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Myth Week 1-3What is Myth?
•
From ancient Greek word muthos: a spoken word, utterance, a thing that is said
•
A traditional shared narrative
•
Originally Greek myth orally transmitted
○ Why?
• There was not a form of literacy - did not have a good system to tell
stories (only good for lists)
• For 300 years no form of writing in the Greek world
○ Therefore original authors/composers unknown or anonymous
•
Myths are flexible and change as they are transmitted over time and space
•
Myths eventually written down after centuries
○ Can't determine "true" version
Bard read stories in old days
Georges Dumezil
•
"the function of myths is to express dramatically the ideology under which a society lives;
•
some realisitic (ie ideology underlying society)…
•
aspects
Ideology: concepts which construct a society which we aren't entirely aware of
○ i.e. Greek society patriarchal and built on slavery
•
Myths reinforce, justify and also challenge cultural values/practices
•
Myths are way for culture to make sense of the unknown, the inexplicable,
and the mysterious
○ i.e. thunder and lightning - Zeus being angry
Types of Myth
1. Divine myth: stories about gods and the natural world (i.e. Zeus and his lightning bolts)
a. Tends to explain or reflect experience of the natural universe and phenomena (ie
thunder, rainbows)
b. Reflects ancient Greek social structure (i.e. patriarchy, aristrocracy)
c. Major characters are anthropomorphic (human-shaped) gods. They are
immortal and ageless (but not eternal - there was a time when the gods didn't
exist).
2. Legend (i.e. the Trojan War)
a. Tends to explain or reflect historical phenomena (i.e. foundations of cities,
wars, archaeological ruins, hereditary kingships)
b. Gods are often involved, but major characters are exemplary humans who
are superior (i.e. Achilles, Theseus)
3. Folktale (i.e. Odysseus blinding the Cyclops)
a. Tends to reflect a fantasy of power structures inverted (i.e. weakling slaying
a monster, a change in status from poverty to wealth, overthrowing a tyrant)
b. Major characters usually ordinary mortals, with trickster figures being common
(use their wits to do a difficult task)
c. Often comic with happy ending
4. Fable (i.e. the fox and the crow)
a. Tend to be didactic (teach a lesson)
, b. Often about everyday moral behaviour
c. Major characters often animals with human characteristics
Evidence for Greek and Roman Myths
1. Texts (i.e. papyrus fragments)
a. Many texts not preserved
b. Sappho, recently found papyrus #58 Cologne Papyrus
2. Vase paintings (i.e. red-figure amphora, 520 BCE)
a. Wine bowl (crater) 530 BCE
b. Common: potshards (ie bits and pieces of pots that
must be put together) from excavation in Crete
3. Archeological sites (i.e. Lions' Gate, Mycenae 13th c BCE)
a. Can learn how they structures their society/culture
b. i.e. Apollo's temple, Delphi 7th - 4th c BCE
4. Sculpture (i.e. Ludovisi Throne 460 BCE, Birth of Aphrodite)
a. i.e. Hermes and Dionysus
b. i.e. East pediment, Athenian Parthenon, 5th c BCE
5. Painting (i.e. Villa of Venus, Pompeii, 1st century CE)
a. Common: fragments of paintings
6. Mosaics: Well maintained (i.e. Theseus and the Minotaur; Roman, 4th century CE)
7. Funerary Objects (i.e. "Mask of Agamemnon" 16th c BCE)
a. i.e. Etruscan Mirror 500-475 BCE, showing Paris and Helen - stories edorned in
everyday objects for the wealthy
8. Coins (i.e. Athenian 5th c BCE)
Major Periods of Greek History (3000 BCE - 146 BCE)
1. Minoan Civilization (ca. 3000 - 1400 BCE)
•
Based on island of Crete
•
Not Indo-European (therefore not Greek)
○ Indo-European: group of languages
○ Writings found prove this
○ Did not speak a form of Greek
•
Open palace complexes without fortification (i.e. Knossos)
•
Naval domination of Eastern Mediterranean region
•
Sophisticated arts and engineering
○ Female figurines, bull imagery, double-axe (labrys)
•
Minoan "Snake Goddess"
○ Actual function and what it represents unknown
•
Bull Fresco at Knossos
2. Mycenean Period (ca. 1650 - 1150 BCE)
•
Indo-European, spoke early form of Greek
•
Fortress palaces on hill-tops (i.e. Mycenae)
•
Many epic heroes associated with Mycenean cities (i.e. Menelaus, Nestor, etc.)
•
Aristocratic social hierarchy
•
Absorption of many elements of Minoan culture
, Probably conquered
•
Linear B: a syllabic writing system (but cannot tell Greek god stories using this language)
•
Reason for decline?
○ War? Natural disaster? Unknown
3. Dark Ages (1100 - 800 BCE)
•
Decline in population
•
Absence of literacy
•
Economic decline
•
Poor quality of artifacts
•
Waves of emigration to Asia Minor (Weather? Hostile forces? War?)
•
Scarcity of evidence
4. Archaic Period (800 - 480 BCE)
•
"rebirth"
•
Rise in trade and travel
•
Adoption of Phoenician alphabet led to literacy - huge development for Greek
culture
•
Homer, Hesiod and lyric poetry were written down
•
Growing interest in science - redefining of the nature of Gods since used to explain natural
phenomena
•
Growth of city-states - more complex idea of what it is to be a "citizen"
•
Olympic games established 776 BCE (Panhellenic - Greeks from all over Greek world)
•
Democracy established in Athens 510 BCE
•
Persian Wars 490 - 479 BCE (Athens become huge naval power, protects Aegean cities
in exchange for money)
○ Becomes wealthy and center for culture
•
Sculpture influenced by Egypt
○ i.e. Archaic 'kourous' 530 BCE
•
Important for class* because coinage occured
5. Classical Period (480 - 323 BCE)
•
Athenian dominance in Greek confederacy (Delian league)
•
Athenian empire based on naval strength
•
Pericles - a major statesman (one of the most prestigious citizens, came from aristocratic
family)
○
Investment in glorification of Athens by means of art & culture
•
Flowering of art, drama, architecture, education (the Greek tragedy)
○
Were used as propaganda - idealized Athens as epitome of Greek culture
•
Playwriters: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato (philosopher)
•
Evolving democracy
○
Lots of debates about moral virtues - were presented in myths at the time
•
Peloponnesian Wars (against Sparta and allies) 431-404 BCE
•
Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) and his successors expanded the Greek empire
across the Mediterranean and Near East
○
Alexander dies
•
Characteristic features of Classical Period: theatres (i.e. Theatre at Epidaurus)
•
Parthenon, Athens (temple to Athena)
○
Parthenon: "temple of the virgin"
6. Hellenistic Period (323 - 146 BCE)
, •
Following death of Alexander the Great
•
Successors of Alexander the Great rule vast areas around the Mediterranean, the near
East and Egypt
•
Cosmopolitan culture, important centers of learning such as librabries (e.g. Athens,
Alexandria)
•
Ends when Rome conquers Greece 146 BCE
○
Military sense they took over the Greeks
○
Used Greece as cultural model
○
Weren't considered cultured if you didn't know Greek language or read their stories
The Creation and Evolution of the Universe:
Hesiod's Theogony
Hesiod (ca. 700 BCE)
• Farmer and poet from the region of Boeotia. He wrote:
○
Theogony
○
Works and Days
Theogony
• Theo + gone = "the gods' origins" or "birth of the gods" (compare 'genesis')
○
The poem is a genealogy
○
Lays out a divine family tree
• Is also cosmogony: birth of the world-order or universe (cosmos)
○
As divine family tree grows --> universe does as well
• Is political history
○
Divine dynastic succession (meaning dynasty)
○
One generation of Godsseeking to overthrow previous generation
• Elaborate hymn to Zeus (praise Zeus for
establishing order after chaotic past)
Ancient Greek Concept of the Universe
• Dinner plate model
• Earth= disk (flat dinnerplate)
• Heaven= bowl ontop (contain gods at highest level= olympus)
• Underworld= bottom bowl (dead people go to hades, taurtus below it)
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