Greek Government and Society Chapter 5 – Section 2

Greek Culture in the Homeric Age Most communication in this era was oral, or unwritten.

The Iliad and the Odyssey According to tradition, the blind poet Homer wrote two great epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two works are said to be collections of many legends handed down through Greek history. It is unknown who the actual author was, but the period is nonetheless called the Homeric age.

The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. A prince named Paris falls in love with a Mycenaean kings wife, Helen. He kidnaps her and takes her with him to the city of Troy. The Mycenaenas lay siege to Troy for 10 years, but cannot capture it. Finally, they build a wooden horse that their soldiers can fit inside, and present it to the Trojans as a gift.

That night, the Mycenaean soldiers leap out of the horse and capture the city of Troy. The Odyssey tells the story of what happened after the Trojan War. It describes the adventures of the Mycenaean king Odysseus as it takes him 10 years to reach his home city-state of Ithaca. Along the way, he encounters many dangers, as well as interference from the gods.

Greek Religious Beliefs For the most part, ancient Greek religion did not emphasize high standards of personal morality. Instead, Greeks looked to religion for three things: (1) to explain nature, (2) to explain the emotions that caused some people to lose control and (3) they believed religion could bring them certain benefits, such as long life, good luck or a good harvest.

Greeks did not expect their religion to save them from sin. They believed all spirits went to a gloomy underworld called Hades. To explain their world, the Greeks created myths. The Greeks gave human characteristics to their gods and goddesses, who were said to live on Mount Olympus.

Zeus was the king of the gods, and one of his daughters was Athena, goddess of wisdom. The city-state of Athens was named in Athena’s honor. The Greeks believed that the gods and goddesses spoke through special priests, called oracles.

The most important contest designed to please the gods was the Olympics. Only men could watch or compete in these games. There was only one prize in the Olympics.

The city-states of Greece originated as small kingdoms ruled by chieftains from their hilltop fortresses. The chieftains relied on wealthy men to support their armies. Over time, the aristocrats came to represent each city-state’s noble class.

Greek Government: From Kings to Democracy By about 700 B.C., many nobles had overthrown their kings and taken power. Greek city-states controlled by nobles were known as aristocracies. The aristocrats even held control over the religion, since the gods would supposedly listen to them.

In time, social and economic changes took place that weakened the power of the aristocrats. By 600 B.C., a nonaristocratic soldier, the Hoplite had emerged. Hoplites were heavy infantrymen who carried long spears and fought in closely spaced rows. As hoplites became more important to the defense of the city-state, they demanded more say in its daily government.

Poor citizens were also unhappy with the rule of the nobles. Around 650 B.C., the tyrants illegal gained power and ruled many city-states. At first, the tyrants ruled well and had the support of the people. In some cases, though, the rulers were unjust, and the word tyrant came to mean someone who abuses power.

From 650 B.C. to 500 B.C., many city-states overthrew their tyrants. In some of these city-states, the idea of popular government began to take root. City-states like Athens developed forms of democracy, where citizens participated in government.

However, in these democracies, only free men had political rights. City-states such as Sparta maintained kings and nobles. However, in these cases, a council of citizens now limited the individual ruler’s power.