HMC 210 - Midterm Essays

Question 1 -  Discuss the major similarities and differences between Minoans on Crete and the Mycenaeans on the Greek mainland.  Use specific examples and descriptions of myths, art, and architecture to support your answers. Also, what contributions were made by Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans?

               The Minoans settled Crete in the Early Bronze Age (about 3000-2000 B.C.E.) but the society reached their heyday around 1600-1400 B.C.E. with the construction of the Palace of Minos at Cnossus, first excavated first by Sir Arthur Evans in the late 19^th century/early 20^th century.  The artifacts from Crete show that the Minoans had “a highly developed sense of religion” (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 41) with heavy importance placed on the use of bulls in ritual, the presence of a serpent goddess, and the significance of a double axe, called a labrys.  The palace had no walls, indicating that the inhabitants probably relied on their abilities as seafarers for their military strength, but it’s intricate, winding paths potentially gave rise to the myth of the labyrinth.  Indeed, the artifact “Snake Goddess” (Snake Goddess from the Palace at Cnossos) depicts a bare-breasted woman holding a snake in each hand.  This figure is wearing an elaborate skirt and headdress.  Discovered by Sir Arthur Evans in 1903, it is largely believed that this figure represents an earth-based, mother-goddess worship.  There are similar figurines also recovered that have snakes curling up around the mother-goddess figure, lending itself to the idea that snakes were somehow important to the culture.  However, scientists haven’t thus far been able to decipher the meaning of the iconography.

               Around the same time as the height of Minoan civilization, Indo-Europeans arrived in mainland Greece and became the first Greek civilization, called the Mycenaeans.  The Myceneans were a soldier city state, discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the late 19^th century.  “I have looked on the face of Agamemnon,” said Schliemann when he first uncovered the gold treasures in the shaft graves of the main complex at Mycenae (Classical Mythology: Its Origins and Impact), including a gold death mask.  Heavily fortified walls dominate the landscape of the citadel, said to have been so “huge and monumental” that legend stated they were built by the Cyclopes of mythology (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 44).

               What Schliemann discovered when he excavated the site at Mycenae was that the mainland inhabitants of Mycenae had learned a lot from the Minoans on Crete.  The art, palaces, and pottery are strikingly similar, indicating that the two cultures were influencing each other.  Despite their similarities, there are striking differences between the two cultures.  As described above, the Myceneans were a soldier culture with heavily fortified city walls, while the Minoans relied more on their Naval abilities to protect themselves.  The Myceneans also worshipped a singular sky god (believed to be Zeus), while the Minoans are thought to be a female goddess-based culture.  Clay tablets with cuneiform writing have been discovered in great quantity at various Mycenean sites, with translations indicating that this culture was the first to worship the classical Greek gods as we know them.   

Archaeologists have conducted excavations on the nearby island of Thera (presently Santorini) proving that there was a massive earthquake in the region and subsequent volcanic eruption that potentially explains the downfall of the Minoan civilization.  This is only one of many possible reasons for the end to their society, including war with Mycenaean people. 

Question 2 - Contrast the character, activities, and influence of Poseidon and Athena.  Refer to at least one myth and at least one work of art/architecture for each god/goddess, for a total of four or more specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

Poseidon and Athena, at first glance, have very little in common.  Poseidon was amorous; Athena chaste. Poseidon ruled the sea; Athena was the goddess of weaving and crafts.  Poseidon a god of fertility; Athena the goddess of virginity.  However, both were the deities of war, and both vied for control of Attica.

Poseidon is detailed in our text as being “a majestic, bearded figure… generally more severe and rough (than brother Zeus) to illustrate his tempestuous nature” (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 168). In the Mosaic “Neptune in his Chariot” (Neptune in His Chariot), we see that Poseidon is presented as an older man, with wild hair and a long beard.  He is athletically fit and bearing his trident, a symbol of his sea-bearing nature, given to him (in one myth) by the Cyclopes, in his left hand, and what appears to be a fish in his right hand.  Driving his chariot through the waves are four horses, leaping out of the sea.  To his left is a naked sea nymph, who is holding one of the reigns, and to his right is a Triton.

Poseidon was said to be able to control the waves of the ocean, and Greek seafarers prayed to him for safe passage (Poseidon: Master of the Seas). According to mythology, Poseidon was the result of the union between Rhea and Cronus.  Cronus had been given a prophecy that said the son of this union would rise to overthrow the father.  As a result, Cronus ate any child that Rhea presented to him.  Fearing the lives of her children, Rhea presented her husband with a foal instead of her son, Poseidon. 

Athena, according to Homer, was born from Zeus’ head, completely grown, wearing full battle dress complete with spear, shield, and helmet (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 176).  “Athena (possessed) the prudence and wisdom of her mother, Metis, but also the intelligence of her father, Zeus” (Athena, Armed Wisdom).  She is considered to be wiser and more rational that her male counterparts.  Our text describes her as “beautiful, with a severe and aloof kind of loveliness that is masculine and striking” (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 187). In the painting “Pallas Athena” by Gustav Klimt (Klimt), we see a figure that is both masculine in features and feminine in details.  The gold war helmet and battle dress are indicative of her status as a goddess of war, while holding a Nike, the symbol of victory, in her right hand.  Her expression is void, and she seems to be staring beyond the viewer. 

In the video “Athena, Armed Wisdom,” it is told that Zeus decided that the gods all needed a city that was “exclusively dedicated to them” (Athena, Armed Wisdom) Athena and Poseidon both laid claim to Attica.  Their king, Cecrops, is summoned as mediator and decides that he will dedicate his city to the god who gives the most useful gift. Poseidon, arrogantly assuming that he will win the contest, throws down his trident and creates a great lake. He then offers the king an invincible war horse, and states that he will give them military victory and entertainment.  Athena bestows an olive tree and offers the city peace and agriculture, stating that the olive tree will feed Attica’s inhabitants for generations.  The people of Attica choose peace over war with the town’s women being the deciding factor.  They rename their city Athens in honor of their chosen deity.  This enrages Poseidon and he threatens to drown the city, until Zeus intervenes and forbids him.

Question 3 -   Select a myth we’ve studied, with a corresponding work of art or architecture, for each of the following common themes in classical mythology.  (Discuss three different myths, one for each theme.) Be sure to support your ideas with specific examples and descriptions.

a.      Didactic

b.      Love (familial or romantic, positive or negative)

                      c.     Entertaining/humorous

In Ancient Greece, myths about gods were used to convey messages to the people.  Some of these myths were told to convey a shared morality, some described love, and still others were purely for entertainment.  These myths carried with them descriptions of the culture in which they were told, as the Greeks believed their deities were like themselves – fallible and emotional, but with superhuman powers and immortality.

The myth of Icarus and his father, Daedalus, is an example of a didactic myth.  This myth has been told time and time again because it is an example of how youthful naivety and arrogance can be fatal.  It cautions young Greeks to listen to their elders, and not fly so close to the sun.  According to the video, “Daedalus and Icarus, A Shattered Dream” (Daedalus and Icarus, A Shattered Dream—The Great Greek Myths), Daedalus had constructed a labyrinth to hold the Minotaur created when King Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, became impregnated by a bull.  However, King Minos trapped Daedalus and his son Icarus in the labyrinth when he assisted Thesus in defeating the Minotaur.  Daedalus, called “a skilled craftsman and inventor” in our text, (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 601-602) created wings made from bird feathers and wax, to affix to his son and himself so that they could fly out of the labyrinth where they were trapped.  Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sea or the sun, knowing there were dangers involved in this mission.  As soon as they took flight, Icarus ignored his father’s warnings and started flying higher and higher, close to the sun.  This caused the wax on Icarus’ wings to melt, which ultimately lead to his death at sea.  In the painting, “The Fall of Icarus” by Pieter Brueghl the Elder, Icarus is being absorbed by the sea, as the people around the coast continued on with their chores. This is indicative of Ovid’s description of the myth in his writing “Metamorphoses” (Morford, Lenardon and Sham) that the onlookers thought that Icarus and Daedalus flying over must mean that they are gods, and then returned to their work as Icarus fell (Morford, Lenardon and Sham 601).  It indicated that the consequences of ignoring the sage advice of our elders would end in tragedy.

Even among the gods, love did not always end well.  Indeed, many of the love stories in Greek mythology were tragic.  Orpheus is a great example of a myth that details a love story with a tragic ending.  Orpheus fell in love with a wood nymph named Eurydice.  In our text (pp. 384-388), Ovid explains that the God of Marriage, Hymen, was beset with inexplicable problems at the wedding, a sign of bad omens to the union.  In the video “Orpheus, a Hymn of Impossible Love” (Orpheus, A Hymn of Impossible Love—The Great Greek Myths), we learn that, while napping under a tree, a young shepherd named Aristaeus attempted to embrace her.  She woke up and ran to get away, when she was bitten by a snake and killed.  Orpheus then went to the underworld to get her back.  After hearing his impassioned plea, Hades released Eurydice on the condition that Orpheus lead her out and not look at his wife until the light of day fell upon him.  Towards the end of the journey, just before reaching the end, Orpheus looks back upon his wife. She is then taken back into the underworld.  In the marble relief entitled “Orpheus, Eurydice, and Hermes,” we see how the Greeks, and later, the Romans, viewed this tale of star-crossed lovers.  Orpheus looks upon his bride with care and affection, her hand on his shoulder, but she is holding the hand of Hermes behind her back, who is preparing to take her back to the underworld, as Orpheus defied the directions. 

Finally, some Greek myths were just for show.  One such myth is the Birth of Athena.  After getting Metis pregnant, Zeus goads his first wife to shapeshift into a drop of water. Zeus then swallows her. Shortly after, he has a severe headache. Hephaestus comes to Zeus’ aid and cracks his head open with an axe.  Athena then emerges, in full battle regalia. This myth is humorous because it takes aim at the supreme ruler of all Greek gods, Zeus.  He tries to manipulate a situation to benefit himself only to have it backfire in his face, when his assumed son turns out to be Athena.  This myth was so important to the people of Athens that when they built the Parthenon, they carved the myth into the Eastern pediment. My personal favorite of these sculptures, “The Three Goddesses,” was described in the Kahn Academy video entitled “Parthenon sculptures, frieze: 438-432 B.C.E., pediment.” (Phidias) Though headless and largely limbless, the exquisite detail in the sculpture depicting three goddesses at rest during the birth of Athena, just draws me in. From the soft curves to the draping clothing that hugs the form. 

 

Works Cited

Athena, Armed Wisdom. ARTE France. 2015. Documentary Film. <http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=120477>.

Brueghel, the Elder, Pieter. The Fall of Icarus. 1558. Brussels. oil on canvas.

Classical Mythology: Its Origins and Impact. Prod. James Bride. 1999. Educational Video. 16 01 2019. <http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=8972>.

"Daedalus and Icarus, A Shattered Dream—The Great Greek Myths." 05 10 2016. InfoBase Films on Demand. ARTE France. Documentary Film. 27 01 2019. <fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18515&xtid=120479>.

Klimt, Gustav. Pallas Athena. 1898. Vienna Museum, Vienna. oil on canvas.

Morford, Mark P.O., Robert J. Lenardon and Michael Sham. Classical Mythology. 11th. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Neptune in His Chariot. Early 2^nd Century. Mosaic.

Orpheus, A Hymn of Impossible Love—The Great Greek Myths. ARTE France. 2016. 08 02 2019. <http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=114927>.

Orpheus, Eurydice, and Hermes. The Altar of the Twelve Gods, Athens. Marble Relief.

Phidias. The Three Goddesses. 432 B.C.E. London. Marble frieze.

Poseidon: Master of the Seas. John McGreevy Productions. 1995. Documentary Film. 17 02 2019. <http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=32804>.

Snake Goddess from the Palace at Cnossos. 1600 B.C.E. Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. Glazed earthenware figure.

Score: 75/75

Prof comments: MLA - should have been double spaced.