Homer’s Iliad

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C h a p te r s ( h tt p s : //co l o r s t a te .g r l co n te n t .co m /we s te r n c i v p re m o d e r n /pa g e /c h a p te r s ) C h a p te r 3 : A rc h a i c a n d C l a s s i c a l G re e ce ( h tt p s : //co l o r s t a te .g r l co n te n t .co m /we s te r n c i v p re m o d e r n /pa g e /c h 3 ) C h a p te r 3 : H o m e r A n d H o m e r i c S o c i e ty ( h tt p s : //co l o r s t a te .g r l co n te n t .co m /we s te r n c i v p re m o d e r n /pa g e /c h 3 p g 2 )

HOMER AND HOMERIC SOCIETY

The Iliad ( h t t p : // w w w. p o e t r y i n t ra n s l a t i o n . c o m / P I T B R /G r e e k / I l h o m e . h t m ) and

Odyssey ( h t t p : // w w w. p o e t r y i n t ra n s l a t i o n . c o m / P I T B R /G r e e k /O d h o m e . h t m )

are the �rst epic masterpieces of ancient Greek society. These poems were based on oral

traditions which had been passed down from generation to generation throughout the

Dark Ages. Not only is the date of the composition of these poems debated, the exact

author of the works is not agreed upon by scholars.  It is generally assumed that Homer

used the oral traditions available to him and solidi�ed the stories in the forms of the Iliad

and Odyssey, as we have them now.  Although Homer is the author of these epics, it must

be remembered that the stories date back generations and were transmitted orally.

 

The Iliad relates the epic story of the Trojan War, sparked by the kidnapping of Helen, the

queen of Sparta, by Paris, the prince of Troy. The Spartan king, Menelaus, desired to

reclaim his wife and commissioned the help of his brother, Agamemnon, the king of

Mycenae, for help.

 

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Th e Supposed Mask of Agam emn on. Thinkstockphotos.com

Agamemnon led Greek troops and

attacked Troy for ten years, �nally

sacking the city and winning a victory. 

The clever warrior, Odysseus, comes up

with the idea of the Trojan Horse which

ultimately leads to a Greek victory over

the Tr o j a n s

( h t t p s : // w w w.yo u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ?

v = Y b i R 6 I M f 5 KQ) . The Odyssey tells

the tale of Odysseus in the aftermath of

the war, who takes an additional ten

years to return to his wife and his home

in Ithaca. The Iliad and Odyssey are not

simply an adventurous tale of war, but also gives us clues into the values of Greek society

and universal human values.  As an oral tradition spanning generations to the Mycenaean

period, but solidi�ed at the end of the Dark Ages, the poems demonstrate cultural values

of both Mycenaean civilization and Dark Age Greece.

 

Achilles plays the lead role in the Iliad and demonstrates the desired quality of men—

courage, bravery, strength in battle, and honor, while at the same time warning the

audience of the trouble with wrath, lack of emotional control, and violence.  Likewise,

Odysseus, the eponymous hero of the Odyssey, demonstrates the qualities of craft, wile,

and cunning.  Women in the poems are depicted either as good, chaste wives such as

Penelope who waits twenty years for her husband despite the constant pestering of

suitors; or as Helen, the queen who abandoned her husband and king thereby starting a

ten-year war.  One of the greatest ideals the elites of the Dark Ages were concerned with

was arête, or excellence.  Many characters in these stories demonstrate the attainment or

lack of arête. These values inherent in the poems help to explain the enduring importance

of Homer throughout the rest of Greek history.

 

Review Question

How was the Iliad and Odyssey transmitted before Homer?

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The Polis The eighth century BC saw the end of the Greek Dark Ages and the beginning of what

historians refer to as the Archaic Age of Greece.  Two major features of this period will be

covered, that is the emergence of the polis (plural, poleis) and the colonization and spread

of Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.

 

The polis, or Greek city-state, is an independent community of citizens who reside in a

city and its surrounding country side.  The natural geographic boundaries of Greece

promoted the creation of dozens of different, autonomous city-states because of its

mountainous regions and numerous island territories, which allowed for independent

growth.  Each polis would be the cornerstone of religious, social, and political life of its

citizens and also fostered a sense of shared group identity.  They all varied in size and

power, but over time the larger, more powerful ones would absorb the smaller

neighboring poleis.  For example, Athens and its surrounding countryside, Attica, were

originally twelve poleis but were united into a single polis.

 

One characteristic of the polis was political and military defense. As the polis system

developed, so too did a new Archaic military system based on hoplites. These heavily

armed infantrymen wore bronze and leather armor and carried a large, round shield

called a hoplon, hence the name. These individual hoplites would march into battle in the

phalanx formation—a rectangle formation, usually about eight men deep and tightly

organized. The goal of the hoplite phalanx was to push a hole into their enemies’ line; if

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Greek Hoplite. Image © Shutterstock, Inc.

e

: //www.youtube.com/watch? wmRQUTfKk)

they held the line, their formation would

not be broken and usually led to a

successful battle.  This Archaic military

was essential in preserving the freedom

and safety of each polis.

 

From these original poleis, Greeks took

their native customs, language, law, and

literature throughout the

Mediterranean in a regionwide

colonization effort. The colonists

brought with them Greek identity—

language, literature, philosophy, religion,

and culture.  Between 750 and 500 BC,

the Greeks established hundreds of

colonies.  One of the main driving forces

for this effort was the search for fertile

land with which to make a living.  Many

of these new poleis were originally trading posts or colonists were sent there due to

environmental or other concerns in the mother polis (metropolis).  Eventually, many of

these new city-states became independent, while maintaining cultural ties to the mother

polis, and in turn settled throughout the Aegean, into the Black Sea and eventually west

through the Mediterranean.

 

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Image © Shutterstock, Inc.

 

Greek Colonization.

 

Many important Greek colonies were founded in Southern Italy—Tarentum (Taranto),

Neapolis (Naples), and Syracuse—so that the term Magna Graecia was coined. The

establishment of so many colonies over such a vast area had important effects. The

spread of Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean was one of the major

signi�cances, bringing culture to the new areas, as well as mixing with native populations.

Also, colonization led to a diffusion of trade and industry; Greek goods were sent abroad,

and new commodities were brought back to Greece.

 

Review Question

Chief features of the polis include all of the following except:

Independent

Own Military defense

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