Early Greece

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture

A Basic Chronology

1a. Bronze Age Greece - MinoansThe Minoan Civilization (1900-1450 BCE)

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Knossos, Crete

1b. Bronze Age Greece - MycenaeansThe Mycenaean Civilization (1450-1200 BCE)

Mainland Greece, especially the Peloponnesus

Mycenae – Palace Megaron

Cf. Megaron at Pylos, Palace of Nestor

Mycenae – Palace Megaron

Cf. Megaron at Pylos, Palace of Nestor

Mycenae – Demons?

The Bronze Age - Collapse

!Greek Palace structures are destroyed in about 1200-1150 BCE

!Knossos Mycenae

Pylos Thebes Tiryns Troy(!)

We do not know how or by whom the devastation occurred - the Greeks told a story of invaders (the “Dorian invasion”)

2. The Greek “Dark Age” - the Iron Age!1200-800 BCE

Lefkandi – Heroön plan

2. The Iron Age!

1200-750 BCE

Early Geometric Vase 850 BCE

3. The Archaic Period!

750-480 BCE

750 BCE

700 BCE 600 BCE 560 BCE

530 BCE

Early Greece

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture

A Basic Chronology !

1a. Bronze Age - Minoans 1900-1450 BCE 1b. Bronze Age - Mycenaeans 1450-1200

2. Iron Age (Dark Ages) 1200-750 3. Archaic Period 750-480

!“Trojan War” - 1250-1200 BCE

Collapse of Bronze Age palace system - 1200-1150 BCE Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey - 800-750 BCE

Early Greece“Trojan War” - 1250-1200 BCE

Collapse of Bronze Age palace system - 1200-1150 BCE Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey - 800-750 BCE

Question: which early Greece does Homer’s Iliad assume? The Bronze Age era of palaces or the Iron Age era

sometimes known as the Dark Ages?

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The Trojan War: The Heroes

Note: Ilium or Ilias is another name for Troy, thus the Iliad means the story of the war against Troy

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Mycenae (Mycene)

Review: Mesopotamia,Phoenicia, Crete, Cyprus, Delphi, Peloponnesus, Ionia

Review: Knossos, Mycenae, Pylos

Mycenae – aerial view

Lion’s gate reconstruction

Mycenae – Palace Megaron

Cf. Megaron at Pylos, Palace of Nestor

Mycenae – Demons?

Mycenae – gold cup

Stories of Mycenae: Background MYCENAE Pelops _____|______

Atreus Thyestes | | Agamemnon Menelaus Aigisthos

SPARTA !

Tyndareus = Leda = Zeus | | Klytaimnestra Helen

Themes: Child murder, adultery, deception

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Mycenae (Mycene) Stories of Mycenae: Background

Agamemnon, the son of Atreus

Atreus and Thyestes: adultery, child murder

Menelaus, the son of Atreus

Mycenae: The “House of Atreus”

Menelaus, the son of AtreusKing of Sparta

Helen is the the most beautiful woman in the world, said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leda

Paris = Alexander, prince of Troy, son of Priam the Trojan King: seduction, adultery, violation

His wife isHelen, the “face that launched a thousand ships”

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Helen, the “face that launched a thousand ships”

Helen’s suitors were all the great heroes of Greece, and before she made her choice (Menelaus, of the house of

Atreus) they made a treaty always to protect her husband from other suitors.

Thus, when Paris seduced her and took her off to Troy, all the heroes were sworn to come to help the sons of Atreus, Menelaus and Agamemnon, as they sailed to Troy to get

her back.

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Agamemnon, the son of AtreusKing of Mycenae

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Klytaimnestra is the half sister of Helen, the daughter of Leda but not the daughter of Zeus

His wife is

Klytaimnestra/Clytemnestra

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Agamemnon, the son of AtreusKing of Mycenae

His daughter is

Iphigeneia/Iphigenia

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Agamemnon, the son of Atreus

Stories of Mycenae: BackgroundThe heroes and troops gather at Aulis to prepare for the

voyage to Troy. But the winds blow against them, and day after day after day they cannot sail. The troops grow weary,

hungry, rebellious. They ask the prophet (seer) Kalchas/Calchas what to do. He tells them that they have violated

Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt

To appease her, Kalchas says, the goddess asks a great price. They must sacrifice a girl, a virgin, the daughter of

the King of kings,

Iphigeneia/Iphigenia

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Agamemnon curses Kalchas, but sends to his wife Klytaimnestra a messenger, telling her that their daughter,

is to marry a great hero, !

Achilles, son of Peleus

and to send Iphigenia at once.

and Agamemnon performs a human sacrifice to Artemis of his own child. The winds turn, and the

troops now sail to glorious battle at Troy.

Stories of Mycenae: Background

Klytaimnestra sends Iphigenia

When Klytaimnestra learns what has happened, she joins forces (and body) with Aigisthos/Aegisthus, the son of

Thyestes (Agamemnon’s first cousin) and plots her revenge. She will murder Agamemnon when he returns at

the end of the war.

Stories of Mycenae: Background MYCENAE Pelops _____|______

Atreus Thyestes | | Agamemnon Menelaus Aigisthos

SPARTA !

Tyndareus = Leda = Zeus | | Klytaimnestra Helen

Themes: Child murder, adultery, deception

!

The Trojan War: The Gods

Note: the Greek gods live on mythical Mt Olympus.

ZEUSSky God. King of the Gods. Son of Kronos.

HERA

Married Women. Queen of the gods. Zeus’ “wife”.

APOLLOArcher god. God of plague and medicine. God of music

and arts. Sister is Artemis, also an archer god.

HEPHAISTOS

Smithy god (blacksmith). God of crafts and fire.

THETIS (one of the Nereids, the 50 daughters of Nereus, the old

man of the sea; mother of Achilles by Peleus)

Judgement of ParisParis, son of Priam decides

“who is the fairest of them all”

Hera, Athena,

Aphrodite

Homer: The Gods!!

Trojan supporters!•Aphrodite (won the judgement of Paris) •Ares (lover of Aphrodite, rival of Athena)

•Apollo (traditional friend of Troy) •Artemis (sister of Apollo)

•Scamander (river of the Troad, fights Hephaistos) •Leto (mother of Apollo and Artemis)

!Greek supporters!

•Hera (lost the judgement of Paris) •Athena (lost the judgement of Paris)

•Poseidon (traditional friend of Troy, but denied payment by Laomedon after building the walls: but he helps Aeneas in Book 20)

•Hephaistos (friend of Thetis) •Hermes (fights Leto)

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http://people.duke.edu/~wj25/Greek_Originals/Iliad_Summaries.html

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Iliad: the Proem