CLAA06H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Aeschylus, Homeric Hymns, Sophocles
Document Summary
The beginnings of greek myth: sexual sculptures (oldest is woman giving birth, some things derived from indoeuropean culture like sun god zeus, names are found on linear b tablets, aoidoi sang stories. Influence of near eastern myth: mesopotamia origin stories, cuneiform wedge shaped script, genesis book of creation. Vague about physical appearance: they are anthropomorphic (human shaped) and like humans, mostly devine myths about superhuman beings. Semitic myth: linguistic group and cultural patterns, akkadians took over and adapted summerian culture, hebrews used phoenician alphabet was an advance of clumsy cuneiform. Other sources: hitties preserved on clay tablets. Greek myth in the archaic period: greek myth was mostly in mycenaean and dark age but in writing in. Inherited curse and devine will motivate the action: sophocles fate stands behind events, euripides passionate, erotic especially female emotion drives the action, no possibility is omitten (i. e. sons killing mothers)
