A shield is usually used to protect something from outside. However, in Homer’s Iliad, a shield reveals what Ancient Greek society is to the world. This shield leaves the Greeks vulnerable and exposed for interpretation. The life, values, and challenges of Ancient Greek society are symbolically described. The description of Achilles’ shield reveals that Ancient Greek society is a monotheistic, resourceful, and imperfect community.
Ancient Greek society is known to use their environment to obtain resources for their daily lives. According to the description of Achilles’ shield, Hephaestus makes a “soft and fallow field, [a] fertile spacious farmland (Homer 667-668).” On this land, they are able to grow crops, corn, and wheat so Greeks can have …show more content…
In the Iliad, Hephaestus “[hammers] out the earth, the heavens, the sea, the untiring sun, the moon at the full, along with every constellation (Homer 600-603).” These different aspects of the world serves as symbolism for their gods because there is a god for the earth, heavens, sea, sun, moon, and stars like Gaea and Poseidon. This reveals that Greeks believe in monotheism, which is a significant feature about their religion. Not only did they find importance with their gods, Greek society also values the products they grew on their land such as grapes. For example, Hephaestus places “a vineyard, full of grapes made of splendid gold (Homer 690-691)” on the shield. This vineyard is important to Greeks because they are able to create wine from the grapes. Wine is valued in this society because it is a part of their culture. They use wine during occasions such as festivals and social gatherings likewise for religious and medical purposes. Additionally, art is significant to Ancient Greek society because it serves as an outlet for expression and unity. An art piece that would allow the society to have these features is the “elaborately crafted dancing floor (Homer 722)” that Hephaestus designs on the shield. On the dance floor, young men and women would “line up and run towards each other” while they “[enjoy] the dancing magic (Homer 734-735).” The dance floor is meaningful because it allows Greeks to take pleasure in social gatherings or festivals. This art form gives them a place to let loose and come together as they enjoy each other’s company. Overall, the shield exposes a variety of significances that Ancient Greek society has, which makes it distinguishable from other
Ancient Greek society is known to use their environment to obtain resources for their daily lives. According to the description of Achilles’ shield, Hephaestus makes a “soft and fallow field, [a] fertile spacious farmland (Homer 667-668).” On this land, they are able to grow crops, corn, and wheat so Greeks can have …show more content…
In the Iliad, Hephaestus “[hammers] out the earth, the heavens, the sea, the untiring sun, the moon at the full, along with every constellation (Homer 600-603).” These different aspects of the world serves as symbolism for their gods because there is a god for the earth, heavens, sea, sun, moon, and stars like Gaea and Poseidon. This reveals that Greeks believe in monotheism, which is a significant feature about their religion. Not only did they find importance with their gods, Greek society also values the products they grew on their land such as grapes. For example, Hephaestus places “a vineyard, full of grapes made of splendid gold (Homer 690-691)” on the shield. This vineyard is important to Greeks because they are able to create wine from the grapes. Wine is valued in this society because it is a part of their culture. They use wine during occasions such as festivals and social gatherings likewise for religious and medical purposes. Additionally, art is significant to Ancient Greek society because it serves as an outlet for expression and unity. An art piece that would allow the society to have these features is the “elaborately crafted dancing floor (Homer 722)” that Hephaestus designs on the shield. On the dance floor, young men and women would “line up and run towards each other” while they “[enjoy] the dancing magic (Homer 734-735).” The dance floor is meaningful because it allows Greeks to take pleasure in social gatherings or festivals. This art form gives them a place to let loose and come together as they enjoy each other’s company. Overall, the shield exposes a variety of significances that Ancient Greek society has, which makes it distinguishable from other