CLA 2323 lec 1

Who brought the first writing system to the ancient Greeks in the 700s BC?

The Phoenicians (modern-day Lebanese).

What was the major limitation of the original Phoenician script?

It was an "implied script" that contained only consonants and no vowels.

How did the Greeks adapt the Phoenician script to make it suitable for literature and poetry?

They invented and added symbols for vowels.

What is Boustrophedon?

An early Greek writing style where the direction alternates line by line (right-to-left, then left-to-right), mimicking an ox plowing a field.

What was the primary, original purpose of ancient Greek calendars?

They were religious tools used to track and mark specific festival days dedicated to the gods.

How did the ancient Greeks define Mythos?

A story, speech, or plot featuring divine beings that occurs outside of standard time and geography (e.g., the Clash of the Titans).

How did the ancient Greeks define Logos?

A legend or folktale grounded in the distant human past featuring human characters. It is considered plausible but unverified (e.g., the Trojan War).

How did the ancient Greeks define Historia?

An investigation into the verifiable past based on facts, dates, and eyewitness accounts (e.g., the Persian Wars).

True or False: The ancient Greeks considered Zeus to be a "myth."

False. They considered Zeus to be a mythological character within a myth.

What is the technical definition of the word "mythology"?

The academic study of myths, not the myths themselves.

What is the underlying communal purpose of a myth?

To act as societal memory, passing down morals, taboos, and behavioral expectations to the next generation.

What does "continuum" mean in the context of Greek storytelling?

A unified plot timeline that allows for simultaneous events to occur (the concept of "meanwhile…").

What is a "dramatic need" in Greek mythology?

A compelling reason or goal a character must achieve, which is rooted in conflict and drives the plot forward.

What narrative technique does Homer's The Odyssey use to successfully distort time?

Flashbacks.

What does it mean that the Greeks "anthropomorphized" their gods?

They gave their deities strict human forms, distinct physical attributes, and detailed background stories, rather than treating them as amorphous concepts (like "Father Sky").

Why were the Greek gods NOT considered behavioral role models by the ancient Greeks?

Because the gods are immortal and face no consequences, allowing them to act immorally (e.g., incest, infidelity) without punishment.

Why are Greek gods rarely depicted as truly omnipotent (all-powerful)?

Because an all-powerful being would eliminate all conflict and dramatic need, making storytelling impossible.

How were Greek myths originally transmitted before the invention of the Greek alphabet?

Orally, by traveling bards and storytellers who sang or recited them.

Why did orally transmitted myths frequently contradict one another?

Because oral storytelling is organic; stories naturally evolved and changed as different bards told them over multiple days or to different audiences.

What happens to a myth once it is finally written down?

It becomes "frozen in time" and ceases to organically evolve alongside the changing needs of society.

Once myths were written down and frozen, who stepped in to reinterpret these old stories for new, contemporary Greek audiences?

Greek tragedians (playwrights).

How does Greek mythology differ from the sacred texts of modern major religions regarding dogma?

Greek myths are not rigid dogma; the Greeks accepted and embraced contradictory versions of the same story existing at the same time.

Provide an example of a Greek myth that has vastly different, contradictory written versions.

The story of Phaedra. Euripides wrote her as a deeply human, conflicted character, while Seneca wrote her as a selfish temptress.