CLASS 40 Study Guide - Winter 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Zeus, Greek Mythology, Bronze Age
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
CLASS 40
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
1/17/18
Where does Greek myth take place?
• Set in Greece, islands were important to them
o Where myths are performed
o Islands are connected
• A lot of malnutrition, poor people and a lot of middle class people
• Seas, sailing, mountains
• Primarily grow grain, grapes, and olives
• People usually live on the coast
When does Greek Myth take place?
• Bronze age = 3000 BC - 1000 BC
• Early Iron Age = 1000 BC - 700 BC
• Archaic Period = 700 BC - 480 BC
• Classical Period = 480 BC - 323 BC
What is a Myth
• Traditional tale
o Handed down from generation, owned by no one, retold and changed
o Different versions, etc Santa Claus (reindeer? Rudolph? All part of
traditional)
• Mythos vs Logos
o Mythos = a traditional tale
▪ CANNOT VERIFY BC TOO LONG AGO
o Logos = more “logical” and verifiable story
• Relationship between myth and literature
We really want to know if myths are true
• We read stories and excavate
o The labyrinth story with the minotaurs, there is actually a palace with a
labyrinth
Greek myths have exerted a hold on our imagination
• Oedipus and the Sphinx
• There won’t be easy answers
Sources:
• Epic poetry, Tragedy, historians, poets, artistic representations
Greek Religion
• Anthropo morphism
o Gods look and act like humans, only more powerful (eg. Apollo and his
bow)
• Reciprocity
o Helping friends and harming enemies
• Animal sacrifice
o Sacrificed at an alter, slit its throat and bleed it out, and say prayer
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Gods get bone ashes
o Humans get edible portions
• Temples are religiously not important, only hold statues and shit
• Alters and sacrifice establishes a communication channel between humans and
gods
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Where does greek myth take place: set in greece, islands were important to them, where myths are performed. Islands are connected: a lot of malnutrition, poor people and a lot of middle class people, seas, sailing, mountains, primarily grow grain, grapes, and olives, people usually live on the coast. All part of traditional: mythos vs logos, mythos = a traditional tale, cannot verify bc too long ago, logos = more logical and verifiable story, relationship between myth and literature. We really want to know if myths are true: we read stories and excavate, the labyrinth story with the minotaurs, there is actually a palace with a labyrinth. Greek myths have exerted a hold on our imagination: oedipus and the sphinx, there won"t be easy answers. Sources: epic poetry, tragedy, historians, poets, artistic representations. Divine race of heros called half gods: iron age, our current age, full of toiland abd luck, old age, and bad manners.
