DOCSLIB.ORG

A Reexamination of Piracy Through Homeric Relationships

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Reexamination of Piracy Through Homeric Relationships Bringing Evil to Others: A Reexamination of Piracy Through Homeric Relationships Master’s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Graduate Program in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies Dr. Joel Christensen, Advisor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies by James Martin May 2017 Copyright by James Martin © 2017 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor, Dr. Joel Christensen of the Ancient Greek and Romans Studies Faculty at Brandeis University. Dr. Christensen has been an integral element of this project and my success through its process. He allowed this work to be my own while simultaneously steering me in the right direction. His advising and mentorship has ultimately contributed to my success as a graduate student and as a scholar in the progress of this project. I would also like to thank my additional readers, Dr. Andrew Koh, Dr. Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, and Dr. Cheryl Walker. Thanks to their diverse expertise, but equal interest in my progress, I was able to incorporate multiple disciplines into my project. Koh, Kolowki-Ostrow, and Walker have all also been extremely accessible and invested in my development during my time as a graduate student. I am thankful that I have been able to share this last project, which serves as an excellent capstone, with all four of my readers. iii ABSTRACT Bringing Evil to Others: A Reexamination of Piracy Through Homeric Relationships A thesis presented to the Graduate Program in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By James Martin The topic of piracy has been long debated by both Greek and modern readers of Homer. The scenes involving piratical acts, with only a few notable instances, seem to have little to no negative judgment on the pirates. This paper examines the scenes that involve piracy and address the reasons for the attitudes toward the pirates. Their actions and those of the Homeric heroes are often similar. Though the terms for pirates are not associated with heroes, the similarity in their behavior can allow us to interpret some of the actions of the Homeric heroes as also being piratical. The judgement of piracy within the epics should be understood primarily in terms of the targets of the raids, and not a judgment on the raiding itself. By examining when there seems to be a condemnation of piracy and who is being attacked at that time, a hierarchy of relationships is able to be made. This hierarchy helps us to understand how a Homeric warrior is expected to interact with those around him, and how he is able to treat people differently depending on what level of relationship he shares with them. This paper displays the categories of relationships and provides the scenes which reveal the conduct that is expected of the hero towards each group. The iv hierarchy of relationships is primarily focused on the topics of violence and acquisition of booty, but is also able to illuminate additional interactions in which the relationship of the Homeric characters can be understood. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………….. iii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… iv TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………….…………………………………………………………………………vi LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………...………………………….....………..…………………………vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….……………………………………..1 CHAPTER II: ILIAD……………………………………………………………………..………………………………….12 CHAPTER III: ODYSSEY………………………………………………………………………………………………….29 CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….……………………………………..45 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………49 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Hierarchy of Relationships without ξένος 23 Figure 2. Complete Hierarchy of Relationships 27 Figure 3. Hierarchy of Relationships in Proximity 37 vii Chapter I: Introduction καὶ προσπίπτοντες πόλεσιν ἀτειχίστοις καὶ κατὰ κώμας οἰκουμέναις ἥρπαζον καὶ τὸν πλεῖστον τοῦ βίου ἐντεῦθεν ἐποιοῦντο, οὐκ ἔχοντός πω αἰσχύνην τούτου τοῦ ἔργου, φέροντος δέ τι καὶ δόξης μᾶλλον: δηλοῦσι δὲ τῶν τε ἠπειρωτῶν τινὲς ἔτι καὶ νῦν, οἷς κόσμος καλῶς τοῦτο δρᾶν, καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ τῶν ποιητῶν τὰς πύστεις τῶν καταπλεόντων πανταχοῦ ὁμοίως ἐρωτῶντες εἰ λῃσταί εἰσιν, ὡς οὔτε ὧν πυνθάνονται ἀπαξιούντων τὸ ἔργον, οἷς τε ἐπιμελὲς εἴη εἰδέναι οὐκ ὀνειδιζόντων. Thucydides 1.5.1-2 And they would fall upon un-walled cities, made up of villages, and plunder them. From that they made the greatest part of their livelihood since it brought no shame from the deed, but it actually brought some glory. Some of the mainlanders show this even now, for whom it is becoming for someone to carry out these raids well, and so do the old poets everywhere have people asking of those sailing whether they are pirates, as though there was no intention of disowning the deeds on the part of those asked, nor of reproaching for those inquiring. In the proem to his Peloponnesian War, Thucydides is first concerned with giving a history of Greece going back as far as he can using his own methods of research. By utilizing burials, word of mouth, and cultural memory, he is able to create a picture of what he believes Greece may have looked like. The above passage captures one of the more colorful descriptions of the world before him. Thucydides describes the prevalence of piracy in a world that is already old and somewhat foreign to him. For Thucydides, piracy is something that used to be acceptable and even appropriate earlier in Greece. By mentioning that part of his evidence for the prevalence of piracy is that some people on the mainland still practice those acts, Thucydides implies that the piracy gradually became less acceptable over time. What started out to be commonplace eventually became inappropriate to most of Greece, with only a few exceptions. 1 The second piece of evidence that Thucydides cites is the commonplace greeting given by the poets to inquire as to whether a visitor is a pirate. Thucydides accepts that the poets, in this case Homer,1 reflect historical reality that can tell a contemporary audience something about Greece before his time. The concept that piracy could potentially be without shame is foreign enough to Thucydides that he deems it worthy to discuss. Thucydides is surprised and interested in a topic that continues to perplex those reading Homer. Even other ancient audiences found this worth discussing. The scholia on Homer agrees with Thucydides that piracy was not considered shameful.2 Modern scholars range from agreeing with Thucydides to those who believe that there is actual condemnation of the act of piracy in the epics.3 Can we then believe Thucydides and his understanding of the epics? And why is there so much debate over the way the epics treat piracy if every modern scholar is looking at the same information? The cause for such widespread debate on the attitudes toward pirates is that the interpreters of the epics have not fully understood the range of relationships depicted in the poem. As Thucydides implies, piracy in the epics is certainly present and wide spread. According to values of the Homeric warriors, piracy does seem to be an acceptable action within the epics. Piracy does, however, exist in a hierarchy of relationships. Thucydides’ understanding of piracy ultimately comes from his understanding of Homeric relationships and how they function. By exploring these relationships, we can potentially learn more about Homer and Thucydides’ conception of piracy. These relationships may also help us in understanding more about the historic time period that Thucydides reflects on. I will, therefore, first investigate what world Thucydides examines and then summarize the sections of this paper. 1 Hornblower 1991, 23. 2 φαίνεται γὰρ οὐκ αἰσχρὸν τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ὂν τὸ λῃστεύειν, καὶ Θουκυδίδης εἴρηκεν. H.Q.T. 3 See Ormerod 1924 and Van Wees 1992 for the argument supporting Thucydides. See DeSouza 1999 and Heubeck et al. 1988 for the assertion that piracy clearly has negative connotations. 2 Homer and History Before analyzing what the Homeric epics represent to a historic era, we must first explore with which era we should associate the information. It is commonly agreed that the epics which we now possess were composed sometime in the early Archaic Period.4 The time that the Homeric epics are thought to represent, however, has been seriously debated during the last century. After the discoveries at Troy and Mycenae by Heinrich Schliemann, many believed that the Trojan War and the surrounding cultural make-up of the epics must reflect the Bronze Age. Due to archaeological and philological evidence and due to the revolutionary developments in our understanding of orality,5 the Bronze Age connection has been largely dismissed.6 The nature of oral poems is one of change and re-composition. Thus, it is unlikely that a poem would retain many elements reflecting real culture in the Bronze Age after so many generations. The audience of the epic, however, may not have been able to differentiate the past in a significant way. As a result, their understanding of the time within the epics would simply be the past. Elements that do remain in the poem, however, are the larger plot narratives that the main stories take place within. For example, the Iliad is not actually a retelling of the war, but rather a focus on the feud of Agamemnon and Achilles during the war. The details of the Trojan War are likely a remnant of an existing tradition that possibly dates back to the Late Bronze Age or perhaps Early Iron Age. There is historical evidence that there was already conflict between the Mycenaean mainland and Western Anatolia where Troy was located. In the Amarna letters, Mycenaean men are mentioned by name, who are accused of conducting raids. In analyzing a 4 West 2014, 1; Van Wees 1992, 1. 5 See Lord 1960 for a complete discussion on the orality of the epic poems.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting
    THE ANATOMY OF ROMAN EPIC: A STUDY OF POETIC VIOLENCE By JAMES MOSS LOHMAR A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2013 1 © 2013 James Moss Lohmar 2 Meis parentibus sororibusque bellis 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first thank my mother, for forcing me to take Latin, and my father, for always talking shop. My sisters, Sarah and Elizabeth, have supported me throughout my studies, and their enthusiasm for my progress is always welcome. I have profound respect for Dr. Robert Burgess and Professors Mario Erasmo and James Anderson, without whose enthusiasm and instruction my decision to pursue a Ph.D. would have never come about. My gratitude goes to Professor Victoria Pagán and the students of her Lucan seminar during Fall 2009, whence the nascent stages of this project were born. My thanks go to Seth Boutin, Megan Daly and George Hendren, in particular, for their erudition and collegial support in this process. Lindsay Rogers offered me much support in the way of professional and academic advice throughout my graduate studies. I have appreciated the criticisms of Professor Gene Witmer in UF Philosophy, who has offered help in making this project appeal to a non-specialist audience. His suggestions of horror bibliography and modern film comparanda have been indispensible. Professor Kostas Kapparis has been a steady mentor in my teaching and writing since I began Ph.D. work, and his objectivity has kept my argument grounded in the text.
    [Show full text]
  • The Odyssey (Select Books)
    The Odyssey (Select Books) The Odyssey Homer [Translation by Ian Johnston, of Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC, Canada. For information about copyright, use the following link: Copyright. This translation is available in the form of a published book from Richer Resources Publications, and a complete recording of this translation is available at Naxos Audiobooks. If you would like a Word file of the entire poem, please contact Ian Johnston (there is no charge for this file). For a list of other translations and lectures by Ian Johnston please consult johnstonia.] COPYRIGHT INFORMATION FOR PAGES ON THE JOHNSTONIA WEB SITE All general readers, teachers, students, and performing artists may download any material on johnstonia web pages without permission and without charge, provided they do not use the material in a commercial publication. They may edit the material to suit their purposes and distribute the texts in printed or electronic form to their friends and students. Performing artists may use the material for commercial projects (e.g., drama productions, films, and so on) free of charge, provided they inform Ian Johnston of the details of the project. No commercial publishing of these materials is permitted, without the written permission of Ian Johnston. For further information, please contact Ian Johnston. 1 The Odyssey (Select Books) BOOK ONE 3 BOOK FOUR 21 BOOK NINE 57 BOOK TEN 80 BOOK ELEVEN 103 BOOK TWELVE 129 BOOK TWENTY-TWO 147 BOOK TWENTY-THREE 168 BOOK TWENTY-FOUR 183 2 The Odyssey (Select Books) BOOK ONE Athena Visits
    [Show full text]
  • The World of Odysseus M
    THE WORLD OF ODYSSEUS M. I. FINLEY INTRODUCTION BY BERNARD KNOX NEW YORK REVIEW BOOKS CLASSICS THE WORLD OF ODYSSEUS M. I. FINLEY (1912–1986), the son of Nathan Finkelstein and Anna Katzellenbogen, was born in New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University at the age of fifteen and received an MA in public law from Columbia, before turning to the study of ancient history. During the Thirties Finley taught at Columbia and City College and developed an interest in the sociology of the ancient world that was shaped in part by his association with members of the Frankfurt School who were working in exile in America. In 1952, when he was teaching at Rutgers, Finley was summoned before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and asked whether he had ever been a member of the Communist Party. He refused to answer, invoking the Fifth Amendment; by the end of the year he had been fired from the university by a unanimous vote of its trustees. Unable to find work in the US, Finley moved to England, where he taught for many years at Cambridge, helping to redirect the focus of classical education from a narrow emphasis on philology to a wider concern with culture, economics, and society. He became a British subject in 1962 and was knighted in 1979. Among Finley’s best-known works are The Ancient Economy, Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology, and The World of Odysseus. BERNARD KNOX is director emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. Among his many books are The Heroic Temper, The Oldest Dead White European Males, and Backing into the Future: The Classical Tradition and Its Renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • 022 Harvard Classics
    THE HARVARD CLASSICS The Five-Foot Shelf of Books a. 33 - •J* w *n ho ? * 1* THE HARVARD CLASSICS EDITED BY CHARLES W. ELIOT, LL.D. The Odyssey of Homer TRANSLATED BY S. H. BUTCHER AND A. LANG W//A Introduction and Notes Volume 22 P. F. Collier & Son Corporation NEW YORK Copyright, 1909 BY P. F. COLLIER & SON MANUFACTURED IN U. S. A. CONTENTS PAGE BOOK I 9 BOOK II . 21 BOOK III 33 BOOK IV 46 BOOK V 68 BOOK VI 81 BOOK VII 9° BOOK VIII 99 BOOK IX "5 BOOK X *$° BOOK XI MS BOOK XII 162 BOOK XIII '74 BOOK XIV 186 BOOK XV 200 BOOK XVI . 2I5 BOOK XVII 228 BOOK XVIII 245 BOOK XIX 257 BOOK XX 273 BOOK XXI .284 BOOK XXII 296 BOOK XXIII 310 BOOK XXIV 320 INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY the ancient Greeks the authorship of their two great epic poems, the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," was ascribed to Homer. Tradition as to the birthplace of this poet varied greatly, but the place most favored was Smyrna in Asia Minor. It was related also that the poet was blind, that he made his home in the island of Chios, and that he died in Ios. The siege of Troy, which forms the subject of the "Iliad," and is the occasion of the wanderings of Odysseus, is unknown to history. Modern archaeological research has, indeed, unearthed in Asia Minor a site which may plausibly be identified with the Homeric city, and it is entirely possible that here there once occurred a struggle between two peoples inhabiting the shores of the Aegean Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • Divine Riddles: a Sourcebook for Greek and Roman Mythology March, 2014
    Divine Riddles: A Sourcebook for Greek and Roman Mythology March, 2014 E. Edward Garvin, Editor What follows is a collection of excerpts from Greek literary sources in translation. The intent is to give students an overview of Greek mythology as expressed by the Greeks themselves. But any such collection is inherently flawed: the process of selection and abridgement produces a falsehood because both the narrative and meta-narrative are destroyed when the continuity of the composition is interrupted. Nevertheless, this seems the most expedient way to expose students to a wide range of primary source information. I have tried to keep my voice out of it as much as possible and will intervene as editor (in this Times New Roman font) only to give background or exegesis to the text. All of the texts in Goudy Old Style are excerpts from Greek or Latin texts (primary sources) that have been translated into English. Ancient Texts In the field of Classics, we refer to texts by Author, name of the book, book number, chapter number and line number.1 Every text, regardless of language, uses the same numbering system. Homer’s Iliad, for example, is divided into 24 books and the lines in each book are numbered. Hesiod’s Theogony is much shorter so no book divisions are necessary but the lines are numbered. Below is an example from Homer’s Iliad, Book One, showing the English translation on the left and the Greek original on the right. When citing this text we might say that Achilles is first mentioned by Homer in Iliad 1.7 (i.7 is also acceptable).
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Mythology Link (Complete Collection)
    Document belonging to the Greek Mythology Link, a web site created by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology Characters • Places • Topics • Images • Bibliography • Español • PDF Editions About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. This PDF contains portions of the Greek Mythology Link COMPLETE COLLECTION, version 0906. In this sample most links will not work. THE COMPLETE GREEK MYTHOLOGY LINK COLLECTION (digital edition) includes: 1. Two fully linked, bookmarked, and easy to print PDF files (1809 A4 pages), including: a. The full version of the Genealogical Guide (not on line) and every page-numbered docu- ment detailed in the Contents. b. 119 Charts (genealogical and contextual) and 5 Maps. 2. Thousands of images organized in albums are included in this package. The contents of this sample is copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. To buy this collection, visit Editions. Greek Mythology Link Contents The Greek Mythology Link is a collection of myths retold by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology, published in 1993 (available at Amazon). The mythical accounts are based exclusively on ancient sources. Address: www.maicar.com About, Email. Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. ISBN 978-91-976473-9-7 Contents VIII Divinities 1476 Major Divinities 1477 Page Immortals 1480 I Abbreviations 2 Other deities 1486 II Dictionaries 4 IX Miscellanea Genealogical Guide (6520 entries) 5 Three Main Ancestors 1489 Geographical Reference (1184) 500 Robe & Necklace of
    [Show full text]
  • When the Centaurs, Being Present As Guests
    CENTAURS IN GREEK VASE-PAINTING. 107 ON REPRESENTATIONS OF CENTAURS IN GREEK VASE-PAINTING. BEFORE coming to the discussion of the three unpublished vase-paintings which illustrate this article, and of the questions which they suggest (Plates I., II., III.), it will be proper to give some account of the Centaurs in general, as figured on the painted vases of the Greeks.1 The passages or episodes of the Centaur myth habitually illustrated in this form of art are five in number, viz.:— 1. The battle of the Centaurs and Lapiihae at the wedding feast of Peirithoos and Hippodarneia, or Deidameia, on Mount Pelion ; when the Centaurs, being present as guests, maddened them- selves with wine, and one of them seized the bride; whereupon a general conflict ensued, ending in the rout of the monsters and their expulsion from Thessaly. This battle is said by Aelian2 to have been made the subject of a separate poem by an early epic writer, Melisandros of Miletus ; but neither of Melisandros nor his work have we any other record. In our extant writings, allusion is made to the battle twice in the Iliad: once where Nestor extols the Lapith 1A sketch of some of the characteristic Millin, Gal. Encycl. ; Voss, Mytholo- points of the Centaur legend was given gische Brief"e, Br. lxxi.; C. A. Bottiger, by the present writer in the Oornhill Griech. Vasengemalde, iii. pp. 75—162 ; Magazine, vol. xxxviii. (1878), pp. 284 Stackelberg, Der Apollotempel zu and 409. The modern literature of this Bassae, p. 66 sqq. ; Welcker, Kl. curious subject is contained in: Bochart, Schriften, Th.
    [Show full text]
  • The Werewolf in Lore and Legend Plate I
    Montague Summers The Werewolf IN Lore and Legend Plate I THE WARLOCKERS’ METAMORPHOSIS By Goya THE WEREWOLF In Lore and Legend Montague Summers Intrabunt lupi rapaces in uos, non parcentes gregi. Actus Apostolorum, XX, 29. DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. Mineola New York Bibliographical Note The Werewolf in Lore and Legend, first published in 2003, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1933 by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, under the title The Werewolf. Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Summers, Montague, 1880-1948. [Werewolf] The werewolf in lore and legend / Montague Summers, p. cm. Originally published: The werewolf. London : K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1933. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-486-43090-1 (pbk.) 1. Werewolves. I. Title. GR830.W4S8 2003 398'.45—dc22 2003063519 Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc., 3 1 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 CONTENTS I. The Werewolf: Lycanthropy II. The Werewolf: His Science and Practice III. The Werewolf in Greece and Italy, Spain and Portugal IV. The Werewolf in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland V. The Werewolf in France VI. The Werewolf in the North, in Russia and Germany A Note on the Werewolf in Literature Bibliography Witch Ointments. By Dr. H. J. Norman Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I. The Warlocks’ Metamorphosis. By Goya. Formerly in the Collection of the Duke d’Osuna II. A Werewolf Attacks a Man. From Die Emeis of Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg III. The Transvection of Witches. From Ulrich Molitor’s De Lamiis IV. The Wild Beast of the Gevaudan.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Download Odyssey: Bk.VI and VII Ebook, Epub
    ODYSSEY: BK.VI AND VII PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Homer,Janet Watson | 130 pages | 01 Apr 2013 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781853994890 | English | London, United Kingdom Odyssey: Bk.VI and VII PDF Book Escaping from Ino on the golden ram, she fell into the sea and was drowned, giving her name to the straits. Arethusa A Naiad, traditionally one of the naiads of Tempe. Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and they all held their peace, till presently the old hero Echeneus, who was an excellent speaker and an elder among the Phaeacians, plainly and in all honesty addressed them thus:. Bk I Athene suggests Telemachus visit him to seek news of his father. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. The Erinys, Erinnys, or Eumenides. The son of Oenops. Buckley ; ed. An island between Ithaca and Samos. Aloeus King of Boeotian Asopia. About News Contact. Leader of the Titans in their war with the gods. Excavated by Schliemann who opened the beehive tombs of the royal tomb circle. Nauteus A Phaeacian. When the girls reached the pools they washed the clothes, laid them on the sea shore to dry and, after bathing, they ate and drank. Zeus transformed her into the nightingale, who in early summer, mourns her murdered child. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. Killed by her brother Zeus. The daughter of Zeus and Hera , and wife of Heracles. He gives him gifts. Father of the Pleiades, Hyades and Hesperides. Bk XIX Her quivering song with its intricate trills.
    [Show full text]
  • Pausanias' Messenian Itinerary and the Journeys of the Past
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Institutional Repository of the Freie Universität Berlin Greta Hawes Pausanias’ Messenian Itinerary and the Journeys of the Past Summary Messene was unusual among ancient poleis. It was one of the few major settlements on the Greek mainland to be founded in the Hellenistic period. Moreover, on account of this, its claim to a culturally authoritative past rooted in the mythic period could not rest on suppositions about the continuity of knowledge handed down through the continuation of civic, cultic, and communal institutions. This chapter examines how Pausanias’ account of Messenia (book four of his Periegesis) approaches this dilemma by making knowledge both an artefact preserved unchanged in texts, and a conceptual possession encountered and attained through travel. It goes on to argue that the interplay between these two forms of knowledge is specifically relevant to this text, since the Periegesis also serves as a fixed, written object, which nonetheless offers opportunities for autonomous exploration and experience to the hodological reader-traveler. Keywords: Pausanias; Messenia; travel writing; Homer; genealogy; Greek myth; transmis- sion of knowledge Messene war eine ungewöhnliche Polis. Gegründet in hellenistischer Zeit, war sie eine der wenigen großen Siedlungen auf dem griechischen Festland. Messenes Ansprüche auf eine kulturelle Vergangenheit, die Maßstäbe setzte und in mythischen Zeiten wurzelte, konn- ten daher nicht auf bloßen Vermutungen über die Kontinuität des Wissens, das durch bür- gerliche, kultische und kommunale Institutionen weitergegeben wurde, beruhen. Dieses Kapitel untersucht wie sich Pausanias in seiner Darstellung von Messene diesem Dilemma nähert (im vierten Buch seiner Periegesis), indem er Wissen sowohl zu einem Artefakt er- klärt, das unverändert in Texten erhalten ist, als auch zu einem konzeptuellen Besitz, der durch Reisen erworben werden kann.
    [Show full text]
  • Rereading Death: Ethics and Aesthetics in the Ancient
    REREADING DEATH: ETHICS AND AESTHETICS IN THE ANCIENT RECEPTION OF HOMERIC BATTLE NARRATIVE by Nicholas Kauffman A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, MD March, 2015 [Intended to be blank] ii Abstract In this dissertation, I examine the many famous death scenes in the Iliad and argue that their reception within antiquity reflects a lively and diverse discourse about the meaning of violence, and specifically of death in battle. As evidence of this reception, I consider later Greek epics and the exegetical tradition, viewing these texts using the methodological frameworks of intertextuality and reception studies. In the first chapter, I provide a descriptive analysis of the Iliad’s deaths and discuss the often conflicting interpretations of them advanced in modern scholarship. I argue that these deaths are underdetermined, that the text itself articulates no clear ideological framework within which to understand them, and I view this underdeterminedness as productive, in that it makes possible and even encourages dialogue among later readers. In the subsequent chapters I examine three texts that engage in this dialogue. First, I look at the death scenes in Apollonius’ Argonautica. Though these are largely constructed from Homeric motifs, I show that Apollonius consistently defamiliarizes these motifs and thus calls into question not only the formal qualities of the Iliadic narrative but also its ethical underpinnings. In Quintus of Smyrna’s Posthomerica, as I show in the following chapter, the deaths are designed to seem Homeric, and they are formally almost identical to their Iliadic counterparts.
    [Show full text]
  • The Uses of Greek Mythology
    The Uses of Greek Mythology The Uses of Greek Mythology offers an overview of Greek mythology – what it is like, where it comes from, and where it fits in Greek history and landscape. Ken Dowden outlines the uses Greeks made of myth and the uses to which myth can be put in recovering the richness of their culture. This book begins by considering the nature of Greek myth and goes on to show the diversity of the ways the Greeks used myth. ‘Greek mythology’ forms a virtually closed system, and Dowden considers how it was formed and who its creators were. Special emphasis is given to the way the Greeks themselves viewed their mythology and the way they did not quite distinguish it from history. The investigation sheds light on many aspects of Greek history and culture: prehistory, including the supposed Trojan War; ethnic identity and the rival claims of cities; the importance of cult-sites; the language and practices of initiation; the meaning of gods, heroes, monsters and legendary kings; the rejection of matriarchy and the establishment of the boundaries of sexual behaviour. Ken Dowden is Lecturer in the Department of Classics, University of Birmingham. Approaching the Ancient World Series editor: Richard Stoneman The sources for the study of the Greek and Roman world are diffuse, diverse and often complex, and special training is needed in order to use them to the best advantage in constructing a historical picture. The books in this series provide an introduction to the problems and methods involved in the study of ancient history.
    [Show full text]