 The ancient Greeks lived in a small country with few natural resources. Most of the land was rocky and ill-suited for farming; therefore, the Greeks turned to the sea (for no part of Greece is more than 90 miles from water) and became fishermen and traders. The sea provided their means of survival.  Mainly because of the contact the Greeks made with other cultures, an increasingly civilized society arose (religious festivals and Olympic Games brought people together and were of extreme importance).

 The Greeks believed completely in the existence of gods, and they did not have any officially written dogma.  Zeus was the King of all the gods. He lived with his wife Hera and the rest of the gods on Mount Olympus, located in Northern Greece (refer to Mythology notes).  City-states (and even individual families) worshipped particular gods/goddesses. The Greek culture was also known for hero-worship (this hero might be the town’s founder or a historical figure who played a major role in an important battle).

 ***A major belief of the Greeks was that respect for the gods was essential to success and survival. ***  An epic is a long, narrative poem about a national or legendary hero.  Ancient Greece produced two epics – The Iliad and The Odyssey.  Both epics were written by Homer. It is believed that Homer was blind (a bust depicts him being so). No official information has been found regarding his birthdate or birthplace.

Epic hero -A larger than life character -Demonstrates traits that are valued by society -Odysseus shows courage and leadership- is considered an epic hero.

 The Iliad (written first) and The Odyssey were written by Homer sometime between 900 and 700 B.C..  The material covered in both epics was the Trojan War, which had occurred several centuries earlier, around 1200 B.C.  When poems were first composed, they were not written down. They were passed orally from one generation to the next. They were memorized by traveling poets (rhapsodes) who recited them in banquet halls of kings and nobles. Homer wrote them down for future generations.

Historical and cultural context - The details of time and place in which the work is set, or in which it was written.

 The true cause of the Trojan War was economic. Troy’s location enabled it to control all trade and shipping through the Dardanelles, and once Troy was destroyed, the Greeks could expand their trade routes as much as they pleased.

 According to legend, the war began over one, really good- looking, mortal girl. What’s her name?

 That itself is an interesting tale to read, but here is a brief synopsis: A goddess (Eris) was angry with the other gods because she was not invited a particular wedding, so she decided to cause some trouble. She threw a golden apple into the crowd of gods and goddesses and wrote on it: “To the Fairest.”  After some discussion amongst themselves, it was decided that it must go to Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. They then went to Zeus to determine who amongst the three was indeed the “fairest”. Being too wise to enter into any such dispute, he sent them to the Trojan prince Paris (who had been sent to an island to sheep herd by his father King Priam, who had heard the prophecy that Paris would end up bringing about the fall of Troy – how accurate!).  It was decided that Paris should determine the fairest!

 Well…even goddesses know how to sweeten the deal. Each goddess offered Paris an “incentive” to choose her as the fairest.  Hera offered him a kingdom.  Athena offered to help Troy defeat the Greeks in battle (think about that one!).  Aphrodite (“thinking like a man”) offered to make the most beautiful mortal woman in the world Paris’s wife.  Well…even though Paris was already married (an unimportant detail), he went with Aphrodite’s offer (which had very negative consequences)…and the golden apple was given to her. In mythology, this incident is known as “The Judgment of Paris.”

 Aphrodite immediately went to work to keep her end of the bargain. Unfortunately, the most beautiful mortal woman in the world was Helen, who was married to King Menelaus of Sparta.  Aphrodite brought Paris to King Menelaus’s kingdom, and when Menelaus went away on a trip, Paris wooed Helen, who actually fell in love with him but was afraid because of her marriage to King Menelaus. Regardless, it took little convincing to go to Troy with Paris. Helen by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

 King Menelaus returned home to find that Paris had “abducted” his Helen. Menelaus went to his brother, Agamemnon. It took several years for the outraged Menelaus to assemble an army, and, when he did, kings and soldiers from all over Greece, including Achilles and Odysseus, sailed to Troy to bring back Helen… and…according to myth, thus began the TROJAN WAR!!!!  Helen is the inspiration behind the old and famous saying… “the face that launched a thousand ships”!

Paris

Helen and Paris

King Menelaus and Agamemnon

 The Trojan War went on for 10 years, and finally, the Trojans were defeated. Do you know how? (In the end, Paris was killed and Helen was returned to King Menelaus – who still wanted her back…for pride’s sake…but he made her life miserable).

 This story opens in the 10th – and last – year of the Trojan War. The war is at a stalemate (they can’t get behind that Trojan wall), and in the Greek camp there is much dissension amongst the Greeks themselves. The Iliad is the story of that dissension…and WAR!!!

Achilles

 In The Odyssey, Homer starts by telling about the last days of the Trojan War in this second epic. The story relates that the man responsible for the fall of Troy is Odysseus, who conceived of the plan to use the huge wooden horse (the Trojan Horse) to get into the gates of Troy. It worked!!!!! The Greeks defeated the Trojans.

 Because Odysseus was instrumental in Troy’s destruction, he angered the gods who were sympathetic to Troy, and they vow that he will have a long and difficult journey home. This journey, which takes 10 years, is the subject of Homer’s The Odyssey.