Transcript Greek Myth and Italy

Greek Myths and Italy
The Gabii Vase
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Found in Latium, dated to at least 800; new
dating technique to perhaps 950-980
Earliest artifact with Greek writing: euoin/eulin
Evidence of GreekTraders active at very early
age in Mediterranean;
Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet for the
development of the Greek script
Greek traders/explorers in Western
Mediterranean and colonization 9th-7th century
BC
Euboia
Ischia
Greeks in Italy
Greek colonies in Italy to secure important
resources (metals) and to protect trade
routes
 Euboians settled on Ischia (just across
from mouth of Tiber
 Route to Etruria (metal)
 Elba another source for metals
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Tiber Crossing – early Rome
Euboian settlement on Ischia: Pithekoussai
(Greek for - Monkey Island)
 River Tiber, aka Rumon, Albula, Tiberis
 Tyrrhenian = Greek for Etruscans
 Circe (Kirke – in Homer) – Kirkaion =
Circe’s island (Latin: Circeii) modern Monte
Circeo – was island in antiquity
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Trojan cycle of myths arrives in Italy
Trojan Cycle of stories: all myths associated with the
Trojan war: stories associated with cause for war; return
of Greek heroes; Trojan exiles (Aeneas, etc.);
 Odysseus – Etruscans called him ut(h)use,
 Latins: Ulixes (Ulysses)
 Greeks in Attica, Oiboia, Corinth: Olyteus or Olys(s)eos
 Island of Phaiakia – last stop of Odysseus before he
arrives back home in Ithaka and where he tells his
stories
 Pahiakia = Kerkyra = Corcyra = modern Corfu
 Several versions of Odysseus’ death in Italy: Etruria at
Cortona
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Trojan stories linking Greeks to Italy
Stories of Diomedes one of the Greek heroes fighting at
Troy– from Argos, angered Aphrodite by fighting Aeneas,
driven from Argos = ends up in Daunia (Eastern Italy)
 On his way kills dragon on Corcyra
 one version has him killed by king in Daunia
 In one version marries king Daunus’ daughter
 A son of Daunus was Turnus (Aeneid), king of the Rutuli
of Ardea
 Ardea = heron (the bird)
 Versions of these stories present all over Adriatic coast
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The theft of the Palladium
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Story involving Diomedes and Odysseus
Theft of Palladium - image of Pallas Athena from temple in Troy
Complex group of stories developed with first contact between
Italians and Greeks between 9th and 7th centuries.
One version includes Diomedes giving Palladion/Palladium to a
Trojan hero Nautes
Patrician Roman family of the Nautii associated its family with the
cult of Minerva (Athena) – Nautes was priest of Athene at Troy and
rescued the Palladium
The Nautii prominent in Roman politics in 5- 3rd century BC several
consuls
Customary of Roman patrician families to connect ancestry to one or
other Trojan hero.
Founding Myths
Eponymous heroes
Founding heroes
Telegonos (son of Circe and Odysseus) founded
Tusculum
 Rhomos – Rome
 Anteia – Antium
 Ardeias – Ardea
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Circe founded Roman chariot races: Circus
Maximus – racetrack
 6th century BC – Roman games introduces =
origin of story
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Dionysos arrives
Gabii vase graffiti = eyoin or eyain =
 A Greek name of Dionuso = Euios -f rom
cry euoi in rituals
 Etruscans: Fufluns
 In Latin: Liber Pater , Dionysius
 Over time the cult of Dionysios quite
popular in Italy; Scandal and expulsion in
160s BC; complex history in Roman Italy
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