Manners And Cusstoms Of Ancient Greece Essay

, Research Paper

As I began reading this book, I found that it is amazing how so many historians whether they may be researching Grecian history or any other country. It seems that they all or the majority has different opinions on their findings. Therefore, it puzzles me to what is fable and what is fact. In many cases, some things are yet to be seen. Even the ancients them selves seem to be uncertain. Even through glimpses of links connecting them with there past. They to argued about what was fact and what was fable.

It appears that the country Helene that in imitation of the Romans came to be known as Hellas, we now call India. I found it amazing how the progress of time came through the names of the following. Originally the city Thessaly built by Hellen son of Deucalion; next Phthiotis, Thessaly, all of Greece except of Peloponnesos, sometimes of Macedonia, now thessaly it self sometimes of Epeirous, and then all of Greece was within Aegean, and all these countries were inhabited by Greeks. It would appear that the most annuitant Pelosgia left from the race whose first people occupied that part of Europe. There does seem to be one fact established that the Hellenes were not the first who occupied Greece they came after a number of tribes of the Pelasgion origin.

No one really knows there are many arguments about this as well. I found it funny or odd that these discussions would be dismissed when an agreement could be met; however they would easily remove the difficulty by coming to an agreement by inventing a hero or demigod that suited everyone’s purpose. So as earlier mentioned, from Hellen they agreed on the name of Hellenes, also Heracleidae came to be known as Heracles and Ionians as Ion; and Pelasgos the son of Zeus. Up to this point, there was little information to guide us, although there was always light poetry that dawned around them. Although historians tell us there were, facts that couldn’t be ignored such as the Thoacians being entirely of Pelasgian origin. Also, the Macedonians were plainly of the same stock as with the Thracians. It is obvious that there were many tribes and even different denominations and it seems to me that they all came from or descended from the same race.

This brings me to the characteristics of the Greeks. As I have read this too if one would think long, enough about it how even our characteristics of today are not so different from a time long ago. When poetry places them before us, it is profound for the divinity and everything connected with service of religion. Gods and men moved together over the earth cooperated in bringing about events. Although we as a whole worship one God instead of many; history shows us in many ways it has had to take men and God in bringing about events whether it be by what some call faith, and like history books some must have had it proven to them.

As for the Greek’s keeping up with a constant interchange of beneficence the Gods aiding the mortal repaying his aid with gratitude an example of this was the mortal submitting to the Gods guidance and to be directed. Sometimes as in the case of Odysseus and Athena, the feeling of grace and favor on the one side and of veneration and gratitude on the other was unexpected. Don’t we in some since expect the same from our prayers. By that I mean give gratitude to our God and by giving offering each Sunday, isn’t this also a way we give gratitude for what God has done for us.

I found it amazing as I read how much a like in characteristics we are in the twenty first century to our ancestors who lived so many years ago. Many of us today are very merciful and caring for the poor. The Greeks also had a high respect for their elders. I also found it extremely fascinating that the Greeks had believed that parents held or had no right to any type of higher honor. People who were blessed with children were regarded as instruments by which God had communicated the mysterious and sacred gift of life. These people actually believed the parents were supposed by their children to be forever invested with a high degree of sanctity as ministers and representatives of the creator. Hence, the anxiety experienced to obtain a Father’s blessing and the indescribable dread of his curse. A peculiar set of events, the terrible Erin’s, all but implacable and unsparing were entrusted with the guardianship of parent’s rights. Now, I can’t help but think about how the Greeks felt toward friendship almost as if their friendships were more important than the wonderful blessing of parenting. Not that friendship is not extremely important especially true friendship, but nothing is more precious than the gift of being blessed with a child.

The Greeks adored friendship between two men. There is no evidence shown in any other country’s history or traditions so many examples of this virtue as in those of the Greeks. In Greece, these people felt that when two men became friends it was more important than a marriage between a man and wife. The friendship through their eyes was as one they were completely united as one. They were like twins, what one felt the other felt. Their thoughts were the same. One did not have and independent thought, if one was slashed than the other as well. They had the same opinions. They faced adventures, dangers, absolutely everything together, even death.

As peculiar as I personally may find their friends