, or judges leading arbitration with influence by the laoi; they were chosen due to
their wisdom, or because they were presumed to have knowledge of the facts of the case
under dispute
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The shield depicts a microcosm of Greek legal society as a necessity for peaceful resolution:
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Using a literary device known as Ekphrasis, a literary description of a scene depicted on a visual medium,
Homer describes Achilles's shield that he uses in the fight with Hector.
Homeric society was not characteristic of any one historical period and is unlikely to depict solely the period
during which the Trojan War took place, or the Greek Dark Ages.
Political and Legal Developments in Late Bronze Age and
Dark Age Greece
October 16, 2017
3:31 PM
Ancient Law Page 1
Document Summary
Political and legal developments in late bronze age and. 1150 - 750 bc - greek dark ages. No written documentation in this period - technical dark age where writing, high culture, art, monumental building are lost. Transitory populations in tiny hamlets of 12 - 50 people, compared to the 30 000 in mycenae living in wood and mud buildings. All settlements previously inhabited by mycenaeans continued to be occupied. Small communities that were largely egalitarian with very little social stratification or hierarchy; there was no centralized authority - instead, local leadership by chieftains/village strong-men sowed the seeds of the polis. This archaeological site is an example of post-palatial occupation. 750 - 700 bc - homer and homeric society. Traditionally a blind bard from asia minor and known for the homeric epics, the first works of western literature. Poems are likely a result of centuries of oral tradition that originated during the dark ages, and homer is likely just the label.
