Homer and Xenia: Flashcards
what is xenia?
treating people that don’t come from the same household with hospitality e.g offering them food or drink and coming by invitation to someone’s house.
why was Xenia needed in Ancient Greece?
there were no rules or protocols in place that stopped people from harming each other when visiting their house. Usually people who didn’t follow Xenia were violated and punished by the gods, particularly Zeus or Athena.
Who was Homer?
A Greek poet who wrote the odyssey and the illiad
what did Homer’s works influence?
Greek opinion and views on the gods as well as religious beliefs
when was the Homeric period?
1200-300 BCE
in what 3 ways did the Odyssey and iliad shape Greece?
culturally, educationally, and religiously
the odyssey and illiad date back to around what century?
8th or early 7th
where is Homer believed to have been born?
somewhere around Ionian (now southern turkey) but he could have been born anywhere within the asian minor
what year is homer believed to have been born in?
between the 12th and 8th BCE
what was the purpose of the Illiad and Odyssey?
the poem’s purpose was to educate the Greeks about the gods and their behaviours and also relevant historical stories which Greeks were expected to know
where were Homer’s poems performed?
in sanctuaries, where Greeks from all over Greece would come to pray and worship and also perform rituals for the gods
what two elements did Homer mix in his poems?
Historical and mythological
