The ancient Western world was a world filled with awe and wonder. Never once was there ever a sense of doing something solely for the sake of doing it. During this time, anything that was done was done to the pleasure (or displeasure) of the gods. The gods were treated with the utmost respect in the ancient world. These ancient civilizations are so interesting to us because they are so different us. The way the members of the ancient West lived out their daily lives was quite different to how we live our lives today. It’s interesting to compare the way they lived to the way we do and ask ourselves: Why did they live the way that they did?
This paper will explore the significance of fictional, legendary, and mythological texts. It will explain …show more content…
A prime example of this is Homer. When Homer began writing epic poems, Greek was undergoing a facelift. The region was slowly turning away from its violent, “manly” ways and turning towards a more “civilized” approach to life. During the period of the Dark Age, the Greeks lost about 90% of their population. Those that survived this time moved to the coastal regions and established cities. This new location provided the Greeks with a solid economy due to trade. Because of this change in economies, there was a greater need for labor specialization, meaning that the work that one did was no longer simply for the benefit of the family. With this new economy, your work had a direct impact on the community as a whole. Homer did not like this change, as he longed for the days in which men had to fend and fight for themselves, as well as the honor of their families. It is here that Homer writes The Iliad. As summarized in the Sourcebook, this epic poem tells the story of a ten-year long siege of the city of Troy (Backman) by mighty Greek warriors, led by brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus. Interestingly, this war was not fought for new land or riches, but because of a woman. Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, was the wife of Menelaus, however, she was abducted by Paris, prince of Troy. This then led to a long, and bloody …show more content…
They go to find out what their son will become, and they are told that there son is meant to kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified, the king and queen give the boy to a servant to kill the baby. However, the servant cannot bring himself to kill the baby. Years pass and the boy has grown up in another land, under the guidance of a different king and queen. He receives a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. To attempt to avoid this fate, he leaves this kingdom, and as he travels, he gets into an argument in a man on the road and kills him. This turns out to be his father (but he doesn’t know yet). The queen, now a widow, is looking to remarry, and ends up marrying Oedipus! It’s such an interesting story because the prophecy is still fulfilled despite efforts to prevent it from coming to be. This shows that in the ancient West you cannot escape the fate of the
This paper will explore the significance of fictional, legendary, and mythological texts. It will explain …show more content…
A prime example of this is Homer. When Homer began writing epic poems, Greek was undergoing a facelift. The region was slowly turning away from its violent, “manly” ways and turning towards a more “civilized” approach to life. During the period of the Dark Age, the Greeks lost about 90% of their population. Those that survived this time moved to the coastal regions and established cities. This new location provided the Greeks with a solid economy due to trade. Because of this change in economies, there was a greater need for labor specialization, meaning that the work that one did was no longer simply for the benefit of the family. With this new economy, your work had a direct impact on the community as a whole. Homer did not like this change, as he longed for the days in which men had to fend and fight for themselves, as well as the honor of their families. It is here that Homer writes The Iliad. As summarized in the Sourcebook, this epic poem tells the story of a ten-year long siege of the city of Troy (Backman) by mighty Greek warriors, led by brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus. Interestingly, this war was not fought for new land or riches, but because of a woman. Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, was the wife of Menelaus, however, she was abducted by Paris, prince of Troy. This then led to a long, and bloody …show more content…
They go to find out what their son will become, and they are told that there son is meant to kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified, the king and queen give the boy to a servant to kill the baby. However, the servant cannot bring himself to kill the baby. Years pass and the boy has grown up in another land, under the guidance of a different king and queen. He receives a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. To attempt to avoid this fate, he leaves this kingdom, and as he travels, he gets into an argument in a man on the road and kills him. This turns out to be his father (but he doesn’t know yet). The queen, now a widow, is looking to remarry, and ends up marrying Oedipus! It’s such an interesting story because the prophecy is still fulfilled despite efforts to prevent it from coming to be. This shows that in the ancient West you cannot escape the fate of the