CLAS 201 (Handout Two)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

CLAS 201 (Handout Two) CLAS 201 (Handout Two) MYCENAEANS The Mycenaeans are the first, fully developed ancient Greek population. This culture/population was a fusion of 1) the Pelasgians (the ‘aboriginals’ of Greece), 2) the Helladic branch of the Indo-Europeans (who arrived in Greece around 2000 BCE, imported practices (religious, social) of their own and spoke a proto-Greek and 3) some Minoan practices (as absorbed and adapted from the Minoans who had been trading and influencing the Greek mainland for several centuries). Mycenaean civilization was discovered by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Schliemann discovered numerous citadels scattered throughout Greece that existed at the same time, shared a similar social structure, enjoyed a similar material culture and were loosely connected to each other. The most powerful of these citadels was Mycenae and Schliemann named the civilization after it. It lasted from approximately 1600-1150 BCE. There are two essential sources for our understanding of Mycenaean culture – archaeology and (more problematically) the Homeric texts (see below). The archaeology consists of the citadels themselves (Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos, Pylos etc), the contents of the Shaft Graves, the tholoi (honeycomb-shaped burial chambers), pottery, some weapons etc. The Mycenaeans borrowed a writing system from the Minoans (Linear A – which is the written form of the Minoan language and has not yet been deciphered) but used it to write in their own language (hence its name Linear B, deciphered by Michael Ventris who proved it is an early form of Greek. Linear B contains the names of the Greek pantheon of gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite etc). The Mycenaeans were violent. Their artwork contains war and hunting scenes. They were constantly fighting among themselves. They conquered Crete (whose civilization had benefitted them) and burned Knossos. And they embarked on the famous Trojan campaign (more). The Mycenaeans traded extensively throughout the Mediterranean. Their contacts extended to Egypt, Crete, modern Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Sicily etc. their most famous foreign contact, however, was the city Troy. Besides excavating Mycenaean centers on the Greek mainland, Schliemann went off in pursuit of Troy – the foreign city that was destroyed by the Greeks (or so Homer’s Iliad tells us). His inquiries took Schliemann to Hissarlik in Turkey, near the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait (which the Greeks called the Hellespont). This strait led to the Black Sea region (rich in various resources) and Troy controlled access to it. Schliemann found 9 cities in this area, one built on top of another. Troy 6A best fits the circumstances of Homer’s Troy. So much for the archaeology. Let’s consider the legend. HOMER There are 4 categories to our discussion of Homer: 1) influence, 2) story, 3) Historical significance, 4) poetry 1) Influence – Homer’s Iliad was in circulation by about 700 BCE (the Odyssey came later and was probably by a different poet or poets). Shortly after that numerous vase paintings appear in which scenes from the Iliad and Odyssey figure. In the 7th century various poets (known as the Lyric poets) refer again and again to the Homeric epics. In classical times most Greeks learned length passages of Homer by heart. A familiarity with this poet’s verse was considered an essential part of a citizen’s education. Alexander the Great always carried with him, on his conquests, a copy of Homer’s Iliad. And in Hellenistic Egypt (e.g. the period in Egyptian history when the country was ruled by Macedonian leaders – more in a later class) over 50% of the papyri excavated from this period are remnants of the Homeric poems. Clearly Homer was popular and influential through all periods of Greek history. 2) The Story. Homer ‘flourished’ around 750 BCE. His poems (the Iliad and Odyssey) refer to events that extend deep into the Mycenaean past. These poems are also part of a poetic tradition (called the Epic Cycle) that deals with the story of Troy. Indeed, the Iliad and Odyssey are mere components in this Epic Cycle. The Epic Cycle (the telling of the entire story of the Trojan War) consists of the following poems: the Cypria, the Iliad, the Aethiopis, the Little Iliad, the Iliou Persis (destruction of Troy), the Nostoi, the Odyssey. The CYPRIA deals with the origins of the war. It discusses the enmity between Prometheus and Zeus, the threat the sea nymph Thetis poses to Zeus’ rule, the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the appearance of Eris (Strife), her ‘gift’ of an apple to the fairest goddess present, the contest between Hera, Athena and Hera, the judgement of Paris (a prince of Troy) etc. Aphrodite is chosen by Paris and promises him the hand of Helen, who has already been married to the Greek king Menelaus (brother of Agamemnon). Paris steals Helen, the Greek kings arrange a punitive expedition and troy is besieged for ten years. [Paris is in violation of Xenia (hospitality) a very serious offense in the eyes of the Greeks. This institution is championed by Zeus himself – in the guise of Zeus Xenios. Other such institutions are suppliancy (Zeus Hikesios) and oath taking (Zeus Horkios)]. The ILIAD takes place in the tenth year of the war. It involves the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon. The latter takes Achilles’ handmaiden Briseis (in place of the handmaiden, Chryseis, whom he has lost) and Achilles refuses to fight any longer. The Trojans (under the rule of Hector, son of Priam, king of Troy) score victories against the Greeks. Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend, attacks the Trojans wearing Achilles’ armour. He manages to beat the Trojans back but is killed by Hector. Achilles meets Hector in combat the next day and kills him. He proceeds to beat Hector’s body over a period of days until Hector’s father Priam (king of Troy) ransoms the body and has a powerful exchange with Achilles. The Iliad ends with the burial of Hector. [HOMERIC VALUES: To understand the values of the poem we have to consider that heroes fight for kleos (glory) as a way of showing that they are aristos (the best) and not kakos (evil, cowardly). Proof of their performance (and entitlement to kleos) comes in the form of timé – badges of honour, including material compensation. When Agamemnon robs Achilles of Briseis, he is robbing him of his timé and therefore of proof that he has won kleos.] The AETHIOPIS deals with the arrival of Memnon (son of Eos the Dawn) who has come to help the Trojans. Memnon is killed by Achilles, but Achilles is killed shortly after by Paris – who shoots him in his ‘Achilles heel’. The LITTLE ILIAD describes the contest among the Greeks for Achilles’ arms. It also describes Odysseus’ construction of the Trojan Horse. The PERSIS ILIOU describes the destruction of TROY (through the Greeks’ sneaky introduction of the massive Trojan Horse into Troy. Unbeknownst to the Trojans, this horse contains a dozen warriors at its center. These soldiers open the city to the Greek army in the dead of night and Troy is destroyed. The NOSTOI describe the homecomings of the various Greek heroes who have survived the ten-year war. The ODYSSEY describes the homecoming of the Greek hero Odysseus, who is known for his vast cunning. After ten years of war, he wanders for another ten years (and experiences all sorts of adventures) before making his way home to the island of Ithaca. There he reunites with his son Telemachus (whom he left behind as an infant). Father and son kill over a hundred princes who have been trying to persuade Penelope (Odysseus’ wife) to marry one of them. They have been acting badly and eating Odysseus out of house and home. Odysseus is then reunited with his faithful wife. 3) HOMER AS A SOURCE FOR MYCENAEAN TIMES There is a great deal of repetition in the Homeric poems. Milman Parry (an early 20th century scholar) realized this repetition was a reflection of formulae (of varying complexity) that Homer inherited from Mycenaean times. In other words, Homer was an aoidos. He was composing in the 8th century (in a meter called dactylic hexameter) and using language and formulae that date back centuries and describe artifacts and practices peculiar to the Mycenaean age. He mentions cities, artifacts and practices that people in his own age would have known about. Cremation, chariots, certain cities, the boar tusk helmet, Nestor’s cup, body shields and other such details are examples of this phenomenon. So, while Homer is composing long after Mycenaean civilization has come to an end, he refers to some aspects of this civilization and is therefore something of a source for it. 4) For the significance of Homeric verse, we will review (very briefly) a few segments from the poem. (These segments have been uploaded to this website). MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION came to an end around 1150 BCE. Various causes have been put forward: overextension (the 10 year war with Troy might have seriously taxed collective Mycenaean power), soil erosion, earthquakes. Another decisive factor was the so-called DORIAN INVASION. TERMS Mycenaeans, Citadels, Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos, Pylos, Schliemann, Shaft Graves (1600- 1450), Tholoi (1500), Cyclopean architecture, Linear B, Michael Ventris, Troy, Hissarlik, Troy 6A, Homer, Epic Cycle, Cypria, Iliad, Aethiopis, Little Iliad, Persis Iliou, Nostoi, Odyssey, Prometheus, Zeus, Thetis, Peleus, Eris, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, Judgement of Paris, Priam (king of Troy), Helen, Menelaus, Agamemnon (brother), Priam (King of Troy), Xenia (hospitality), Zeus Xenios, Zeus Hikesios, Zeus Horkios, Iliad, Briseis, Chryseis, Chryses (father, priest of Apollo), Hector (son of Priam), Achilles (son of Peleus and Thetis), Agamemnon, Patroclus, Hector, Homeric values, kleos, aristos, kakos, time, Memnon, Trojan Horse, Odysseys, Ithaca, Penelope, Telemachus, Oral poetry, Dactyllic Hexameter, Milman Parry, Formulae, Body shield, Boar’s tusk helmet, chariots, Mycenaean towns, Dorian invasion TEXTBOOK PAGES Ancient Greece: 22-49, 51-53m 64-67 Brief History: 26-40, 47-50, 55-57, 72-75 .
Recommended publications
  • OCCIDENTAL MYTHOLOGY INTRODUCTION 5 Gone, Who Art Gone to the Yonder Shore, Who at the Yonder Shore Tide and Was Followed by the Victories of Rome
    Aiso BY JOSEPH CAMPBELL The Masks of God: Oriental Mythology JOSEPH CAMPBELL The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology The Hero with a Thousand Faces A Skcleton Key to Finncgans Wake THE (WITH HENRY MORTON ROBINSON) EDITED BY JOSEPH CAMPBELL MASKS OF 60D: The Portafale Arabian Nights OCCIDENTAL MYTHOLOGY LONDON SECK.ER & WARBURG : 1965 + + + » + * 4444 + * t »4-*-4t* 4+4-44444 »+•» 4- Copyright (c) 1964 by Joseph Campbell All rights reserved CONTENTS First published in England 1965 by Martin Secker & Warburg Limited » + «4+4+444+44 14 Carlisle Street, Soho Square W. l PART ONE: THE..AGE OF THE The Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946 and 1952 by the Di- GODDESS Introduction. Myth and Ritual: East vision of Christian Education, National Council of Churches, and used by permission. and West 9 Chapter 1. The Serpent's Bride 9 The author wishes to acknowledge \vith gratitude ihe 17 generous support of his researches by the Bollingen Foundation i. The Mother Goddess Eve n. 31 The Gorgon's Blood 34 m. Ultima Thule Printed in England by IV. Mother Right D. R. Hillman & Son Ltd 42 Frome Chapter 2. The Consort of the Bull 42 45 i. The Mother of God 54 ir. The Two Queens 72 m. The Mother of the Minotaur iv. The Victory of the Sons of Light PART TWO: THE AGE OF HERDES Chapter 3. Gods and Heroes of the Levant: 1500-500 B.C. 95 i. The Book of the Lord The 95 n. Mythological Age The Age 101 m.
    [Show full text]
  • Collins Magic in the Ancient Greek World.Pdf
    9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page i Magic in the Ancient Greek World 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page ii Blackwell Ancient Religions Ancient religious practice and belief are at once fascinating and alien for twenty-first-century readers. There was no Bible, no creed, no fixed set of beliefs. Rather, ancient religion was characterized by extraordinary diversity in belief and ritual. This distance means that modern readers need a guide to ancient religious experience. Written by experts, the books in this series provide accessible introductions to this central aspect of the ancient world. Published Magic in the Ancient Greek World Derek Collins Religion in the Roman Empire James B. Rives Ancient Greek Religion Jon D. Mikalson Forthcoming Religion of the Roman Republic Christopher McDonough and Lora Holland Death, Burial and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt Steven Snape Ancient Greek Divination Sarah Iles Johnston 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page iii Magic in the Ancient Greek World Derek Collins 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page iv © 2008 by Derek Collins blackwell publishing 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Derek Collins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Knights 1056 and Little Iliad F2
    “Even a woman could carry”: Knights 1056 and Little Iliad F2 In their contest for the love of Demos, Paphlagon boasts of capturing hundreds of Spartan “ravenfish” (at Pylos) and the Sausage Seller replies, καί κε γυνὴ φέροι. That cryptic line goes unanswered and we would not guess its significance were it not for the scholia: it comes from the “Judgment of Arms” in the Little Iliad. On the advice of Nestor, the Achaeans sent out scouts to listen in on the Trojans, thus to discover which of the two contenders for Achilles’ legacy was the more deserving. They overheard two girls arguing over that very issue: one praised Ajax for rescuing the body of Achilles and (at Athena’s prompting) the other responded with the insult: Odysseus fought off the Trojans as Ajax made off with the body, and even a woman could carry a burden if she doesn’t have to fight for it. This version of the Judgment seems, as Martin West described it, “the silliest and most far-fetched,” assuming “[t]he second girl’s aphorism ... is decisive for the award of the arms to Odysseus” (2013: 176). But that way of deciding the issue would also be absurd to the ancient audience. This paper offers a new reconstruction of the episode in line with the workings of archaic justice. In Odyssey 11.547, Odysseus recalls that παῖδες Τρώων “gave judgment” in his favor; the scholiast on that line says it was athetized by Aristarchos as an interpolation from the epic cycle, and scholars have often supposed that it is essentially the same tale that figures in Little Iliad.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer's Use of Myth Françoise Létoublon
    Homer’s Use of Myth Françoise Létoublon Epic and Mythology The Homeric Epics are probably the oldest Greek literary texts that we have,1 and their subject is select episodes from the Trojan War. The Iliad deals with a short period in the tenth year of the war;2 the Odyssey is set in the period covered by Odysseus’ return from the war to his homeland of Ithaca, beginning with his departure from Calypso’s island after a 7-year stay. The Trojan War was actually the material for a large body of legend that formed a major part of Greek myth (see Introduction). But the narrative itself cannot be taken as a mythographic one, unlike the narrative of Hesiod (see ch. 1.3) - its purpose is not to narrate myth. Epic and myth may be closely linked, but they are not identical (see Introduction), and the distance between the two poses a particular difficulty for us as we try to negotiate the the mythological material that the narrative on the one hand tells and on the other hand only alludes to. Allusion will become a key term as we progress. The Trojan War, as a whole then, was the material dealt with in the collection of epics known as the ‘Epic Cycle’, but which the Iliad and Odyssey allude to. The Epic Cycle however does not survive except for a few fragments and short summaries by a late author, but it was an important source for classical tragedy, and for later epics that aimed to fill in the gaps left by Homer, whether in Greek - the Posthomerica of Quintus of Smyrna (maybe 3 c AD), and the Capture of Troy of Tryphiodoros (3 c AD) - or in Latin - Virgil’s Aeneid (1 c BC), or Ovid’s ‘Iliad’ in the Metamorphoses (1 c AD).
    [Show full text]
  • Achilles in the Underworld: Iliad, Odyssey, and Aethiopis Anthony T
    EDWARDS, ANTHONY T., Achilles in the Underworld: "Iliad, Odyssey", and "Aethiopis" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 26:3 (1985:Autumn) p.215 Achilles in the Underworld: Iliad, Odyssey, and Aethiopis Anthony T. Edwards I HE ACTION of Arctinus' Aethiopis followed immediately upon T the Iliad in the cycle of epics narrating the war at Troy. Its central events were the combat between Achilles and the Ama­ zon queen Penthesilea, Achilles' murder of Thersites and subsequent purification, and Achilles' victory over the Ethiopian Memnon, lead­ ing to his own death at the hands of Apollo and Paris. In his outline of the Aethiopis, Proclus summarizes its penultimate episode as fol­ lows: "Thetis, arriving with the Muses and her sisters, mourns her son~ and after this, snatching (allap1Tauao-a) her son from his pyre, Thetis carries him away to the White Island (AevK7) "1iuo~)." Thetis removes, or 'translates', Achilles to a distant land-an equivalent to Elysium or the Isles of the Blessed - where he will enjoy eternally an existence similar to that of the gods.! Unlike the Aethiopis, the Iliad presents no alternative to Hades' realm, not even for its hero: Achil­ les, who has learned his fate from his mother (9.410-16),foresees his arrival there (23.243-48); and in numerous references elsewhere to Achilles' death, the Iliad never arouses any alternative expectation.2 1 For Proclus' summary see T. W. Allen, ed., Homeri Opera V (Oxford 1946) 105f, esp. 106.12-15. On the identity of the AEVKT, ~(J'o<; with Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed see E.
    [Show full text]
  • The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity [Review] Erwin F
    Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity Classical Studies Faculty Research Classical Studies Department 2000 The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity [Review] Erwin F. Cook Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/class_faculty Part of the Classics Commons Repository Citation Cook, E. (2000). [Review of the book The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity, by I. Malkin]. Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2000(3), 22. This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Classical Studies Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classical Studies Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Irad Malkin, The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1998. Pp. 331 + xiii. $45.00. ISBN 0-520-21185-5. Reviewed by Erwin Cook -- The University of Texas - Austin [email protected] The Returns of Odysseus will be essential reading for specialists in Homer, early Greek history, and ancient ethnology. They and others willing to expend the time and energy necessary to read this densely argued and worded book will win a perspective on Greek (pre)colonization and its mythology unavailable from any other source. I myself required a full week for a careful reading, after which I noted to my surprise that I had taken over 50 pages of notes, many of which now belong to my permanent files. If, in what follows, I concentrate on some illustrative problems with Malkin’s (M.) use of archaic epic, it is in order to spare BMCR and its readers a commensurate review, and because I am counting on you to go out and buy a copy (you will want your own to mark up).
    [Show full text]
  • Humanistiska Vetenskapssamfundet I Lund; Definition
    MALCOLM WILLCOCK NEOANALYSIS Neoanalysis is a term invented by the late J. T. Kakridis, the leading Greek Homeric scholar of this century, to denote a new approach to the interpretation of the Iliad. Its reception by western scholarship has been bedevilled by a number of accidental circumstances: the war (for Kakridis' book, expanded from articles dating back into the 1930s, was first published in modem Greek as '0µ11pucec; "Eprnvec;, in 1944); the fact that the English version, Homeric Researches (1949), which ought to have had a massive impact on readers, for it is among the most attractive books ever written about the Iliad, was relatively inaccessibly published in Sweden, vol. XLV in a series called Skrijter utgi,vna av Kung!. Humanistiska Vetenskapssamfundet i Lund; take-over by powerful voices in the German tradition; .misunderstanding by re­ viewers and critics, even by proponents; apparent conflict with the emergent and expansive American oral poetry industry. It is best therefore first of all to define neoanalysis, then to sketch the history of its development and reception in the last fifty years, then to con­ sider its position in present-day Homeric studies and what it has to offer to general consensus and understanding. Definition Neoanalysis is consciously and explicitly unitarian, starting from the belief that the Iliad, virtually as we have it, is the work of one great poet. It was a reaction against the century-long German tradition of analytical scholarship, separatist in its view of the authorship of the epic. However, neoanalysis is not simply unitarianism under another name, for it too analyses the text and draws conclusions from con­ sideration of the details.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Companion to the Greek Epic Cycle
    Histos 10 (2016) cxvi–cxxiii REVIEW A NEW COMPANION TO THE GREEK EPIC CYCLE Marco Fantuzzi and Christos Tsagalis, edd., The Greek Epic Cycle and its Ancient Reception: A Companion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Pp. xiii + 678. Hardback, $195.00. ISBN 978-1-107-01259-2. nough and too much has been written about the Epic Cycle’, wrote T. W. Allen in 1908, but more recent scholarship has not been dis- ‘E suaded from tackling the subject afresh. We now have three editions of the fragments and testimonia, by Bernabé, Davies, and West; the short but useful survey by Davies (1989) was followed by a more ambitious and heretical analysis by Burgess (2001); West has produced a commentary on the Trojan epics (with valuable prolegomena which look more widely), and Davies a typ- ically learned one on the less well-attested Theban series. But all these contri- butions are dwarfed by the book under review, containing a substantial intro- duction and thirty-two essays which occupy well over 600 pages, with a forty- five-page bibliography.1 This is not a volume in the Cambridge Companion series, but more advanced and in grander format.2 It is full of useful material, though inevitably there is a lot of repetition and despite its scale it cannot be regarded as comprehensive. Nevertheless, there is much food for thought. The book falls into three parts. Part I consists of ten general essays (‘Ap- proaches to the Epic Cycle’); part II contains eleven specific studies (one on ‘Theogony and Titanomachy’, plus an essay on each of the attested Theban and Trojan epics); part III deals with ancient reception, mostly in specific genres or authors.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Tragedy and the Epic Cycle: Narrative Tradition, Texts, Fragments
    GREEK TRAGEDY AND THE EPIC CYCLE: NARRATIVE TRADITION, TEXTS, FRAGMENTS By Daniel Dooley A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland October 2017 © Daniel Dooley All Rights Reserved Abstract This dissertation analyzes the pervasive influence of the Epic Cycle, a set of Greek poems that sought collectively to narrate all the major events of the Trojan War, upon Greek tragedy, primarily those tragedies that were produced in the fifth century B.C. This influence is most clearly discernible in the high proportion of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides that tell stories relating to the Trojan War and do so in ways that reveal the tragedians’ engagement with non-Homeric epic. An introduction lays out the sources, argues that the earlier literary tradition in the form of specific texts played a major role in shaping the compositions of the tragedians, and distinguishes the nature of the relationship between tragedy and the Epic Cycle from the ways in which tragedy made use of the Homeric epics. There follow three chapters each dedicated to a different poem of the Trojan Cycle: the Cypria, which communicated to Euripides and others the cosmic origins of the war and offered the greatest variety of episodes; the Little Iliad, which highlighted Odysseus’ career as a military strategist and found special favor with Sophocles; and the Telegony, which completed the Cycle by describing the peculiar circumstances of Odysseus’ death, attributed to an even more bizarre cause in preserved verses by Aeschylus. These case studies are taken to be representative of Greek tragedy’s reception of the Epic Cycle as a whole; while the other Trojan epics (the Aethiopis, Iliupersis, and Nostoi) are not treated comprehensively, they enter into the discussion at various points.
    [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]
  • Apotheosis and After Life;
    =co 'CO APOTHEOSIS AND AFTER LIFE PLATE 1. THE EMPEROR JUSTINIAN. I. Silver Disc in Petrograd. 2. Gold Medallion formerly in Paris. APOTHEOSIS AND AFTER LIFE Three Lectures on Certain Phases of Art and Religion in the Roman Empire BY MRS. ARTHUR;STRONG, Lrrx.D., LL.D. FORMER STUDENT OF THE BRITISH SCHOOL AT ATHENS J LIFE FELLOW OF GIRTON COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ATHENS AND OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA ; AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE BRITISH SCHOOL AT ROME LONDON CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LTD 1915 DGr III SI Printed in Great Britain ENVOI ERRATA P. vi, 1. ip. The reliquary of Ugolino di Maestro Vieri at Orvieto holds not the fragments of the True Cross, but an even more unique relic, the Sanctissimo Corporate. P. 73. By some inadvertence Dryden's translation of Virgil, Aeneid, vi. 851-852 has been substituted for that of Lord Bowen, originally chosen by me as laying stress on the quality of mercy referred to in the text : These be thine arts, thy glories, the ways of peace to proclaim, Mercy to show to the fallen, . P. 242, 1. 2. For temples read temper. elusions of scholarship. Other moods would take us to the Campagna^ or to the city's ( enchanted gardens? Do you remember that Easter Eve on the Via Appia when a great red moon lay in a hollow of the Alban hills 1 Or that sombre garden on the Esquiline, under whose ENVOI A CHRISTIAN MALLET lme me Marechaldes Logis au XXH Rtgiment de Dragons, IV* Etcadron aux Armies, en campagnc MY DEAR CHRISTIANA / always like to remember how we smuggled you, a French subject, into our British School in the guise of honorary assistant secretary.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer in the Perfect Tense
    HOMER IN THE PERFECT TENSE The Posthomerica of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the Poetics of Impersonation Emma Greensmith Peterhouse This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 Abstract Homer in the Perfect Tense: The Posthomerica of Quintus Smyrnaeus and the Poetics of Impersonation Emma Greensmith The thesis has been written as part of the AHRC collaborative research project Greek Epic of the Roman Empire: A Cultural History. This project seeks to give the first cultural-historical analysis of the large, underexploited corpus of Greek epic poetry composed in the transformative period between the 1st and the 6th centuries C.E. The thesis focuses on questions of literary identity in one of the most challenging texts from this corpus, the Posthomerica by Quintus of Smyrna (c. 3rd century C.E.). My central contention is that Quintus’ mimicry of Homer represents a radically new formative poetics, suggesting a cultural movement towards mimesis, necromancy and close encounters with the past. After a detailed study of what I term the reanimating culture of imperial Greece (chapter 1), and a comprehensive reanalysis of the compositional techniques of the text (chapter 2), I identify a number of tropes of poetic identity from different ancient literary modes: programmatic proems (chapter 3), memory (4), filiation (5) and temporality (6). I show how Quintus co-opts these themes for his new poetics, to turn the symbolic toolkit of contrast imitation into a defence of writing inter-Homeric epic. This analysis insists on rethinking the nature of the relationship between the poetry of this era and that of previous aesthetic traditions: particularly, I argue against a view of the Posthomerica as Alexandrian, and see it instead pushing back against the Callimachus school of small, new poetry.
    [Show full text]