Week 2_4 Nature of Zeus Part 2 Slides PDF

HERODOTUS 484 – 425 BC “Father of History” (Cicero) The Histories 430 BC Often described as establishing the genre of history and the study of historic events. But…motivation? HERODOTUS AND HIS WORLD VIEW The gods are not in a separate plane. They are in the same world as us and influe...

HERODOTUS 484 – 425 BC “Father of History” (Cicero) The Histories 430 BC Often described as establishing the genre of history and the study of historic events. But…motivation? HERODOTUS AND HIS WORLD VIEW The gods are not in a separate plane. They are in the same world as us and influence it. BUT no interest in our general redemption A few particular individuals are favoured, just as people favour a particular god World divided between culture and barbarism; civilization and nature Dangers of hubris and vengeance of Nemesis Homeric influence – life can only be judged once it’s over Priam aux pieds d'Achille, Jérôme-Martin Langlois. 1809 STORY OF CROESUS Herodotus Book 1 30.1 – 45.3 READ IT Croesus on the pyre, Attic red-figure amphora, 500–490 BC, Louvre (G 197) PART 1 King Croesus of Lydia questions wise Solon of Athens about happiness Tellus the Athenian – great life, had kids, fought for Athens and won – then died. Cleobis and Biton – rewarded with sleep they never arose from after helping mom “Before he dies do not yet call him happy, but only fortunate.” Croesus sends away Solon and his uppity self-worth summons Nemesis CROESUS PART 2 Croesus has a son who was great at everything: Atys Croesus dreams of Atys’ death and tries to avoid fate. UHOH. Keeps Atys away from fighting and removes weapons Adrastus shows up. Killed his brother by accident and was cast out. Croesus welcomes him and purifies ENTER THE BOAR! Atys convinces Croesus that he won’t die. Boars don’t have iron tusks! While on the hunt, Adrastus proves he can’t hit the side of a board and kills Atys Adrastus is now guilty of breaking lots of rules. Croesus invokes various aspects of Zeus. Adrastus gets *dramatic* and kills himself on Atys’ tomb CROESUS PART 3 Rising power of Cyrus the Great of Persia threatens Croesus Ambiguous oracle (are there any other kind?) Fall of Sardis and capture of Croesus Croesus on the pyre recalls words of Solon and has a huge epiphany Cyrus spares Croesus The oracle’s defense HERODOTUS AND TALES A complex mixture of fact and fiction Grammatical construction often pushes things into assumption that Herodotus is recounting tales – they say – φασί (the dreaded φημί!) Like poets being saved from pirates by dolphins! Croesus tale myth: Names mean things. Atys – “under the influence of Ate (doom)”. Adrastus – “the one who cannot escape” Facts: Solon could have met Croesus Croesus may have had son who died young Herodotus swishes up the facts with philosophy/morality and also gives us a sense of Greek culture. OH, THAT TRICKY PYTHIA Delphic replies tend to be ironic, ambiguous Like a genie granting a wish but with awful consequences “You will destroy a mighty empire” In closing his story of Croesus, Herodotus recounts a discussion with the Pythia. “None may escape his destined lot, not even a god.” Apollo actually worked to lessen the blows of Croesus’ fate Saved him from burning It was Croesus that jumped to an interpretation "Priestess of Delphi" by John Collier, 1891. ACADEMIC APPROACH TO ANCIENT RELIGION 19th Century Europe – myths reveal an untrammeled view of ancient religious thought Such approaches were deemed inadequate as archaeology developed. Material remains, the left-behinds of what people actually DID, turned attention to ritual and practice 21st Century academic approaches to ancient religion/myth Don’t be narrow and dogmatic Must be sensitive to cultural interplays and realize how subtle and complex the intersection of myth and religion is Deploy theoretical frameworks of other disciplines (ongoing issue with Classics – no real theory of our own) Use of Panathenaic festival as example Is this typical and/or representative of a Greek status quo? But does show the integration of religion into civic and social spheres NATURE OF RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE Shared Religious Viewpoint Rooted in the epic tradition and cycles Homer and Hesiod’s writings became “a fundamental and pervasive source constantly drawn upon in the development of religion” Umbrella of a shared viewpoint: one of Herodotus’ 4 elements. Variations under this umbrella of constraint Gods themselves became varied with numerous epithets, and different poleis could have different pantheons Broadening of religious views as polis system began to wane Epithet examples from Screeching Owl tumblr POLIS AND RELIGION No single word in Greek for ‘religion,’ but do we even have a clear use of the term? Deeply ingrained in all facets of society and social life. No truly secular part of Greek life. Polis as central key element in identity Temples, shrines, and sanctuaries permeated the Greek landscape (not just the Acropolis!) Dense calendar (half the year in Athens) of religious festivals and ceremonies (Heortai) Ex: first month of Attic year = Hecatombaion. Hecatombaia of Apollo (100 bulls) and Panathenaea Anthesteria = one of four Dionysian festivals in Athens. Celebrated spring and new wine CULT OF DEAD Specific worship to heroes, often connected to a polis Activity happens at single cult location where hero died Ubiquitous. Thousands of local hero cults across Greece Rites are chthonic in nature. Earthly. Libations poured into the earth Deep history – heröon at Lefkandi dates to 1050-950 BCE (top fig) Many forms. Paestum (left) and Sagalassos (right) Relevant facts about ancient Greek hero cults – Gregory Nagy PRIESTLY CLASS Priest: important category of religious official Performed rites and maintenance tasks Not an official caste or hierarchy, but usually carried great prestige Position given through election ,appointment, purchase/bribery, or birth Evidence for life of priestesses elusive “Correlation between domestic ritual…and public ritual” (Joy Connelly) Women had greater role in cults of female divinities. Kylix (Drinking Vessel) with Woman Sacrificing Toledo Museum 1972.55 ASPECTS OF GREEK RELIGION Seers Recognize and interpret signs elicited through sacrifice or resulted from unusual situations Involved performance Travelling seers – satisfy market demand! Used auguries, observation of serpents, interpretation of dreams, reports of natural events like earthquakes – anything Innards of sacrificed animals also examined Integral part of Greek Religion (Flower, 2008) King Aegeus of Athens consulting the Delphic Pythia, Attic red-figure kylix (tondo), c. 440 BCE. Antikensammlung Berlin 217214 ASPECTS OF GREEK RELIGION Mystery Cults/Religions Will discuss in relation to golds involved such as Dionysus, Demeter, and Orpheus Fundamental tenets: existence of a soul, conflict between good and evil, and reward/punishment in afterlife. Required strict acceptance of a doctrine Sacred texts laid down ritual rules (written or oral) The Ninnion Tablet, 370 BC, Eleusis, depicting elements of the Eleusinian Mysteries. NAMA. ASPECTS OF GREEK RELIGION The Sacrifice Most significant religious act, especially when it involved cows – expensive things! Carried out during festivals or when favour of gods was needed (founding a colony, oracle consultation, marriage ceremony, etc) Homer is earliest written description – Odyssey 3.430-463 Rituals surrounding sacrifice became more elaborate, detailed, and large in size over time. Important aspects – animal had to be willing and deed performed within the temenos Functions: Redistribution of meat/wealth Honour the god, give thanks for blessing, persuade the god to grant a blessing (Theophrastus) Works to establish and support social hierarchies Louvre G496 NEXT WEEK Week 3 1st half: Poseidon and Friends (Under the Sea!) Athena (How to spring out of dad’s head in 6 easy steps) 2nd half Aphrodite Artemis