textbook project cont...

Today in Honors Western Civilization we continued working on our textbook project. Here is what out group has come up with so far:

Shortly after the Mycenaeans who were very advanced in all forms of math and writing fell apart, the Dorians moved in and took over. However, the Dorians were not as advanced as the Mycenaeans. The period of time that the Dorians were rulers was known as the “Dark Ages”. During this time period writing disappeared for more than 400 years. So, for more than 400 years not one record was taken. Everything was passed through Greek oral tradition. Greek oral tradition is how the Greeks passed down their stories through word of mouth. Many people became storytellers and wandered around Greece telling stories in exchange for food and shelter. However, the advancement of the Dorians was not enough to run Greece. Due to this they looked towards trade to keep the dynasty going. But, the trade couldn’t make up for the advancements that they didn’t have causing them to collapse and end the Dark Ages.

Homer- the storyteller

Homer was a Greek poet born between the eighth and the twelfth centuries. He was known as a blind storyteller who made stories just out of his mere imagination. He is famous for the poems; The Iliad and The Odyssey, which according to Greek history, he is credited for writing or composing. The Iliad tells of some of the heroic events that occurred within the final weeks of the Trojan War. The Iliad also chronicles about the Greek siege of Troy. Whether he is real or not is a mystery but most Greeks believe that he is real.

Homer was said to of told stories about his travels he had ventured on previously in his life. How would he have memorized a 12,110 line novel that he ventured on if he is blind. He would have no sense of direction, location, or sight. Although he was blind, many Greek citizens believed his stories and came to listen to him tell them.

Homer had a distinct writing style incorporated into his stories. Homer was said to have been a poet because his stories had a “repetitive element” to them. Therefore, his epics may have been so easy to remember because he thought of them as nothing but a song. His writing style had such an impact on the Greek society that most of the language used today in Greece is based off of the vocabulary used in his epics.

Since everyone is wondering if Homer is real or not, this has lead to a theory called The Homeric Question. The Homeric Question asks whether Homer ever lived or not. Many consider The Homeric Question to be the greatest literary mystery throughout all of ancient Greece history.