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Greek Culture
and the Trojan War
Why do we learn about Greek mythology,
Greek Culture, and
a Greek and Turkish war???
The roots of Western Culture
• Go back to the Greeks and the Romans –
myths and legends
• We are a culture of believing in a higher being,
battles, survival, rivalry, challenges, heroes,
identity, being unique, etc.
• What is mythology? What is theology?
What is a myth?
• A myth is a traditional story, which may
describe the origins of the world and/or of a
people. A myth is an attempt to explain
mysteries, supernatural events, and cultural
traditions.
What is a legend?
• A legend is a story purported to be historical
in nature, but without substantiation.
Prominent examples include: King Arthur,
Blackbeardand Robin Hood.
The Epic Hero
• Refer to Epic Hero PowerPoint/handout
Western Culture
vs.
Eastern Culture
Western Culture
Western Culture
• The origins or foundation of European and
American culture
• Began with ancient Mesopotamia and ancient
Greece
• Developed into cultures such as Greek,
Roman, Hebrew (Judaism) which later spread
to Europe and the Americas
Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
• The region is often called the cradle of
civilization; it saw the development of many of
the earliest human civilizations. Some of its
technological inventions (but not necessarily
first nor uniquely) are writing, glass, the wheel
and the use of irrigation. The earliest known
western civilizations manifestly arose and
flourished using the water supplies and
agricultural resources available in the Fertile
Crescent.
Current map
Evidence is Everywhere!
Homer the Poet – a figure
whom we attribute the
writings to
Evidence is everywhere!
The Trojan War
The Trojan War: A Real War
The real reason the Acheans (Greeks) battled
against the Trojans (Troy is in modern-day
Turkey) is probably because of trade routes
by sea
The Trojan War: A mythological war
• The Greeks kept the stories of the war alive and shared
it for generations through song
• The song is an oral tradition of story telling
• A man who was given the name “Homer” is credited
with having made the history of the war into two songs
called The Illiad and The Odyssey
The Illiad
• Tells the story of what happens before and during the
Trojan War.
• Focuses on how Helen is stolen from Greece by Paris
• Helen’s husband Meneleus is angered and sends an
army to get her back
• The army includes heroes like Ajax, Achilles, and
Odysseus
Mythology
• Stories that explain nature and natural
occurrences
Example: There are different seasons on earth
because Hades takes the goddess of plant fertility
to the underworld for half the year.
The Gods
The Gods
• To explain why people win and lose in life, and to
explain natural happenings, the ancient Greeks
developed a complicated religion where the Gods
interacted with each other, and got involved in
the lives of regular people
The Gods
• Gods had romantic relationships, argued, fought
in battle, and expressed their emotions through
nature.
For example: If there was a thunderstorm or a storm
at sea, the gods were probably angry
Creation of The world
In the beginning, there was CHAOS
Then came GAIA (Earth), Eros (love), Oranos
(Sky)
Oranos and Gaia produced THE TITANS: Coeus,
Crius, Cronus, Hyperion, Iapetus, and
Oceanus; and six females: Mnemosyne,
Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis, and Tethys.
Cronus and Rhea
• Cronus (Time) was the last Titan to be born
• Cronus and his sister Rhea gave birth to Zeus, Hera,
Hades, Poseidon, and others
• Cronus was afraid a son of his would destroy him, so
he ate all his children
• Rhea protected Zeus, and eventually Zeus got Cronus
to vomit the other children and he destroyed Cronus
Zeus and his Siblings
After a war with the TITANS the 3 brothers drew lots and:
• Zeus became Supreme ruler of the gods and god of the
sky
• Poseidon (brother) became god of the seas
• Hades (brother) became god of the underworld
The Olympic Gods
Zeus: Jupiter
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Supreme ruler of Gods, God of the Sky and Rain , Cloud-gather
Son of Cronos and Rhea
Wife: Hera, his sister
Animal: Eagle
Symbols: Oak Tree,
Weapons against Titans
– Thunderbolt
– Aegis (breastplate)
Hera: Juno
• Goddess of Married Women
– Protector of marriage
– Wife/sister of Zeus
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Daughter of Cronos & Rhea
Bad temper
Animal: Cow & Peacock
City: Argos
Symbol: Gold crown
Poseidon: Neptune
• God of the Sea, Earth-shaker
• Son of Cronos & Rhea
• Bad Temper
• Brother of Zeus/hades
• Animal: Horse
• Weapon against Titans:
Trident
• Relationship with
Amphitrite, but lover of many
Hades: Pluto
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Brother of Zeus
God of Underworld
God of Wealth
Weapon Against Titans:
helmet (invisibility)
• Wife: Persephone
• Symbolic Object: Helmet of
darkness, Cerberus
(Three-headed Dog)
Athena: Minerva
• Goddess of wisdom and battles
• Daughter of zeus
– His favorite
– Carried his Aegis
• Defender of the State,
• Goddess of the City,
grey-eyed goddess, Chief Maiden,
protector of weavers
• first tamed horses
• Temple: Parthenon
• Embody: wisdom, reason, purity
• Tree: Olive
• Bird: Owl
Apollo: Phoebus
• Twin of Artemis
• God of light, Sun, truth, Medicine,
Healing, dance
• Link btwn men & gods
• Archer-god, Healer, God of Light, God
of Truth, sun god, Pythian, God of
artists
• City: Delos
• Symbols:
Instrument: lyre
Weapon: Silver bow
Tree: Laurel
Animal: snake
Artemis: Diana
• Twin of Apollo
• Goddess of the Hunt, Lady of Wild
Things, Protector of Young, Goddess
of the Moon, the Huntress
• Selene in sky, Artemis on earth,
Hectate in lower world
• Maiden-Goddess
• Tree: cypress
• Animal: all esp. deer
• Weapon: silver arrows
Aphrodite: Venus
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Goddess of Love and Beauty
Born of sea foam
City: Cyprus
Husband: Hephaestus
Tree: Myrtle
Bird: dove, swan, sparrow
Hermes: Mercury
• Grandfather: Atlas
• Weapons: winged sandals and
hat, Caduceus (magic wand)
• Messenger God, Master Thief,
God of Commerce and the
Market, Divine Herald to
underworld
• Created Apollo’s lyre
Ares: Mars
• God of War
• Posse
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Sister=Eris (Discord)
Nephew=Strife
Goddess of War (Enyo)
sons Terror, Trembling, and Panic
• From Thrace (rude people)
• Bird: Vulture
• Animal: Dog
Hephaestus: Vulcan
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God of Fire
Ugly and handicapped
Volcano
Patrons of handicrafts, weapons
and smiths
• Son of Hera
Hestia: Vesta
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Goddess of the Hearth
Symbol: the home
Virgin goddess
Every city dedicated a hearth
fire to her
• Olympics honor her
Demeter: Ceres
• Goddess of the Grain
• Daughter: Persephone
• Brother/Son-in-law:
Hades
• City: Eleusis
• Symbol: Grain/wheat, corn silk
hair
• Drink: barley water
Dionysus: Bacchus
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God of Wine, God of the Vine
Symbol: Vine
City: Thebes
A feared god
Two sides: ecstatic joy and
savage brutality
• Gave man hope
Medusa (Gorgon/monster)
• Was once a beautiful
maiden
• Her hair was
transformed into
serpents by Athena who
was jealous
• Anyone who looked at
her would turn to stone
• Perseus cut off her head
Perseus (demi-god)
• A Greek Hero
• Beheaded Medusa
• Saved and married
Andromeda
• Son of Zeus and a
mortal woman named
Danae
• Flew around using
winged sandals (like
hermes)