Homeric society
The term Homeric Society is used to describe society in the writings of the 8th century BC. Chr. Living poet Homer to describe. Its epics reflect a highly structured society. It is primarily characterized by agonistic behavior .
Building society
Homeric society is divided into an elite of noble origin ( Greek ἄριστοι , áristoi, cf. also aristocracy ) and a mass of free peasants ( δῆμος , démos) . In turn, a small top group of the elite sets itself apart, namely "heroes" such as B. Achilles , Hector or Odysseus . These heroes can always look back on a glorious number of ancestors, who distinguished themselves in particular through great deeds in war. Some of them even have a divine ancestor or are directly descended from the gods. The ancestral lines of the heroes are often recited in Homer's epics. However, they have no other function than underpinning the hero's claims to be different from his peers. In the Homeric society, the elite not yet completed after down status is.
Oikoi
In addition, the elite of Homeric society is divided into individual houses ( οἶκοι , oíkoi ). This describes the entire household, which includes all family members and slaves in addition to material goods. The house is therefore a social and economic unit headed by a patriarch over the wife, the unmarried children and slaves. In addition, in the Homeric epics, free followers of the "hero" also live in an oikos. These followers do various household chores in peacetime or follow the Lord into war. The Lord's wealth is always associated with individual proficiency, especially in war. If he was good at war, he was also rich and respected.
lifestyle
Homer's heroes live in a property that consists of a walled courtyard, stables, pantries, a vestibule and a large hall ( μέγαρον , mégaron ). These are often decorated with depictions of athletic competitions. In the Homeric elite, dinners are held and gifts are exchanged between the individual members. The values of the elite are heroism, wealth, luxury, competition and honor.
Beyond that lies the world of free farmers. However, this is only rarely described in the Homeric epics. However, the rural property differs from that of the elite only in the number of properties and the size. The structure was basically the same. The farmers in Homer's epics are personally free and they are the owners of the land they cultivate. They only pay taxes to an aristocrat, the so-called βασιλεύς , (basileus) . In return, this organizes festivals for the community.
See also
literature
- Hans-Joachim Gehrke and Helmuth Schneider (eds.): Geschichte der Antike , Stuttgart, Weimar, and Metzler 2000, ISBN 3-476-01455-X
- Christoph Ulf: The Homeric Society. Materials for analytical description and historical localization , Munich 1990, ISBN 3-406-344097
- Hartmut Blum: The "Homeric Society". Aristocratic rule or "big-man society"? , in: Anatolia in the light of cultural interactions. Acculturation phenomena in Asia Minor and its neighboring regions during the 2nd and 1st millennium BC Chr., Ed. v. Hilmar Klinkott, Tübingen 2001, pp. 25-40.
- AG Geddes: Who's Who in 'Homeric' Society? , in: The Classical Quarterly. New Series, 34/1 (1984), pp. 17-36.
- Anthony McElrea Snodgrass: An Historical Homeric Society , in: The Journal of Hellenic Studies 94 (1974), pp. 114-125.
- James Thomas Hooker: Homeric Society: A Shame-Culture? , in: Greece & Rome. Second Series, 34/2 (1987), pp. 121-125.
- Kurt A. Raaflaub: “A Historian's Headache: How to Read 'Homeric Society'?” , in: Archaic Greece: New Evidence and New Approaches, ed. v. NRE Fisher / H. van Wees, London 1998, pp. 169-193.