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Homework answers / question archive / Essay 1 -Compare and contrast Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations; to evaluate the geographical setting on the Aegean civilizations; to assess the archeological contributions to the rediscovery of early civilizations
Essay 1 -Compare and contrast Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations; to evaluate the geographical setting on the Aegean civilizations; to assess the archeological contributions to the rediscovery of early civilizations.
Essay 2- Assess the significance of Homer to the Greek cultural experience; analyze the central role that the polis played in ancient Greece; to evaluate the claim that fifth-century Greece was a "golden age."
The Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations
The Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations existed during the bronze age. Although the two civilizations existed in different periods with different cultures, they were not entirely independent. Among the two, the Minoan civilization was older and existed between c.2000-c.1500 BCE (Cartwright, 2018). This civilization was based in the Eastern Mediterranean on the Island of Crete. On the other hand, the Mycenaean civilization existed in the late bronze age, especially between the 15th to 13th centuries BCE. Its influence spread across the Aegean, from Cycladic islands to Crete (Macquire, 2020). It also extended across Peloponnese in Greece. Its name arose from the city of Mycenae, which was a crucial city in that era (Cartwright, 2019). The two civilizations exhibited many differences in their cultural practices, such as religious beliefs, architectural designs, art and craftsmanship, burial practices, and trade. However, despite the variations in different spheres of life, the two civilizations exhibited interconnectedness and transfer of cultures from one civilization to another.
Art and Architecture
The two civilizations exhibited significant similarities in terms of their art, indicating that the Minoan are likely to have influenced the Mycenaean art. According to Macquire (2020), the artifacts discovered in Mycenaean burial sites have close semblance to those found in Minoan. The Minoans used art for decorative purposes, political, as well as religious roles. However, art in the Minoan civilization was a reserve of the ruling class. Among the prominent art were Minoan pottery, Minoan stone vessels, sculpture, and the Minoan Frescoes. Similarly, Mycenean art comprised of jewelry, pottery, fresco, and geometric designs. The only difference in their art was the mode of expression. For instance, two gold cups discovered at a Mycenean Vaphio tomb portray two different art styles despite having similar bull illustrations. Although they seem identical, the two cups are distinct. One is named the violent cup (with poor decorations), believed to have been decorated by a Mycenaean, while the other is the quiet cup, with high-quality art developed by a Minoan craftsman (Macquire, 2020).
In both civilizations, palaces were significant architectural institutions. They served religious, administrative, and commercial purposes. However, there exist differences in the structural designs of the palaces. For instance, Minoan’s palaces at Knossos were large structures that lacked fortifications or outstanding security features (Macquire, 2020). Such a characteristic indicates the Minoan rarely expected external attacks, meaning they were relatively peaceful. On the other hand, Mycenaean palaces were smaller in size with strong fortifications. Great fortifications indicate the Mycenean were prone to attacks.
Burial Practices and Religion
In the two civilizations, people buried their dead. They both used graves commonly known as Tholos and which had the shape of beehive tombs. The prominent graves discovered include Tholos IV at Pylos and the Tomb of Agamemnon (Cartwright, 2019). However, the discovery of multiple bodies in one Tholos among the Mycenean indicates that their burial practice was slightly different from that of Minoans. The Minoan buried a single person in each tomb. In both civilizations, the dead were buried with valuables such as gold death masks, as discovered in numerous graves (Cartwright, 2018). Religion was also a common feature among the two civilizations, where religious rituals included religious feasts, processions, and pouring of libations. Generally, the artifacts discovered from the two civilizations significantly contribute to understanding early civilizations. Notably, the historical artifacts help in the rediscovery and learning of early civilizations.
Significance of Homer to the Greek Cultural Experience
Homers are regarded as the most influential writer and poet to Ancient Greece due to the impact of his contributions to the Greek culture, including societal values and literature. In this regard, Homer's most significant contribution to the Greek cultural experience was using art to develop an array of common values that became a characteristic of Greek customs and beliefs. Homer's achieved this through his epics, which include the Odyssey and the Illiad.
The Odyssey and the Illiad are two of the most influential of Homer's epics, using them to shape the lives of Ancient Greeks. Homer moved from village to village, preaching to people the values described in his writings. Homer's epics reveal the values enshrined in the Ancient Greek Culture. These values include courage, eloquence, and display of honor. His epics created a standard model of nobility, and heroism, values that all the Greeks, primarily the aristocrats, subscribed to (PBS, n.d.). In his works, Homers showed that disgrace arising from dishonor is the most adverse phenomenon which can occur to a hero. These values largely shaped the Ancient Greeks' way of life.
Besides that, Homer significantly contributed to Ancient Greece literature, which played a pivotal role in their culture. His epics were influential to the lives of ancient Greece due to the writing styles employed in his work. Homer's poems used diverse literary styles such as figurative language, themes, story elements, and morals, which changed Greek literature. Furthermore, through having themes and morals in his epics, Homer educated people; hence he had significant contributions towards education in Ancient Greece. Therefore, Homer significantly contributed to the Greek cultural experience as his epics shaped people's lives.
Central Role Played by the Polis to Evaluate that 5th Century Greece was a Golden Age
Fifth-century Greece is referred to as the Golden Age due to the improvement of civilization and the quality of human life during that era. Thus, Ancient Greece made significant advances in various fields in the Golden Age, including art, literature, drama, philosophy, and governance. In this regard, the polis played a central role in revolutionizing governance in Ancient Greece and later in other parts of the world.
The polis acted as a unit that gave rise to modern democracy. In Ancient Greece, each polis was autonomous and hence developed its form of governance (History.com Editors, 2021). Some city-states decided to use kingship, monarchies, and aristocratic governments according to their laws. However, Athens employed a democratic government to rule over its people. Therefore, due to the polis, democracy was conceived as used as a primary form of government in Athens.
Athenian democracy was direct. In this case, all the citizens directly voted on all laws. Unlike in modern democracies, where citizens vote for representatives, each Athenian citizen was expected to exercise their civic duty and vote in all laws (Little, 2021). In ensuring more inclusive and equal governance, most Athenian government officials were selected through a lottery mechanism. In this regard, all the citizens had a chance to become government officials, regardless of their wealth, education, or popularity. The Athenian democratic government consisted of three bodies: the assembly composed of all citizens; the council, which oversaw the government's daily operations; and the courts, which handled suits and trials. Therefore, the polis led to the conception of democracy, a form of governance that transferred power to citizens. Democratic governments have been employed in modern governance, preventing abuse of power and proving effective than aristocratic governments. Therefore, fifth-century Greece was a golden age since, through the polis, democracy was conceived.