Classical Studies 2200 Final: Classics 2200 Class Notes
2 May 2018
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Lecture 1: The Hero in Classical Myth – A Brief Overview
• Occurred in the ancient Mediterranean region over a time span of hundreds of years
• Slide 14 – Hercules wrestling the Nemean lion with his bare hands
o Skinned the lion, then travelled around the orld earig the lios ski
• Gilgamesh – well-known hero from a very old culture (Mesopotamia – Ancient Babylon)
o Doest oe fro either the Greek or ‘oa ultures
o He was a king in Mesopotamia and had a lot in common with the major Greek heros
o 4th Century BCE, Sumeria (not Greek)
o Slide 15 – Image made by rolling a cylinder seal onto clay (cylinder stamp)
▪ Shows that he has the power to deal with the wild forces of nature (i.e. wild
animals)
▪ Thus, they are tamers of nature, and as tamers of nature, they are civilizing
characters
• Heracles – 510 BCE
o Slide 16 – vase showing Hercales earig a lios ski and capturing the sacred dear
▪ Figure on the right is Athena, the goddess of culture; she is often seen in the
company of civilizing figures
o Athena is a warrior; her shield has snakes on it, which originated from Medusa, a female
monster that had snakes for hair
▪ Medusa was killed by Perseus
• Achilles – prowess in battle against warriors; greatest of the Greek warriors
o Vase (5th century BCE) shows Achilles overcoming a female warrior
• Odysseus – hero of odyssey; really smart and clever and can think his way out of situations
o Gives us the idea that we could be like him
o Slide 19 – shows how Odysseus can escape from the cave of a beast (hides under the
animal and uses his wrists rather than his muscles)
• Penolope – Odsseus ife; marked as the icon of a faithful wife
o Slide 20 – vase, 430 BCE
▪ She is really tired in this image, which is one of the things that marks her as
virtuous
o She is a good woman that stays at home and produces textiles for the household
o She is also the mother of a son, a weaver of textiles, and faithful to her husband
• Polyxena – female figure who gives herself up willingly for the sacrifice of the good of her
community
o Slide 21 – she is being sacrificed
o Greeks honour their god by sacrificing their animals, but in a time of crisis, they sacrifice
humans (represents an extreme situation)
• Medea – 4th century BCE
o Slide 22 – vase shows her escaping a divine chariot that can fly
o She killed her own children because she was mad at her husband
• Oedipus – was a leader of a city, son of parents, father of children (ast a hero ith
supernatural strength)
o Slide 23 – vase, 450-440 BCE
▪ Destroyed the monster by answering a riddle that no one else is able to answer
o In many ways, he was what the Greeks all wanted to be
o Is very intellectual and is able to solve tricky riddles
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o His family relations are actually er horrifi ee though the dot see to e
• Aeneas – a trojan
o Slide 24 – vase, 470-460 BCE
▪ Shows him carrying his father out of the fire (portrays his devotion to others)
o Although he was training to fight, he bowed instead to faith
o Was told that he had to leave the city and find another city far from there
• Orpheus – Carot, 1861
o Made a trip down to the underworld in order to retrieve his wife from Hades
o Goes for love; is heroic for love
o Special power he can play the lyre very well, so beautifully, which is what allows him
to go into the underworld and come back
o He is the image of the poet himself
• What is Myth? = a spoken word, an utterance, a thing that is said
o Comes from ancient greek word muthos
o In this course, myths are known as traditional shared narratives (stories) that have plot
• Originally, Greek ths ere O‘ALLY trasitted … h? there was no alphabetic writing
system that would allow you to write you a story
o This means that the original authors were unknown
o Myths changed as they were transmitted over space and time
▪ We tell/hear the story in a way that has meaning for us
• Myths express, reinforce, justify, and challenge cultural values, practices, desires and fears
o They are also a way for a culture to make sense of the unknown
• Types of Myth
o Divine myth e.g. )eus eapos are a lightig olt
▪ Tends to explain or reflect the natural universe and phenomena.
• Stars, earthquakes, rainbows, weather, tidal waves, vegetation, etc.
▪ Also reflects ancient Greek social structure (e.g. patriarchy, aristocracy)
▪ Major characters are anthropomorphic (human-shaped) gods which are
immortal and ageless (e.g. Demeter, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena)
o Legend (saga) e.g. The Trojan War
▪ Tends to explain or reflect historical phenomena.
• Foundations of cities, archaeological ruins, hereditary kingships, wars
▪ Gods are often involved, but major characters are exemplary humans who are
superior in some way to most others (Achilles, Theseus)
o Folktale e.g. Odysseus binding the cyclops
▪ Tends to reflect a fantasy of power structures inverted.
• E.g. slaying a monster, moving from poverty to wealth, etc.
▪ Major characters are usually ordinary mortals
• Trickster figures are common
▪ Often comic or with a happy ending
o Fable e.g. The Fox and the Crow
▪ Tends to be didactic (teaches a lesson)
▪ Often about everyday moral behaviour
▪ Major characters are often animals with human characteristics
• Evidence for Classical Mythology
o Texts (e.g. papyrus fragment)
o Vase painting (e.g. red-figure amphora, 530 BCE; wine bowl, 520 BCE)
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o Archaeological Sites e.g. Lios Gate, 13th cent. BCE; Apollos Teple, 7th cent. BCE)
o Sculpture (e.g. Ludovisi Throne, 460 BCE; Hermes and Dionysus, 340 BCE; Athenian
Parthenon, 5th cent. BCE)
o Painting (e.g. Villa of Venus, 1st cent. CE)
o Mosaics (e.g. Theseus and the Minotaur, 4th cent. BCE)
o Funerary objects (e.g. Mask of Agamemnon, 16th cent. BCE; Etruscan Mirror showing
Paris and Helen, 500-475 BCE)
o Coins (e.g. Athenian, 5th cent. BCE)
▪ Can tell us a lot about the political values of people in that period
▪ In the classical period, many coins had an owl on them or Athena
o Main idea Even though there is so much evidence, so much is being lost
• Major Periods of Greek History 3000 BCE – 146 BCE
o The Ancient Greek World Greek Peninsula, Mediterranean, Coast of Asian Liner are
some the geographic regions covered
o Minoan Civilization (ca. 3000 – 1400 BCE)
▪ Based on island of Crete
▪ Non-Indoeuropean (therefore non-Greek)
▪ Open palace complexes without fortification (e.g. Knossos)
• Not worried about invaders and defending themselves
▪ Naval domination of Eastern Mediterranean
▪ Sophisticated arts and engineering
▪ Female figurines, bull imagery, double-axe (labrys)
▪ Mioa “ake Goddess had a dominance but actual function uncertain
▪ Bull Fresco at Knossos
▪ Horns of Consecration
▪ Double-axe (labrys)
o Mycenaean (ca. 1650 – 1150 BCE)
▪ Indoeuropean (Greek-speaking)
▪ Fortress palaces on hill-tops (e.g. Mycenae)
▪ Many heroes associated with Mycenaean cities (e.g. Menelaus, Nestor, etc)
▪ Aristocratic social hierarchy
▪ Absorption of some elements of Minoan culture
▪ Linear B writing syllabic, administrative
• Could make lists but not tell a story with this kind of writing
▪ Reason for decline obscure (war? nature? Disease?)
▪ Meae, Lios Gate
o Dark Ages (1100-800 BCE)
▪ Decline in population
▪ Absence of literacy
▪ Economic decline
▪ Poor quality of artifacts
▪ Waves of emigration to Asia Minor
▪ Scarcity of evidence
o Archaic Period (800-480 BCE)
▪ Rise in trade and travel
▪ Phoenician alphabet adopted literacy!
▪ Homer, Hesiod and lyric poetry
▪ Growing interest in science
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Document Summary
In many ways, he was what the greeks all wanted to be. = a spoken word, an utterance, a thing that is said: comes from ancient greek word muthos. Bce: sculpture (e. g. ludovisi throne, 460 bce; hermes and dionysus, 340 bce; athenian. Bce: painting (e. g. villa of venus, 1st cent. Ce: mosaics (e. g. theseus and the minotaur, 4th cent. Bce: funerary objects (e. g. mask of agamemnon, 16th cent. Paris and helen, 500-475 bce: coins (e. g. athenian, 5th cent. Bce: can tell us a lot about the political values of people in that period. Linear b writing syllabic, administrative: mycenaean (ca. Near east, and egypt: cosmopolitan culture, important centers of learning (e. g. athens, alexandria, ends when rome conquers greece 146 bce, ale(cid:454)a(cid:374)der(cid:859)s e(cid:373)pire all greek-speaking. It was a very ritualized process for the sacrifice: o(cid:373)e(cid:271)od(cid:455) (cid:449)as desig(cid:374)ated as the sa(cid:272)rifi(cid:272)ial priest (cid:894)it (cid:449)as(cid:374)(cid:859)t al(cid:449)a(cid:455)s the sa(cid:373)e perso(cid:374)(cid:895, an animal was slain at an altar by the priest.
