Transcript Greek Mythology Intro

Greek Mythology
Folk Stories of the Greek gods and
goddesses
Where in the world is
GREECE?
• The capital city is
Athens
• It is famous for
beautiful beaches
and sea!
The Climate
The Mediterranean
Sea affects the
Greek climate:
• cooling the air in
summer
• providing warmth
in winter.
Agriculture
Olive grove in rocky Greek soil
Agriculture
• Good climate but bad terrain (very
mountainous)
– Hilly ground: grapes
– Rocky soil: olives
– Good soil: corn and wheat
• Sea was very important
– Homer describes various fishing
methods using hooks, nets, and
harpoon in both the Iliad and the
Odyssey
The Ancient
Greek People:
Religion and
Education
Temple of Apollo
Oracle at Delphi
What is Greek
Mythology?
• Greek Mythology is a collection of
stories that Greeks used to explain
their world.
• Greek myths are fiction, but the
Greeks believed they were true.
The Greeks and Their
Beliefs
• The Greeks had many gods.
• The Olympian gods were mostly
portrayed as physically strong, beautiful
and intelligent.
• Both good and evil comes from the gods.
• Heroes and monsters came from the
gods.
The gods and goddesses
of Mt. Olympus
• Mt. Olympus was the
largest mountain in
Greece. It was the
home of the gods and
goddesses.
• gods and goddesses
were immortal, they
could not die.
• No humans were
allowed on top of Mt.
Olympus, but the
Olympians were
allowed on Earth.
Mt. Olympus
Greek gods
• Zeus’s court
included scores of
subordinate
deities who had
various
responsibilities
Poseidon:
Sea,
Earthquakes
Athena:
Wisdom, War
Apollo:
Truth, Light,
Music, Healing
• Chief god
• Lord of sky
• God of thunder &
lightening
• Wife and sister of
Zeus
• Goddess of
marriage,
protector of
childbirth &
heroes
• Portrayed as
extremely jealous
and mean
•God of the
sea and
earthquakes
• god of light, music
and poetry
• most beautiful god
• also the god of
medicine
• taught people the art
of healing
• fine marksman
• could predict the
future
• Zeus’ favorite
• goddess of
wisdom, strategy,
protector of cities
and civilizations
• goddess of
handicrafts and
art
• Zeus’ graceful,
happy son
• Very
mischievous and
tricky
• Zeus’
messenger
• Wore winged
sandals and a
winged cap
• Goddess of love and
beauty
• Goddess of desire
• Wherever she
walked flowers
sprang up beneath
her feet
• she appeared from
the foam of the sea
• Her son is Eros
(Cupid)
The Greek gods and
goddesses
Homer
• Epic: a long poem which
tells a story involving gods,
heroes, and heroic exploits
• Iliad: Greek perspective
on the war against Troy in
the 12th Century B.C.
• Odyssey: Experiences of
the Greek hero Odysseus
as he sailed home after
the Trojan
The walls of Troy VI
In Search of the Trojan War, pp. 74
Troy VI from the North
In Search of the Trojan War, pp. 204
Reconstruction of Troy VI - 13th century
In Search of the Trojan War, pp. 204
Trojan War
• About 1200 B.C., the
Mycenaeans fought the
Trojan War with the city of
Troy in Anatolia
• At the same time, foreigners
invaded the Mycenaean
homeland
• From 1100 to 800 B.C.,
chaos reigned throughout the
eastern Mediterranean
• In the absence of a
centralized state or empire,
local institutions took the lead
in restoring political order to
Greece
– City-states
The Trojan Horse