Mycenaean Ruins

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Mycenaean Ruins

• The Lion Gate
• (main entrance to the citadel at Mycenae)

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Mycenaean Ruins
The Golden Death Mask of Agamemnon (mask of an
Aegean king found at Mycenae)
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Epic Poetry The Odyssey

• Like The Iliad, is about Mycenaeans
• Odysseus imprisoned for 7 years by a sea nymph
• Zeus eventually allows him to return home
• Story includes many interactions with gods

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Whats mythology?

• Refers to the (usually) oral retelling of myths
• Myths are stories that cultures share. In many
  cases, they offer explanations for
• Natural events
• The state of humanity
• The origins of the universe
• Historical events
• The mythology of ancient Greece serves these
  purposes

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Greek Mythology

• Believed all nature contained gods/goddesses? the
  natural world was alive
• Gods lived on Mt. Olympus
• Difference between gods and humans IMMORTALITY
  and MORTALITY
• Gods could and did marry mortals
• stories about Olympian deities reflect the
  human world of ancient Greeceits understanding
  of nature, its personal relationships, and its
  wars.
• Barry R. Katz, Ph.D. Adjunct Assistant
  Professor of Classics at New York University, in
  Alice Lows Greek Gods and Heros.

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Greek Gods vs Mortals

• Gods anthropomorphic like humans in every
  way (emotionally, physically, intellectually)
• EXCEPT (1) didnt work, (2) didnt die, (3)
  more powerful than humans
• The gods werent (1) omniscient all-knowing,
  (2) omnipotent all-powerful, (3) omnipresent
  everywhere at once

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Deities
Apollo
Zeus
Athena
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More Deities
Poseidon
Dionysus
Zeus
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Deities, Deities Everywhere!!!
Ares
Aphrodite
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Deities

• Important to please gods so built temples like
  the Parthenon and conducted sacrifices
• 20,000 tons of marble
• would cost more than 1 billion to build today

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Ok, sowhich ones do you need to know?
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Homework

• 1) For Friday, list out all the 12 Olympians
  their roles.
• 2) For Monday, Greek God Trading Card is due.