Download Aim: What do Homer`s epics reveal about early Greek civilizations

Homework
• G-3 due Monday
• Essay due Wednesday
Aim #2: What do Homer’s epics reveal
about the values of ancient Greece?
Do Now: How would you define the word
honor? What characteristics should a person
demonstrate if they want to prove that they
have honor?
I. Rise of Homer (c. 750 B.C.) → Creates epic poems (long poems that
tell the honorable deeds of great heroes).
• The Iliad
↓
• The Odyssey
↓
About the victory of the
Mycenaean Greeks (1600
B.C. – 1100 B.C.) over
the people of Troy (Asia
Minor) in The
Trojan War.
About the travels of
Odysseus, a great warrior
returning home to Greece
after the war in Troy is
over.
Read the passage from The Iliad and
answer the following questions
• What does Hector believe is the honorable
thing to do in this situation? What does
Andromache believe is the honorable thing to
do? Who do you believe is right? Why?
• Based on this passage, what are Homer’s
expectations for men and women in Greek
society? How are they different?
The Iliad
• Interpret each of the following quotes. Then,
state which one you agree with and why:
– “Fate is a thing that no man born of woman,
coward or hero, can escape” (Hector in The
Iliad, 750 B.C.)
– “There is no fate but what we make” (Sarah
Conner in Terminator 2: Judgment Day,
1991 A.D.)
Video clip from Troy (2004)
• What does Priam request from Achilles in this
scene? Do you think his request is reasonable?
Why or why not?
• Is Priam correct in saying that “even enemies
can show respect” in times of war? Are there
“rules” in war that both sides should obey?
Concluding Question
• The epic poems of Homer came to be used as
basic texts for the education of generations of
Greek males. Why do think this was?