Lecture 1 -- The Greek World
Tuesday, 6 September 2022
08:32
Three main periods
1. Archiac Greece (3rd millennium bc-8th century bc)
Two main civilizations
o Minoans--> named after king Minos
Live mostly on island of Crete and neighboring islands
o Mycenaeans --> named after city of Mycenae
Lived in continental Greece
o Both sofisticated civilizations during this period, not first important
civilization
o Sophisticated writing systems, but has not been decifered yet.
Linear B --> writing system of Mycenaen
Sophisticated art
Greek Dark Ages (12th-8th century BC)
o Breaking point of Mycenaeans --> part of widespread collapse of Bronze
Age civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean
Fall of Mycenaeans, but we do not know exactly why
Whole medditeranian went into a phase of collapse and
decline
A climate change with climate disasters, which involved
Mycenaeans --> not entirely the only issue
Also other people coming to central europe from Asia -->
invasions
Why are Mycenaeans fundamental to European cultural history
o Cultural products --> myths
City of Troy --> The Iliad
o Epic poem about the War of Troy --> Trojans vs Achaens (Mycenaeans)
o Helena (greek princess), wife of king Menelaus, abducted by Trojan
prince Paris
o Cycle of myths brought expressions that we still use today
Expressions: Achilles' heel, Trojan horse
The war ended when the greeks pretented to withdraw
from the war by leaving a wooden horse. Within the
wooden horse, there were soldiers who killed Trojans -->
compared to computer virus
The odyssey
o Epic poem about the return of the hero Ulysses to Ithaca after the War
of Troy
o Named after Odysseus, Greek for Ulysses
o His journey back home takes ten years, also because of hostility of the
god Poseidon
o Expression Oddesey --> long and complicated journey.
Are these just myths?
o 19th century, amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was convited
these poems were not myths
o He found ruins of Troy, 13th century bc
o Cultural artifacts, such as golden mask known as 'mask of Agamemnon'
, o There is some form of historical basis to the myths, but it is not
considered to be true, due to discussion of importality, as well that they
were written centuries after they were supposed to have occured.
2. Classical Greece --> temples (7th-5th century b.c)
Man is a political animal
o Political organization -- polis=city
o Idea of democracy (=rule of the people) vs tyranny?
5th century --> Athens vs Sparta, two different city states
o Sparta did not built monumental buildings, no city walls, aristocratic
society, caste system, militarily focussed society
Important political events to remember
o Persian (Iran) wars (Athens, Sparta and other greek cities vs the Persian
Empire)
o Peloponnesian war: 431-404 bc.(dont have to learn); Athens vs Sparta
Sparta wins, ends the 'golden age' of Athens, plague
outbreak
The culture we have seen continues to exist
Culture of classical Greece
o Greek alphabet derived from the Phoenician (lebanon jewish
populations) --> used since classical greece
Russian alphabet derives from Greek
o Ideal of the 'good and beautiful' man
Take care of both his body and his mind to become an
ideal citizen
Olymic games were invented --> influenced dating
Canon: set of rules based on ideal proportion of human
body --> size of fingers in proportion with size of hands
o Philosophy: socrates, plato, artistotle
What is means to be human, be good, be evil
o Greek theatre
Festival of Dionysus
Open air theatre
Use of masks
1. Tragedy
Song of the goats --> religious ritual,
sactifice of a goat
Stories of gods and heroes
Serious tone
Dilemma or universal problem is discussed,
irresolvable opposition, huge moral
dilemma
This is why tragedy is political
2. Comedy
Song of the ritual cortège
Stories of common people
Funny tone --> masks are exadurated, ritual
Comedy is also political, discuss of pressing
and current political events
Comedy theatre: Lisistrata --> woman who
decised to go on a sex strike, and convinces
, other woman to do the same, against the
war athens vs sparta
Fictional strike to make
people laugh and discuss
political issues about war
3. Satire --> not discussed
o Function of Greek drama
Competitive
Rekigious
Political --> function of chorus
Aristotle: catharsis = purification of soul
through pity and relief as aim of dramatic
performance
Sad movie, emotions will pass
on into the story and will
lessen the feelings for
yourself
3. Hellenistic period --> romans, post classical greece, what Romans discovered when they came in
touch with Greece, influenced Europe (4th-1st century b.c)
End of Classical Greece --> Kingdome of Macedon under Philip 4th, not considered
Greek (first half of 4th century)
o Greek called them barbarians because they did not speak Greek (they
did)
o Conquerer of Greece --> Alexander the Great (356-323BC) -->
IMPORTANT DATE OF DEATH, HELLENISTIC PERIOD STARTS AFTER HIS
DEATH
Raised with Greece myths
Educated by Artistotle
Wanted to be like Achilles
Concured Perian empire, egypt, wanted to concure india
but soldiers were fed up with fighting
Hellenistic world --> Hellenistic kingdoms
o Influenced by Greece (Hellas in Greek)
Hellenistic culture
o 1. Cosmopolitism/universalism
Hercules as a protector of Buddha --> Indian and Greek
culture combined
Egyptian pharaoh --> was actually from Greece
o 2. Individualism/focus on private
Series of kings with complete power over their kingdom
Individualistic side of life
Art is focussed on the emotions and
imperfections of kings and humans, not the
ideal human portraited, but real people
with real emotions
Not as much focus on politics because there
was censorship
o Hellenistic philosophies: Epicureanism
Don't fear god, dont worry about death, what is good is
easy to get, what is terrible is easy to endure
, Form of consilation who have lost some political rights,
living in intense periods of fighting
People needed to feel that in their own life, they can
achieve happiness
Happiness is being content with what you are able to
tolerate
o 3. Polycentrism and importants of royal courts
Altar of Pergamon --> later sold to Germany
Mysogynistic culture
End of Hellenistic period --> 31 BC
o Death of queen Cleopatra, last Hellenistic monarch, conquest of Egypt
by Rome
Commits suicide because her kingdom is being conquered
Culture that influences Rome and Roman society
Exam questions possibility
Greek theatre : three difference something, explain two and give examples, Give examples or
contextualize what a tragedy would be about etc.
Lecture 2 - Rome and its Empire
Friday, 9 September 2022
12:03
1. The Roman kingdom (8th-6th century b.c)
The mythical origins of rome
o Aeneas, Trojan prince and son of Venus, flees to Latium (Italy) after the
War of Troy and founds Alba Longa
The foundation of Rome
o Romulis, descendant of Aeneas and son of Mars, founds Rome in 754 BC
The seven kings of Rome
o Seven kings reign over Rome until 509 bc, when the Roman republic is
created
o Around 500bc Rome is still a marginal Italic polity
2. The Roman republic (6th-1st century b.c)
Social classes -> Early society & government
o Patricians
Wealthy landowners
Nobility based on birth
Held high positions in society
o Plebeians
Majority of people
Common people
Inferior class
Tradesmen, craftsmen, farmers
Slaves, foreigners, and women, who did not hold political
rights
Political constitution
