1. The Philosophers of ancient Ionia Chapter 2: Homer and Despina in the City of Ancients, meeting great Greek Poets

2. Despina woke up in an ancient city and she met an old man who introduced himself as Homer. Despina was very surprised to see him and start asking him about the city and his presence in that place. Could he really be the great poet Homer from ancient Greece? Are you really Homer the poet? I learn about you at school you know! Yes my dear child! I didn’t knew that young people have heard about me. I am very old… 2856 years old and 3 months – I think… Difficult to remember my birthday after such a long time here… I think that I am the oldest here! The next one is my friend Hesiodos! He is 2756 years old! What is this place? It looks like the Acropolis – but this place is quite new! This city is an imaginary place! We, all the ancient Greeks, decide to make this city and live in peace here! If you go for a walk you will see poets, philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, all talking about good old times… If you come with me I’ll introduce you to some of them!

3. So Despina and Homer start walking in the streets of the city! The first thing to see was a big theater where they saw three great Greek tragedians, Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides, preparing a new drama play. Soon, Aristophanes, a Comic dramatist came to their company! Do you see this theater? Is identical with the Small Theater of Epithavros. It is our favorite place to watch a drama play! Where are we now? And who are these people?

4. I am amazed! Everybody knows these poets! Their plays are still the audience’s favorites in Greece! SophoclesSophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides come from the mainland of Greece, not Ionia. And Aristophanes too.Aeschylus Euripides Aristophanes

5. I am very happy to meet you all! I will definitely watch your play when you are ready! Well, every month they prepare a new play! Sometimes they take ideas from my poems but I am too modest to say that in public! Welcome little girl! We are in a hurry. We prepare a new drama! Will you come and see it?

6. Aristophanes (446 BC – c. 388 BC) was a Greek Old Comic dramatist. The place and exact date of his birth are unknown, but he was still young in the 420s when he achieved sudden brilliant success in the Theater of Dionysus with his “Banqueters”. He is famous for writing comedies such as “The Birds” for the two Athenian dramatic festivals: the City Dionysia and the Lenea. He wrote forty plays, eleven of which survive. Many of Aristophanes' plays were political, and often satirized well-known citizens of Athens and their conduct in the Peloponnesian War and after. Hints in the text of his plays, supported by ancient scholars, suggest that he was prosecuted several times by Cleon for defaming Athens in the presence of foreigners and the like; how much truth there is to this is impossible to say. The “Frogs” was given the unprecedented honor of a second performance. Back…

7. Aeschylus (525 BC—456 BC) was a playwright of Ancient Greece. Aeschylus was born in Eleusis in western Attica. He wrote his first plays in 498 BC. His earliest surviving play is probably “The Persians”, performed in 472 BC. In 490 BC, he participated in the Battle of Marathon and in 480 BC he fought at the Battle of Salamis, which was to become the subject of The Persians. Aeschylus frequently travelled to Sicily, where the tyrant of Gela was one of his patrons. In 458 BC he travelled there for the last time; according to traditional legend, Aeschylus was killed in 456 BC when an eagle (or more likely a Lammergeier) dropped a live and apparently very savage tortoise on him, mistaking his bald head for a stone. Some accounts differ, claiming that the bird dropped a stone on his head, mistaking it for a large egg. Aeschylus' work has a strong moral and religious emphasis, concentrating on man's position in the cosmos in relation to the gods, divine law and divine punishment in the Oresteia trilogy. Back…

8. Sophocles (497 BC, – 406 BC) was one of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, together with Aeschylus and Euripides. He wrote 123 plays; in the dramatic competitions of the Festival of Dionysus (where each submission by one playwright consisted of four plays; three tragedies and a satyr play), he won more first prizes (around 20) than any other playwright, and placed second in all others he participated in. His first victory was in 468, although scholars are no longer certain that this was the first time that he competed. Only seven of his tragedies have survived complete in the medieval manuscript tradition. The most famous are the three tragedies concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as the “Theban plays” or “The Oedipus Cycle”, although they do not make up a single trilogy. Back…

9. Euripides (c. 480–406 BC) was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens. Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-two plays. Eighteen of them have survived complete. Euripides is known primarily for having reshaped the formal structure of traditional Attic tragedy by showing strong women characters and smart slaves, and by satirizing many heroes of Greek mythology. His plays seem modern by comparison with those of his contemporaries, focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown to Greek audiences. According to legend, Euripides was born in Salamís on September 23, 480 BC, the day of the Persian War's greatest naval battle. Euripides first competed in the Dionysia, the famous Athenian dramatic festival, in 455 BC, one year after the death of Aeschylus. He came in third, reportedly because he refused to cater to the fancies of the judges. It was not until 441 BC that he won first prize, and over the course of his lifetime, Euripides claimed a mere four victories. He also won one posthumous victory. Back…

10. Despina was very happy to talk with the poets about there new play! The subject was about the creation of the universe by the Gods. Homer suggested that they should ask help from his friend Hesiodos. Hesiodos wrote a great poem “Theogony” to tell how universe was made. I’ll call Hesiodos! He is the one to tell us about the creation of the universe. His poem “Theogony” may give us many details – even if I disagree with him about certain things…. I understand what “Theogony” means! Is how gods where born! … Hesiodos is a poet. “Theogony” is a wonderful poem (not as big as my poems) and is completely mythological! Do you want to know how really universe was made? Yes, I would like to know what ancient scientists believed!

11. Despina was very curious to learn about the beliefs of ancient scientists. At school she had read the poem of Hesiodos. At the beginning there was Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth). They got married and had sons: the Ecatogxires, the Cyclops, the Titans. But this is mythology, stories for little children. Despina wants to know about the scientists! Please, Homer, will you take me to speak with real scientists? Ok Despina, let’s go to Friends of Militos Club!

12. So, Despina and Homer continued their walk in the streets of the City on Ancients, to find the “Friends of Militos” Club. Militos was one of the greatest cities in Ancient Ionia. The cities called Ionian in historical times were twelve in number. These were (from south to north) Miletus, Myus, Priene, Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos, Erythrae, Clazomenae and Phocaea, together with Samos and Chios. And last, Smyrna, which was originally an Aeolic colony. Important philosophers are said to originate from Miletus. These include Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. Heraclitus was from Ephesus, Anaxagoras was from Clazomenae and Aristarchus and Pythagoras were from the island of Samos. All these great philosophers and scientists from ancient times worked on the foundations of today’s science and people all over the world remember them for their theories about philosophy, mathematics and physics! And now, imagine these ancient scientists, all together in the City of Ancients! Despina was excited to meet them and talk with them!

13. FRIENDS OF MILITOS Here we are Despina! Are you ready? We are going in! I am so excited! I wish my friend Mateusz was with us here! When I go back and tell him, he will not believe me! I think I can do something about it!!! Close your eyes!

14. FRIENDS OF MILITOS So, Despina closed her eyes and the very next minute Mateusz was there! And not just that, now, both of them looked like ancient Greek children!