Grecian Culture

Question 1

Finlay - kinship

Answer 1

‘Kinship thinking permeated everything. Even the relatively new, non-kinship institutions of the community were shaped as much as possible in the image of the household and the family. The perfect symbol…was the metaphor of the king as father’ (Olympus – Zeus)

Question 2

Giftgiving

Answer 2

An extension from oikos to society - one of the peaceful ways that cross-family relations could be made (alongside marriage); however, very much associated with status (as battle had been) [could reflect trading of armour in battle tradition?]

Question 3

Finlay - giftgiving

Answer 3

‘giftgiving too was part of the network of competitive, honorific activity…it was as honourable to give as to receive….that is why gift-objects had genealogies…status was the chief determinant of values’

Question 4

Finlay - imagery

Answer 4

‘the heroic world was unable to visualize any achievement or relationship except in concrete terms. The gods were anthropomorphized, the emotions and feelings were located in specific organs of the body, even the soul was materialized. Every quality or state had to be translated into some specific symbol’

Question 5

Zeus’ defining feature

Answer 5

Never directly intervenes in human affairs/descends to earth, unlike other gods

Question 6

Finlay - gods and ethics

Answer 6

‘‘Homer’s gods…were essentially devoid of any ethical quality whatsoever. The ethics of the world of Odysseus were man-made and man-sanctioned…he could not turn to them for moral guidance; that was not in their power’

Question 7

Donlan - three types of authority

Answer 7

Traditional authority - heredity
Charismatic authority
Legal-rational authority [ass. w/ Zeus]