Historical Background (Lecture 1 Slides)

Homer: writing around 750 BC, last author of the Dark Ages
Bronze Age Greece (2000 - 1100 BC):
Minoan Civilization (on Crete - Knossos is centre of Civ)
is NOT a Greek civilization - did not speak Greek and had written records (mainly economic
records) that cannot be interpreted since not in Greek
influenced the Mycenaean Civilization
known for large palaces and advanced architecture
had running water, indoor plumbing
known for lively iconography (lecture 1, slide 5 - bull jumping)
people thought they were peace loving civilization since they didnt glorify war in their
iconography - also did not have any protective walls, etc.
religion supposed to be worshipping a mother goddess (lecture 1, slide 6)
Mycenaean Civilization (based in Mycenae)
began in mainland amongst people who spoke Greek
adopted a lot of Minoan advanced elements
known for building great walls (lecture 1, slide 9)
cyclopeans is what the architecture is called - thought only giants could carry these large stones
intricate art
Minoan vs Mycenaean: Minoan did not portray any type of violent activities - Mycenaean did!
(lecture 1, slide 10)
a much more violent society?
Linear B
writing systems that Mycenaean used - adopted from both Minoan and Greek
an early form of Greek
a lot of gods are listed in these Linear B tablets
noticed that the gods we know about from Greek myths are mentioned in the Linear B tablets -suggests continuity in what happened to Mycenaean Bronze Age and to the stories told much
later until 750 BC
palace culture:
has palaces as a centre of government and civ
Mycenaean culture died out -- but stories were told orally over the centuries
why did it collapse?
around 1200 BC -- widespread disruption of civilizations and Mycenaean civilization deteriorated
Dark Ages (1100 - 800 BC):
iron technology came to Greece
myths are transmitted orally
no one knows much about what happened - no writings
Archaic Period (800 - 480 BC):
800 BC - Greek alphabet
different from Linear B
took the Phoenician script from the East and made the Greek alphabet from it
700 BC - Greek writers
Homer and Hesiod (first writers of myths)
Homer wrote about 750 BC
Hesiod wrote about 700 BC
520 - 445 BC - lyric poets
only survived in fragments

Pindar - the one poet who does survive in large chunks, wrote victory odes, wrote fancy poems
or songs for victors in Olympian games and traces their genealogy back to original Greek
heroes (Hercules, etc.)
Classical Greece (480 - 323 BC):
480 BC - Persian empire invaded Greece but the Greek beat the Persians off
led to Greek cultural advancements
480 - 404 BC:
Golden Age of Athens
tragic poets: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides
Athenian poets and changes myths to glorify Athens
very politically important to the Athenians
Athenians paid poor people to go to the theatres to watch the tragic poets
said that tragic poets were helping people to think in a sophisticated and subtle way which is
necessary for a democracy
thought myths addressed political subjects in a subtle way
historians: Herodotus
earliest historian whose writings survived
known as Father of Histories, but some people called him as Father of Lies since his accounts
were very mythological
versions of myths changed to become more rational
historians tried to piece together what has happened
Hellenistic Era (323 - 31 BC):
Hellenistic - kinda Greeky - Greek culture watered down
Alexander the Great - spread Greek culture all over the Mediterranean
people cynical about religion and stories about Greeks (gods, demigods, etc.) a
lot of satire UNLIKE with Homer who was very serious about the gods
authors:
Apollonius of Rhodes:
wrote Argonautica (story of Jason and the Argonauts)
didnt have a full version of myth until now
made mockery of the gods
Roman Era (30 BC onwards):
more warlike and practical than the Greeks
when Romans were exposed to Greek culture, they adopted a lot of Greek mythology and other
things which they didnt have themselves until they met the Greeks
but Romans have different perspective than Greeks myths were different usually
in MORAL atmosphere than Greeks
Greek writers:
Apollodorus:
wrote Bibliotheca / Library of Greek Mythology history from start of world to now
Roman writers:
wrote in Latin
Vergil (70 - 19 BC)
wrote the Aeneid about Aeneas who was one of the few who survived the
destruction of Troy found and established an eternal city landed in Italy and
essentially established Rome
Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD)
wrote the Metamorphoses, Fasti (religious calendar), Ars Amatoria
Livy (59 BC - 17 AD)

Roman historian
similar to Herodotus since he couldnt dispense with the mythical stories in the history of Rome
wrote Urbe Condita
wanted to tell the history of Rome from the beginning but all he had to work with were legendary
stories in HIS HISTORY, so he told them anyways
Greeks thought Romans were descendant of Odysseus but Romans hated Odysseus
as a character (since Odysseus was tricky - Romans thought they were more
straightforward) Romans said they were descendant from the Trojans who beat
the Greeks
Notes:
around 1400/1450 BC, Mycenaeans invaded Crete and destroyed all Minoan centres/palaces
and rebuilt main palace at Knossos

Read Chapters 1 and 2!