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