Welcome to αncient Greece Text editing: Margaret McGlin Cover - Layout: Efthimis Dimoulas
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ISBN: 978-960-547-228-3
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Welcome to ancient
GA journeyreece to the classical era of Greece
Illustration: EVA KARANTINOU
Translated from Greek into English Kiriaki Papakonstantinou BA English Language & Literature / MA Psycholinguistics / DIPTRANS - DPSI Chartered Linguist (Translator) / Translators - Interpreters Trainer Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists in London
Scientific consultant Xanthi Proestaki Dr of Archaeology and History of Art
ΑGYRA publications ANCIENT GREECE AT A GLANCE
reece is a beautiful country with a long history covering tens of G centuries. If you have decided to visit Greece or if you’re already there, it is important to know some things about the history and culture of this land. Its borders spread over three continents; for Ancient Greece was not just a country, but a culture without borders...
IN THE BEGINNING Ancient authors considered the of the Greek Dark Ages (about 1100 first populations that inhabited BC - 800 BC). It was called that Greece – Cretans, Lelegs, Carians, because there are no written sources and Pelasgians – ancestors of the available for this period. It is also Greeks. called Geometric, or the Iron Age, as During the second millennium BC, iron replaces copper in making four major Greek tribes spread in weapons and utensils. Greece: the Dorians, the Achaeans, The 7th and 6th century BC is a the Ionians, and the Aeolians. They rather creative period up to 500 BC. mingled with the local populations, This is the Archaic Era. Arts flourish thus giving birth to three great and Greeks travel to other places, civilizations: the Cycladic (about 3200 colonize them and thus Hellenism BC - 1100 BC), the Minoan (about expands. Even Marseille is a Greek 2000 BC – 1300), and the Mycenaean colony founded by the residents of (about 1750 BC - 1060 BC). This era Phocaea. Colonization renders the is called the Bronze Age, as Greeks one of the greatest weapons, tools, and armor are commercial and naval power of the made of bronze. era. The decline of the Mycenaean Greece is divided into independent civilization, due to wars and natural city-states, either conflicting or disasters, was followed by the period uniting against common threats.
4 Then comes the Classical Period. It is Eventually, the Romans conquered the period from 500 to 336 BC, when Greece and made great works of culture and arts flourishes as never engineering, donations to cities, and before. The city of Athens is powerful temples – inspired by Greek culture. and dominates the other city-states Ancient Greek history is so vast that under the leadership of Pericles. one could talk about it for months. Sometime later (in the mid-4th This book aims to provide the reader century BC) Macedonia started rising with the opportunity to mentally as a power. With the powerful travel to Ancient Greece and discover Macedonian army, King Philip II and the fundamentals of classical Greek Alexander the Great expanded culture. This period begins with Hellenism as far as India. Then, the victory of the Greeks over the great Hellenistic kingdoms of the powerful Persians. Having achieved Successors of Alexander the Great such a great feat, the Greeks were founded, where Greek establish an unprecedented sculpture and literature flourished. culture…
5 Abdera
Pella
Philippi
M Dodona ount Olympus
A
Thermopylae E
G Delphi Eretria E Thebes (Boeotia) A I Marathon Eleusis Corinth Athens N O Isthmia Nemea Piraeus Lavrion Salamis N Olympia Mycenae S Sounion I Argos Epidaurus E
S
E
A
CRETE Knossos
6 PERIODS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK HISTORY
CYCLADIC CULTURE Troy 3200 - 1100 BC The Harpist of Keros Assos
MINOAN CULTURE 2000 - 1300 BC Pergamon A Lesbos Bull's head Rhyton, E Knossos Phocaea G Chios MYCENAEAN E CULTURE PENINSULA Clazomenae 1750 - 1060 BC A OF MYCALE The “Mask of Teos Agamemnon” N Ephesus Samos GREECE’S DARK AGE S Myus Priene - GEOMETRIC PERIOD E Miletus 1100 - 800 BC Kotyle Geometric art A
Halicarnassus ARCHAIC PERIOD Kos 700 - 500 BC
The lions, Delos
Rhodes CLASSICAL PERIOD 500 - 336 BC
Head of Caryatid, Erechtheion
MACEDONIAN DOMINATION The golden shrine 350 - 215 BC of King Philip II, Vergina
7 PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY
reece is located south-east of Europe, on the southernmost tip G of the Balkan Peninsula, in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Ancient Greek world extended from contemporary Italy to the northern coast of Africa, and from the coast of present-day Turkey and Syria to southern France! In the era of Alexander the Great, actually, the Greek world extended to China!
HOW TO GET TO GREECE depending on the distance one had to You can get there several ways... The cover. easiest and fastest way is by plane, especially if you live in a distant WHAT’S GREECE LIKE? country. You could also come by Greece is mainly a mountainous boat, enjoying the beautiful blue sea. country with many rivers, several Also, you can come by train or car so lakes, and about two thousand five as to admire the landscape. hundred islands! Most of the country However, if you wished to visit is surrounded by sea, thus beaches Ancient Greece, only two choices are countless. Mountains rise high would be available: either by boat or and wild, while they are snowcapped on foot. almost all year round! They harbour If travelling on foot, you should have many wild animals, bears, and an animal, horse or donkey, to carry wolves, while some beautiful forests your luggage. The rich were able to grow there as well. Greece is a very travel more comfortably, as they had fertile land, as there are many rivers carriages and were escorted by running through the whole country slaves to protect them from the emptying into the sea. frequent raids by bandits. However, most people then preferred boat WHAT’S THE WEATHER trips, although there was always the LIKE? danger of pirates. Modern Greece has temperate In any case, travelling at that time climate, this means mild and wet, lasted several days or even months, with rainy winters and very hot and
8 dry summers. In ancient times, Even if you were a traveler in ancient however, winters were colder and times, you could have a meal at inns summers cooler than nowadays. or small taverns, while you could find food in the marketplace as well. You WHAT TO TAKE WITH ME could always have the opportunity to If you visit Greece in summer, make participate in a festival offering sure you bring along a pair of sacrifices to the gods. After the sandals, a hat, airy and light-colored sacrifice, ancient Greeks would grill clothes, a sunscreen to protect you the meat of the sacrificed animals from the sun and, of course, don’t and offer it to the votaries and forget your swimsuit! Yet, if it is pilgrims. There, you could try food winter, make sure you bring along rather similar to contemporary warm and waterproof clothing, an Greek cuisine: a variety of fish, grilled umbrella, and comfortable winter meat or stew, several types of shoes. cheese, lots of fruits and vegetables, wine, and of course olive oil... The WHERE TO STAY ancient Mediterranean Diet! You should keep in mind that Greece is a country with many visitors every WHAT IF I GET SICK? year. It is also the country where All over Greece, on each and every hospitality was “born” along with island or mountain, you can find respect for the foreigners and infirmaries and daylong consulting travelers... so, your stay will not be a rooms. For more severe cases, there problem. are modern hospitals in every big There are small hostelries and cozy city. rooms to let where you can spend But what if you got sick in ancient the night, as well as luxurious and Greece? That would be no problem comfortable modern hotels. at all! You are in the country where medicine was born! All you have to WHAT IF I GET HUNGRY? do is to go to one of the numerous There is nothing easier in Greece shrines of Asclepius (see page 42) than enjoying a great meal! There and follow the instructions of the are restaurants and taverns serving priests, or alternatively resort to all kinds of food almost around every physicians who follow Hippocrate's corner! Afterall, Greece is the therapeutic approach (see page 42) homeland of the Mediterranean diet!
9 THE GODS OF ANCIENT GREECE
ncient Greeks believed in many gods; they were polytheists. A As early as antiquity Greeks felt the need to understand and interpret the world around them – life, death; nature itself. Thus, everything surrounding them, either visible or invisible, was identified with and related to a god. So, Greeks fashioned their gods resembling them – with human flaws, passions and habits – as to be more easily identified with them. Traditionally, there were twelve ancient Greek gods and they lived on top of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
BUT, WHO WERE THESE weak. Yet, he is all but faultless, GODS, ANYWAY? except his passion for beautiful women, either mortals or Zeus is the leader and goddesses, thus becoming the father father of most gods, of numerous gods and heroes. deities, and heroes. He is the god of Hera is the queen of balance and harmony the gods, sister and in the universe, storm, lawful wife of Zeus. wind and lightning. He She is the raw model is the protector of of the perfect wife, foreigners, vows, and protector of marriage state institutions, retributive of and the lady of injustice, but also merciful to the heaven. She is also
10 very jealous – which makes perfect peace and just war as well, inspiring sense considering the innumerable courage to warriors, healing, and romantic adventures of her husband, predicting the future. She taught Zeus. people the cultivation of olive trees, sculpture, architecture, shoemaking, Poseidon is Zeus’ metallurgy; thus, she was adored brother, the god of and worshiped as few other gods the seas and all were. water. He is the protector of Demetra is the sailors, while at goddess of the same time he agriculture, protector can raise storms of women and laws and earthquakes governing their lives, with his trident. marriage, and He can have society. islands emerge from the sea, calm waves down and create springs. His Aphrodite is the fault is his rage. most beautiful of the Olympian goddesses, Athena is the favorite the goddess of love, daughter of Zeus and fertility, and vegetation. Metis, daughter of She symbolizes Uranus and Tethys. blossoming and She is the goddess of withering, life, and wisdom, patroness death. She is the lawful of arts, music, wife of god Hephaestus justice, and cities. and mistress of god She is also the Ares – who is the father goddess of works of of her son, the god Eros.
11 Hephaestus is Hermes is the the son of son of Zeus and Hera, born by the nymph Maia. the goddess He is the alone for messanger of revenge on gods and, apart Zeus for his from being very infidelities; he intelligent, he is is lame and ugly by birth. He is the also the creator of fire, lightning, and cunningest of all volcanoes. He is the most skillful gods as well. He is the protector of blacksmith, who made the chariot of adolescents, flocks, roads, trade, and the Sun, as well as Zeus’ scepter and theft, scholars, health, sleep, and throne. dreams. He is the god of fertility, as well as the one who escorts the dead Apollo is the son of Zeus and mortal on their journey to the Underworld. Leto, daughter of the titans Coeus and Phoebe – twin brother of Ares is the goddess Artemis. He is the god of son of Zeus light, music, and the greatest and Hera. He legislator. He can is the god of wreak death and war, the most disease, being at the hated of all same time a healer gods. He is god. His most always significant quality is accompanied clairvoyancy. He is the by his two most handsome of all sons, Deimos gods and the personi and Phobos, who represent terror fication of eternal youth. and fear, respectively.
12 THE GODS OF ANCIENT GREECE
Hestia is Zeus’ judge of mortals, cruel and stony sister and the hearted; and, of course, he is senior goddess of particularly hated by people. His wife fire. She is the is Persephone, the daughter of protector of home, goddess Demeter. family, and the city. Dionysus is the son of Zeus and mortal Semele Artemis is the who lives on Earth. He is daughter of Zeus the patron god of and mortal Leto, viticulture and the one daughter of the who taught mortals how titans Coeus and to make wine and gave Phoebe – twin sister of them the vine. He is the Apollo. She is a virgin god of vegetation and goddess, protector of wildlife protector of nature, art, and hunting, who can wreak entertainment, and fun. death with her arrows. He lives in forests with his lunatic company of lesser deities, the satyrs Apart from the Twelve and maenads. Olympians there were two more equally important gods: Hades, who lives in the Underworld and Dionysus who lives on Earth.
Hades is Zeus’ brother and god of the Dead and the Underworld. He is the
13 MYTHOLOGY AND HEROES
ythology consists of all the stories and myths with which ancient M Greeks tried to explain the creation of the world and trace their own origin. Mythology comprises stories about the relationships between gods who shaped human fate; between gods and humans, through which peoples, heroes and traditions are born; and, eventually, the relationship between gods and heroes, when humans start choosing their own fate assisted by the gods.
Hercules was the son of Zeus and Odysseus was the great Homeric Alkmene; the favourite hero of hero. In the Iliad, he remained ancient Greeks. His twelve labors legendary and “resourceful” for remain legendary. coming up with the great idea of the Trojan Horse to conquer Troy and his Theseus was the son of King adventures on his journey back to Aegeus; his greatest feat was killing Ithaca, recorded in the other great the Minotaur following Ariadne’s clue Homeric epic, the Odyssey. in the Minoan labyrinth. Bellerophon was the one who killed Achilles was the greatest hero of the Chimera and owner of the mythical Iliad. He is remembered as the winged horse, Pegasus. bravest Greek worrior in Troy as well as for the fact that he was invincible, Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux) were except for his heel. twin brothers, sons of Zeus, who after their death became the Perseus was the one who killed the constellation Gemini. mythical monster Medusa and rescued Andromeda. Hercules is his Jason was the leader of the descendant. Argonauts who fetched the Golden Fleece from Colchis.
14 OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES
eople, in an attempt to win the gods over, resorted P to offerings in exchange for divine generosity and amity. Such offerings are known as sacrifices. Practicing these ritual of sacrifice had several goals, such as a good harvest, the validation of a sworn oath or alliance; the return of warriors from the battle.
The most common offerring was the fire once more, still offered to animals – mainly oxen, bulls, rams, the gods. and sheep – which were ritually Nonetheless, there were bloodless sacrificed on an altar. Priests, sacrifices as well, also to favor the votaries, and animals approached gods in return for the presents the altar in a procession heading offered by votaries. Such rituals were along the Iera Odos (Sacred Way). On libations, during which the votaries arriving at the altar, the priest would pour a cup of wine, honey, prayed to the gods with his arms olive oil, and water on the altar. raised toward heaven. Then, all Another offering was a “dekate” together they would lead the animal (tithe) with the votaries offering to the on the altar to be sacrificed. gods one tenth of their income that After the sacrifice, the meat was year; also, “aparche” (first fruits) grilled and eaten by the votaries, involved the offering of the first crop while the bones were thrown into or the first earnings.
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