10 misconceptions about ancient Greece

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Olympic athletes sometimes competed unfairly, and ancient Greeks were homosexual, but not in the modern sense of the word.

1. Ancient Greece was a single state

This is not true. The name "Ancient Greece", or "Hellas", was used History of Ancient Greece / Ed. V. I. Kuzishchina. M., 2003 to describe a geographic community, not a single state. It consisted of policies. Polis is both a civil community and a state with its center, form of government, and territory. - Approx. ed., mainly located in the south of the Balkan Peninsula. Also, the Greeks settled almost along the entire Mediterranean coast, creating many colonies. The remains of their cities can be found on the territory of modern Italy, Spain, Turkey, North Africa and even in the Crimea. At different times there was An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis / Edited by M. G. Hansen, T. H. Nielsen. Oxford, 2004 to 1,035 policies.

For several hundred years (XI-IV centuries BC) the scattered cities did not become one state. This happened only under the influence of external forces, when the Macedonian king Philip II united the Greek city-states within the framework of the Corinthian Union in 338-337 BC. NS.

2. Ancient Greece was the most advanced state of its time

For its era, Hellas was a power with a rich culture and developed science. So, even Pythagoras suggested by Aristotle. Protreptic. About sensory perception. About memory. SPb., 2004 that the Earth is round. The Greeks used complex mechanisms for astronomical calculations. They belonged to many discoveries of classical mechanics and the primacy in the invention of the water mill. In Greek cities, there were aqueducts (aqueducts), warriors used flamethrowers, and doctors wielded scalpels, forceps, and even vaginal dilators.

But still, the more ancient civilizations of the East have something to answer to this. The peoples of ancient India, China, Egypt and Mesopotamia built huge monuments, for example, the pyramids in Giza, blocked off Kudryavtsev PS Course in the history of physics. M., 1982 the great rivers Indus, Ganges, Yellow River, Yangtze, Nile, Tigris and Euphrates with dams created their own writing. And all this even when the civilization of Ancient Greece did not exist.

Eastern astronomers, no worse than the Greek ones, understood the cycles of day and night, the length of the year and month. For example, Indians in the 6th century BC. NS. knew Kudryavtsev PS Course in the history of physics. M., 1982, that the Earth rotates on its axis, and the Moon reflects sunlight, used surgical instruments and knew how to do a cesarean section. Ancient science at this time was just emerging.

At the same time, both Eastern and ancient Greek researchers had many conjectures and superstitions. For example, Aristotle wrote to Aristotle. About the origin of animals. M., 1940, that some animals appear in water, dust and mud by themselves.

3. The ancient Greeks lived in an equal democratic society

Athenian democracy, which existed for about 200 years (approximately 500-321 BC), is considered the first democratic regime in the world. However, there are many nuances.

First, not all Greek city-states had democracy. More precisely, there was Aristotle. Athenian polity. M., 2007 it is only in Athens. In Sparta, there was a regime of oligarchy (gerons) mixed with tsarist power, and in Thessaly ruled by a life-long leader of the Tagos. Also, power could simply be seized by a tyrant.

Secondly, the ancient democracy was not Surikov I. Ye. The Sun of Hellas. History of Athenian Democracy. SPb., 2008 general. Greek city-states existed at the expense of slave labor. People deprived of their personal freedom had no rights.

Also, women were completely excluded from the social and political life of "democratic" Athens, as were children who were in the position of the head of the family. Finally, even free people from other policies who moved to Athens did not have civil rights and were required to pay special fees. The indigenous townspeople contemptuously called such inhabitants metecs.

Thirdly, the Athenian citizens directly participated in the political life of the polis. I. Ye. Surikov. The Sun of Hellas. History of Athenian Democracy. SPb., 2008: voted for decisions, could make proposals and objections at the People's Assembly. And the present representative democracy, in which we entrust the defense of our interests to politicians, goes back to the 18th century.

4. Spartans are invincible warriors and a militaristic society

In popular culture, the image of brave and invincible soldiers was entrenched for the inhabitants of Sparta. But this is just a myth. In fact, before the Battle of Thermopylae, which, incidentally, was lost, the Spartan warriors did not stand out in any way Konijnendijk R. The Spartans at war. Myth vs reality. Ancient World Magazine against the background of representatives of other policies. And then the legendary Spartans were defeated more than once, for example, in the battles at Sfakteria and Leuktra.

Moreover, the social and political system and the educational system of young citizens, similar to the Spartan ones, existed Konijnendijk R. The Spartans at war. Myth vs reality. Ancient World Magazine and other policies. The main occupation of the Spartans was the management of the land and slave-helots, and therefore it cannot be said that Sparta lived only for the sake of war and at the expense of it.

5. At the ancient Olympic Games, athletes competed fairly

In modern sports, scandals and machinations are not uncommon. Whether it is a matter of the competition of ancient athletes, where everything was fair and just!

Alas, not everything is so poetic: cheating, bribery and dirty tricks have accompanied the Olympic Games since their inception. And for this there was a tangible incentive: in addition to fame and honor, victory in the Olympia competitions often promised Young D. C. A Brief History of the Olympic Games. Blackwell Publishing. 2004 an impressive cash prize, a lifetime entitlement to free meals and the opportunity to compete for money and valuable prizes in smaller competitions.

For the prize place, the ancient athlete received from his policy from 100 to 500 silver coins - drachmas. For 500 drachmas in that era, you can AI Nemirovsky, LS Ilinskaya, VI Ukolova Antiquity: history and culture. - T. 2. - M., 1994 was to buy two slaves and a flock of 100 sheep for delivery.

Despite the fact that those convicted of deceiving were subject to a fine, for the sake of a reward, many went to tricks. They used Kumar R. Competing against doping. British Journal of Sports Medicine herbal infusions, went to sorcerers and bribed judges. For example, Pausanias in the "Descriptions of Hellas" notes Pausanias. Descriptions of Hellas. M., 2002, that for the sake of victory the Thessalian Eupolus paid other wrestlers with whom he had to compete. Eupolus was exposed, and he was forced to pay a fine. Money from dishonest athletes went to the construction of statues of Zeus, which were placed on the way to the Olympic stadium.

Such cases were not uncommon: Pausanias cites the names of other dishonest athletes.

6. Amazons are fiction

In ancient Greek mythology, legends about the Amazons were very common. The Greeks believed the Amazon in mythology. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron. T. I. that this is a warlike people, which consists of some women. The Amazons cut off one breast to make it easier to shoot from a bow, they met with men only to conceive children, and the boys were subsequently disposed of. In Greek writings and works of art, Amazons coexist with centaurs and heroes, and their habitat is placed in various remote regions of the world known to the Greeks. Because of this, historians considered the Amazons to be fiction.

However, the archaeological excavations of the Scythian nomads who lived in vast territories from the Danube to Altai and China. In general, the Greeks called all the inhabitants of the Eurasian steppes, both nomads and sedentary, Scythians. - Approx. ed. kurgans show that among the nomads there were indeed female warriors. Bow and arrows were placed in their grave.

Scythian women were forced to be able to stand up for themselves, since often men went to roam and left them alone. Of course, they were not a separate people, they did not kill boys or cut off their breasts. All this is a product of the fantasy of the Greeks, for whom a woman riding a horse and shooting a bow was savage.

7. All works of antique art were white

Cities and temples made of white marble, sculptures, ideal in their purity and simplicity - this is how we know ancient architecture and art. However, in fact, bright colors were not at all alien to creators in Ancient Greece. They gladly added color to their statues and buildings. For this, natural dyes were used - ocher, cinnabar, copper azure, which are destroyed and crumbled under the influence of bacteria and sunlight. In addition, many of the statues had bronze inserts and bulging black pupils made of stone.

The problem of natural dyes is relevant for works of art from different eras. For example, they can be seen in paintings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, as well as in the Sistine Chapel - on Michelangelo's frescoes. To keep everything intact, museum workers create special lighting and temperature conditions.

8. Troy did not exist

Two famous monuments of ancient literature are dedicated to the Trojan War: the poem "Iliad" and "Odyssey" by Homer. There is a lot of fictional character in his narration: sirens and sea monsters, gods interfering in the affairs of people, and beauties, because of whom wars start. According to legend, Troy was under siege for 10 years, then the Greeks got inside with the help of a Trojan horse, killed the defenders and destroyed the city.

For a long time, historians considered Troy to be fiction, and stories about it - myths. For thousands of years, no one knew where it was, until at the end of the 19th century, a group of archaeologists led by the eccentric Heinrich Schliemann found Martinez O. How archeologists found the lost city of Troy. National Geographic Troy in Anatolia (Turkey), at the entrance to the Dardanelles.

But Schliemann was digging not really understanding the occurrence of historical layers, for which he was much criticized by Cline E. H. The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2013. He reached the "Troy-II" layer, destroying many material remains. In addition, Schliemann became infamous for his fake finds allegedly from Troy.

Today we know that Troy was destroyed and erected in the same place nine times, and Martinez O. How archaeologists found the lost city of Troy most likely appears in Homer's works. National Geographic layer number VI.

9. All Greeks were homosexual

The idea that antiquity is an era of complete emancipation and permissiveness is another myth. It would be more correct to say that the sexual ethics of that time was unlike Foucault M. The Will to Truth: Beyond Knowledge, Power and Sexuality. - Works of different years. - M., 1996 to the modern one. According to her, there are two sides to the sexual act: dominant, active, and humiliated, passive.

But the concept of sexual orientation in Greece and Rome did not exist Licht G. Sexual life in ancient Greece. M., 2003. The choice of a partner was more of a matter of taste.

From the VI century BC. NS. Dover K. Greek Homosexuality became widespread in ancient Greece. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1989 a phenomenon called "Greek pederasty". It was then that, in addition to the aristocracy (landowners), a new elite of merchants and artisans was actively involved in the management of the policies. Members of noble families reacted to this by closing in on themselves and throwing feasts that married women did not go to. There homosexual relationships appeared, and one partner was always older than the other. The young man had to first of all learn to be a man, respect and appreciate the "mentor", while sexual pleasures faded into the background.

There is debate about whether pederasty was really a way of transferring experience, but similar rituals of initiation of young people were found among the peoples of the islands of Melanesia.

From about 450 BC NS. this phenomenon in Greek society is coming to naught.

10. Today's Greeks are not descendants of the Hellenes

In science, it is believed that the Hellenic civilization appeared History of Ancient Greece / Ed. V. I. Kuzishchina. M., 2003 on the basis of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations of the island of Crete. They survived the invasion of two Greek tribes: the Achaeans and the Dorians. As a result, the Minoans and Mycenaeans were completely assimilated.

However, despite the subsequent Roman and Turkish conquests that lasted for centuries, the Greeks were able to maintain their national identity. A 2017 DNA study proved Gibbons A. The Greeks really do have near-mythical origins, ancient DNA reveals. Science that the blood of the ancient Mycenaeans flows in the veins of modern Greeks with minor infusions.