CLAS/HIST3001 Archaic Greece I

Aristotle on the Polis Derived from Its Parts If the basic unit of speech is a sound indicated with alphabet, what is the basic unit of human existence, acc. to Aristotle? Of what two inequalities does he think this naturally consists? Free/slave Male/female The next step: kome The final step: polis

Periodization Time is a continuum, but we make sense of it by breaking it up Through natural phenomena: day and night Through social occurrences: First term, 'holiday season' Through calendar: February, 'the 70s'

Periodization in This Course What are our first major periods? Minoan, Mycenaean, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Dark Age These cut across each other, because they are using different criteria Like most archaeological periods, they are devised in our age, not in past Two remaining periods: Archaic and Classical Archaic acc. to Pomeroy 7th and 6th C. BC; most would say mid-7 to 6th

'Archaic' “Of or characterized by antiquity or archaism; antiquated; obsolescent” Couldn't be further from truth when it comes to 'Archaic period' From ancient Greek, ἀρχαῖος, meaning 'old' 'of the past' Whose past? Historians of 5th c., like Herodotus

Synoikismos Oikos 'dwelling', home syn- 'together' For example, Attica Region around Athens Originally set of villages unified, how acc. to C8? Not an 'urbanization' phase

The Purpose and Culture of the polis Purpose? Some sort of right living, beyond prosperity (C9-10) Distinctions within polis society: prejudice against techne (C13)

Greek Colonization

Origins of Colonization The search for metals C14 Who is Athena pretending to be? How do metals fit into her tale? Why is the fictional account of a mythical being helpful to history?

Concepts Related to Colonization Greeks referred to these as apoikiai “away dwellings” Every apoikia had a metropolis metr- from mater, 'mother' therefore 'mother city', not conglomeration of nearby cities, as we mean this today A complicated relationship, since apoikia was independent state but had obligations to metropolis

Easy Misconceptions about Colonization Not with the unified purpose of spreading religion, language or culture Not a centralized effort Delphi's role was crucial but could not have masterminded an imperial plan Not intending to build a network of trade in agriculture Avoid historical error of post hoc, propter hoc

Relations with the Local People What was the nature of the relationship at Massalia? (C19b) At Herakleia? (C19a)

Why Colonize? C 17A What might Plato's ideal colony at C17B tell us about why people join colonies?

The 'Cult' of the Founder Oikistes Cult, here used as technical term deriving from Latin cultus 'tending to' Ancient Greek religion included 'tending to' dead people Not a creepy, Halloween experience Not treating them as gods The grave of the deceased is centre of activity: Grave offerings Emanation of power

The Return of Theseus C18 To what lengths did the Athenians go to 'repatriate' the bones of Theseus? How did they identify his remains?

Cohesive Force of Religion Religious rites kept Greeks from permanent separation Olympia (C11-12) Delphi's role (C16)