Comparing Homer's Iliad And Mesopotamia

Identity has and will always be an integral part of personal acceptance and societal expectations. The values that one holds dear are of the utmost importance in determining one’s identity as both an individual and member of society. Through believing in the same values, a strong, unified society can be created, however, believing in different values within one society can cause weakness and internal conflicts. Both of the civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient
Mesopotamia are considered to be substantial, unyielding societies, built around their own values and beliefs. One can study and make inferences about these societies and their respective beliefs through the analysis of primary literary sources, such as Homer’s Iliad and the Epic …show more content…
As a result of their heinous act, the gods determine that “as compensation, one of the two heroes must die”, and that night, Enkidu passes in his sleep. Had the two men not killed the bull, then both would have lived. Ergo, karmic consequences are equally feared and valued in ancient Greek and Mesopotamian societies.
In conclusion, ancient Greek civilizations are centred around loyalty and trust, as well as facing the karmic consequences if one fails to do so. In many ways, these are the qualities of good leadership, and as Achilles and Agamemnon are believed to be the two of the leaders of
Achaea, to have these attributes truly makes a better functioning society. The people of Achaea look to these men for guidance and aid, and if they cannot trust them to do their due diligence as leaders of the people, how is their society expected to survive? Without an unyielding authoritative unit, unified through the same values, internal conflicts will arise and cause disintegration of the society from within. Comparably, the ancient Mesopotamian civilization focuses on seizing the day and karmic retribution, from this we can infer that the people of