Greek History and Homer

Overview

This lecture reviews key periods in Greek history, the rise of Homer, his cultural impact, and introduces core concepts needed for studying ancient Greek literature and society.

Periods of Greek History

• The Mycenaean Period (1600–1100 BC) featured independent kingdoms, dominated trade, and kept written economic records but produced no literature.
• Mycenaean civilization ended around 1100 BC, leading to a Greek Dark Age marked by loss of literacy and reduced wealth/art.
• The Dark Age saw simplified art and architecture and a mythologizing of past events.
• The Archaic Age (750–480 BC) saw the reinvention of writing via the Phoenician alphabet, emergence of the polis (city-state), and Greek colonization.

Greek Identity and Tensions

• Greeks were citizens of individual city-states (poleis) like Sparta or Athens, not a unified nation.
• Panhellenism emphasized shared language, religion, festivals (e.g., Olympics), and history across all Greeks.
• Tension existed between city-state independence and shared Greek identity.

Homer and Epic Tradition

• Homer, active around 750 BC, authored the Iliad and Odyssey, Greece's foundational literary works.
• His epics combined historical tradition and myth, narrating events set during the Mycenaean era, e.g., the Trojan War.
• Homer is both a witness to and shaper of Greek values—his writings influenced education and culture for 1200 years.
• His works became the standard telling of Greek myths, replacing oral variations.
• Alexander the Great revered Homer and emulated his hero Achilles.

Legacy and Global Impact

• The stories of Homer influenced Rome (Aeneid by Virgil) and shaped Roman and later Western identity.
• Homeric tradition impacted medieval Europe, the Islamic Golden Age, and sparked the Renaissance through rediscovery of Greek texts.
• All major Western authors and storytellers have been influenced by Homer.
• Despite immense influence, almost nothing is known for certain about Homer as a person.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Mycenaean Period — era of independent Greek kingdoms centered on Mycenae, 1600–1100 BC.
• Dark Age — period after the Mycenaean collapse where literacy and wealth declined.
• Archaic Age — era beginning around 750 BC, marked by new writing and city-states.
• Polis — Greek city-state, central to social organization.
• Panhellenism — idea of a shared Greek identity despite political divisions.
• Hermeneutics — methods of interpretation applied to texts or events.
• Hermeneutic of Rupture/Continuity — focus on what changes or stays the same across transitions.
• Hellenistic World — regions influenced by Greek culture after Alexander the Great.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Prepare for upcoming video documentary on the prehistory of the Iliad.
• Be ready to begin close reading of the Iliad next week.
• Take notes on the known facts about Homer from the provided slide.