9/17 Objective:

1
9/17 Objective

• To introduce the Odyssey using excerpts to
  illustrate Greek ideals and define arête.

2
Homer and the OdysseyWhat does this picture
illustrate?
3

• The odyssey is a 12,000 line Greek epic poem
  dating form the 8th century BCE.
• The Odyssey recounts the adventures of the Greek
  hero Odysseus during his 10 year voyage home to
  Ithaca after the Trojan War in the 13th century
  BCE.
• Odysseus is considered the ideal Greek hero Why?

4

• The poem is ascribed to Homer (700BCE). Homer is
  considered the earliest Greek poet.
• Little is know about his life, but he is often
  referred to as the gifted blind poet.
• Some scholars believe that a line from a choral
  song confirms this

5

• If anyone should ask you whose song is the
  sweetest, say blind is the man and he lives in
  rocky Chios.
• Other scholars believe Homer was the name of a
  group of bards who sang Mycenaean folktales.

6

• The Odyssey is important because it contains
  Greek values (arête)
• These values shaped the Age of Heroes during
  the Mycenaean Period and became the foundations
  of ancient Greek society.