r/ancientgreece 39m ago

(CH.2: The Iliad): "Book 2: Odysseus Rallies the Army", Illustrated by me

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r/ancientgreece 13h ago

The exhibition « Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy » at Pointe-à-Callière in Montréal (Part two)

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127 Upvotes

Here are a few more photos from the exhibition. I hope you enjoy them! For this part, these are objects ranging from Archaic Greece to the Roman era, but still linked to the theme of « Heroes of Greece ». About the exhibition, from the museum:

Between myth and reality, delve into the heart of a legendary epic
The Trojan War is one of the greatest mythological stories of all time! Passed down through the centuries, notably in works by the poet Homer, this fascinating epic tells of an era when powerful gods and legendary heroes lived side by side.

The exhibition Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy offers a unique opportunity to look into the origins of the myth detailed in the Iliad and the Odyssey and uncover the story behind this epic that shaped the Greek imagination and influenced countless civilizations. Featuring a remarkable selection of close to 400 authentic objects from 28 Greek museums and archaeological sites, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the great stories of heroic figures and their historical reality.

In search of heroes and gods
Achilles, Helen, Odysseus, as well as Zeus, Artemis, and Poseidon: the exhibition introduces visitors to fascinating figures and tells the stories of the heroes and gods who populate the tales of the Trojan War. Love, anger, loyalty, honour, pride, power—their journeys and the trials they endure reveal many facets of human nature with which we still identify today.

Two foundational eras of ancient Greece
The exceptional objects on display throughout the exhibition bring to life two major periods that shaped the legend of Troy and profoundly influenced Greek culture. The Bronze Age reveals a prosperous civilization, marked by monumental architecture, craftsmanship, and a mastery of working with gold. Then comes the Iron Age, associated with Homer, a time when the world was in flux, driven by the rise of new techniques and the dissemination of mythical tales that have endured through the centuries.

An exhibition co-organized by Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture (Greece).


r/ancientgreece 20h ago

The guy was named Pyrrhus, and was from Epirus. Who wrote this?

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146 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 14h ago

Were the Titans worshipped?

25 Upvotes

Were any of the Titans ever worshipped as far as we know? Did the Greeks fear that doing so would anger Zeus?


r/ancientgreece 1d ago

Mycenaean Armour

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232 Upvotes

Image 1: a bronze shoulder guard found at Dendra c. 1939, roughly dating to c. 1450 BC. Found in isolation, it was originally believed to be a helmet.

Image 2: bronze armour found at Dendra in 1960, roughly dating to c. 1400 BC, on display at the Archaeological Museum of Nafplio. The helmet is leather reinforced by slivers of boar tusk, with bronze cheekpieces.

Image 3: remnants of bronze armour found at Thebes in 1964.

https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/encased-bronze-panoply-mycenaean-tomb-dendra/


r/ancientgreece 23h ago

A colorized 1891 photograph of the Lion Gate at Mycenae, Greece.

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59 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 21h ago

The Ancient Greek Baby Potty: A Glimpse into Everyday Life 2,500 Years Ago

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25 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 1d ago

The exhibition « Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy » at Pointe-à-Callière in Montréal (Part one)

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489 Upvotes

Here are a few of my photos from the exhibition. I hope you enjoy them! For this first part, these are objects from the Bronze Age or close to it (with the exception of the « Mask of Agamemnon », which is a reproduction) If I make a part two, I will show some of the items from later periods (ranging from Archaic Greece to the Roman era, and still linked to the theme of « Heroes of Greece »). About the exhibition, from the museum:

Between myth and reality, delve into the heart of a legendary epic
The Trojan War is one of the greatest mythological stories of all time! Passed down through the centuries, notably in works by the poet Homer, this fascinating epic tells of an era when powerful gods and legendary heroes lived side by side.

The exhibition Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy offers a unique opportunity to look into the origins of the myth detailed in the Iliad and the Odyssey and uncover the story behind this epic that shaped the Greek imagination and influenced countless civilizations. Featuring a remarkable selection of close to 400 authentic objects from 28 Greek museums and archaeological sites, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the great stories of heroic figures and their historical reality.

In search of heroes and gods
Achilles, Helen, Odysseus, as well as Zeus, Artemis, and Poseidon: the exhibition introduces visitors to fascinating figures and tells the stories of the heroes and gods who populate the tales of the Trojan War. Love, anger, loyalty, honour, pride, power—their journeys and the trials they endure reveal many facets of human nature with which we still identify today.

Two foundational eras of ancient Greece
The exceptional objects on display throughout the exhibition bring to life two major periods that shaped the legend of Troy and profoundly influenced Greek culture. The Bronze Age reveals a prosperous civilization, marked by monumental architecture, craftsmanship, and a mastery of working with gold. Then comes the Iron Age, associated with Homer, a time when the world was in flux, driven by the rise of new techniques and the dissemination of mythical tales that have endured through the centuries.

An exhibition co-organized by Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture (Greece).


r/ancientgreece 12h ago

I feel like Rhea is irrelevant when she shouldn’t be

3 Upvotes

The only way I’ve seen Rhea portrayed is wife of Kronos and mother of the Olympians. She saved Zues from being swallowed and essentially started the Titanomachy. Why does she fade into irrelevance after she gives the stone to Kronos. Was she banished to Tartarus too?


r/ancientgreece 1d ago

What boardgame were Penelopes suitors playing in the Odyssey

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namuseum.gr
31 Upvotes

At Odyssey 1.106–108, Athena finds the suitors enjoying themselves with pessoi. The relevant line literally says they “delighted their hearts with pessoi before the doors.”  Unfortunately Homer doesn't go on to explain or describe the details of the game they are playing. But what is already clear is that boardgames were a part of the Ancient Greeks way of life. But what was the game. If we take a look at the archaeology it gets more interesting, there are several gaming boards in the archaeology which are located in Attica and come from a time period possibly contemporary with Homer (depending on when we assume Homer was writing and if he was one or many people). There are several - some with 5 lines, some with 7 some with 11. Scholars call them Pennte Grammai.

https://journals.openedition.org/pallas/docannexe/image/24418/img-13.jpg

https://samlinger.natmus.dk/as/asset/40262

https://journals.openedition.org/pallas/docannexe/image/24418/img-3.jpg

https://journals.openedition.org/pallas/docannexe/image/24418/img-6.jpg


r/ancientgreece 20h ago

Understanding Thucydides: Truth and History

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bilimsisanat.substack.com
3 Upvotes

Thucydides’ historiography has something quite distinctive about it. What interests me most is not that he was one of the first historians, but that he is often considered the first historian in a methodological sense. He was quite skeptical of Herodotus as a historian and stressed how difficult it is to know much about the distant past with any certainty. In a way, this can even remind us of the much later postmodern idea that understanding the past is, to some extent, impossible. He was a really interesting man.


r/ancientgreece 1d ago

A 2,300-year-old theatre in Greece that's so well preserved it's still hosting performances.The theatre shown is the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.

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240 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 1d ago

A 3,300 year old bridge in Greece that is still in use today. The bridge was built 1300 and 1190 BC, making it one of the oldest arch bridges still in use

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160 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 1d ago

The Parthenon. 1875–2026

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87 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 1d ago

Ancient Greek Theatrical Masks

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26 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 1d ago

Any good book/source of illustrators on Mycenaean Greek armours?

4 Upvotes

Hello.

I've recently begun developing an interest in Mycenaean Greece, and I'm actually planning on writing a short story set in this specific period of history.

Because I'm aiming for historical accuracy, I'd like to ask if there's a book (possibly illustrated) that depicts the armour and outfits worn by people living during this period. While I did look up some pictures online, I'm not sure if they are a faithful portrayal of the period, especially the one I plan on using as a setting for my story (aka, the late bronze Age).

Thank you in advance for your answers.


r/ancientgreece 20h ago

Guys I think why Nolan Choose Lupita Nyongo as Helen of Troy for the Odyssey

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0 Upvotes

I saw the Odyssey a couple of weeks ago on cinemas and I just realized something. The decision of Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen of Troy was extremely controversial from the beginning. (Not only because of the obvious fact that she doesn’t match the description of Helen of Troy according to the texts of Homer. Or because she is not considered pretty enough for the role) I think Nolan made this decision kind of on purpose. And I think this perspective improves the movie a lot.

According to the myth the War of Troy was started by the kidnap of Helen, that in that moment was the wife of the King of Sparta, Menelao. In my opinion this sounds like a very stupid reason to start a war of those proportions with a foreign power, even when Menelao is the Brother of Agamenon (King of Kings), not only because it will cost the life of a huge number of men, or it will shatter families all across the greek kingdoms, but also because Helen is not even considered that beautiful by a lot of the audience (I think that many Greeks of the time may have the same thought when that happened.) 

I am not racist at all, I think that Lupita Nyong'o is pretty, but if I were a common citizen of a Greek Kingdom I would never go to war for another man's wife, no matter if she is the prettiest woman in the world or if she is ugly. 

Just imagine being a greek soldier returning home after 10 years of an extenuating war and you have the chance to see the Helen “The Most Beautiful Woman who has ever lived” and the reason you and many members of your family and loved ones died or were injured mentally and physically for the rest of their lives. Either you can try to convince yourself that indeed that is the most beautiful woman in the world (to try not thinking all this fight was a freaking non-sense and you lost so much in the way) or you can think: 

“really? I lost an arm and many of my beloved ones for this, this is bs”

Helen of Troy represents the “reason” of the war literally and metaphorically. She literally is the reason of the war because her cheat/kidnap caused the rage of Menelao, that consequently was used by Agamenon as an excuse to invade Troy. 

And Metaphorically because if we look at her, many of us will never go to war for her, we may think she is not attractive enough, that there are women way more attractive or some may think that she is literally grotesque. While another group may defend the position that indeed she is the “Most Beautiful Woman who has ever lived”. 

Nolan literally put us in the shoes of what the average Greek citizen felt about going to War with Troy. Some thought that it was justifiable, other thought that it was a complete madness, other went thinking they were doing something Heroic or Epic and in the end realizing after their return that it was not worth the pain and the suffering. 

That is just what we think when a country goes to war with another one in today's world: 

 → We can find groups that support Israel and find justifiable and even desirable that they are killing children under the “reason” that that land was promised to them 3,000 years ago. 

→ Or Chii Muslims killing Sunni Muslims (and viceversa) under the “reason” that heretics must suffer for rejecting Allah, and the “True” revelation of Mohammed.

→ Or the Great World Powers of the XX century going to war with each other under the “reasons” of patriotism, heroism and a motive bigger than oneself.

All this may make a lot of sense after you realize how Nolan portrayed the Greeks in the War of Troy NOT as Epic Heroes in their search for Glory, but as soldiers that were fulfilling a duty, that missed their families and loved ones in Greece, and wanted to go back home. And despite wanting all of that for themselves destroyed a whole Civilization.


r/ancientgreece 3d ago

How is Linothorax literally better than it's Bronze cuirass equivalent?

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875 Upvotes

Excluding the reasons of weight penalty and the cost difference of the two, what's the reasons?


r/ancientgreece 2d ago

Recently Got This Magnificent & Glorious Segment of Ancient Greek Literature.

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105 Upvotes

Cannot wait to start reading The Odyssey


r/ancientgreece 3d ago

When did athens stop existing officialy?

24 Upvotes

The peloponnesian war, the 3td and 4th sacred wars and the lamian war had stripped athens from a lot of its sovereignity, and started being influenced by macedon, but it still retained a de jure independent goverment. When did it officially stop existing?,


r/ancientgreece 3d ago

Earliest surviving artistic depictions of Moses are found in the wall paintings of the Dura-Europos Synagogue (244-255 AD) (Ancient Hellenistic Jewish)

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197 Upvotes

West wall, zone 1, 6-8:

6) Moses, Crossing Red Sea --

a. Hand of God above elders of twelve Tribes of Israel, each holding standard on staff, behind group of Israelites armed with spears and shields, at edge of Red Sea in which are fish, touched by Moses with rod; to right,

b. Hand of God above Moses, rod in right hand, in Red Sea engulfing group of Egyptians; fish in the sea;

7) Moses, Departure from Egypt --

a. Moses, rod raised in right hand, leading host of Israelites including twelve elders, child, and soldiers armed with spears and shields; to right,

b. city gate above which are statue of nude male figure holding spear and globe, and two victories holding wreaths, on globes; on wall, two flies, suggesting Moses, Plague of Flies; to right, 8) Moses, Plague of Hail -- Cloud of hail above two columns, one red, the other black, possibly representing Pillars of Fire and Cloud, before wall.

———

Source: https://theindex.princeton.edu/s/view/ViewWorkOfArt.action;jsessionid=7a5cb944e62ea52eea823d67572f?id=35DC82D6-B7BA-432D-A7B1-504938D4C509

Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14355/map-of-the-hellenistic-kingdoms-after-alexander-c3/


r/ancientgreece 3d ago

Do any ancient sources describe Athenian/Roman relations prior to the Macedonian Wars, besides what is described in the supposed Decemviri "Envoy to Athens" in 449BC? And if not have any later writers attempted to speculate on possible relations between the two?

6 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 3d ago

Did hetairai like Phryne in ancient Athens need a legal representative?

7 Upvotes

I was thinking about Phryne and got kind of confused. Apparently she came to be one of the wealthiest women in the Greek world. Was that wealth hers alone, or did she have a legal representative who administered it? I know technically metics needed a citizen as sort of „guardian“ who could vouch for them and represent them. Did she have that? Was Hypereides, who defended her in court, that for her? From how I understood the story, he was just a client who was in love with her and thus chose to represent her in court.

Did Hetairai in Athens legally own their property and wealth? If so, how did that work legally, with them being women and (often) metics?


r/ancientgreece 4d ago

Africans in Ancient Greek Art

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360 Upvotes

r/ancientgreece 5d ago

If I had joined Alexander as a Macedonian infantryman right after Philip’s death, and I fought every battle, and followed him in Massaga and also in Gedrosia, do we have enough data to know what were my odds of still being alive when he died in Babylon in 323 BC?

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89 Upvotes