Read History with Jack 23 - Greek Mythology with Reality

  Ancient Greek culture is the start of European civilizations. It commenced with the Minoans and then progressed to the Mycenaean Greeks. After the Mycenaean Greeks were conquered by the Dorians, Greece entered a dark age that lasted about 400 years. During that time, writing ceased and most people became illiterate. But, the Greeks believed that the people living before them were stronger, smarter, braver and more heroic. So, they started telling romantic stories about these heroic ancestors. The most famous of these story tellers was a blind bard named Homer, who lived in the 8^th century B.C.E. We think that he was the original author of the two epic poems---The Iliad and the Odyssey. These two poems gave us some account of the Trojan War. Another great author to emerge at that time was Hesiod. Two of his books survive: Works and Days and the Theogony. Along with Homer's works, these are the oldest sources of for many of the Greek myths.

Most of Greek mythical stories have one thing in common, and that is they all have some connection with reality. A good example is the myth of Europa, a beautiful princess of Phoenicia. Phoenicia is around the area of modern-day Lebanon. One day when she was playing, she was deceived by the leader of the gods Zeus, who appeared as a ductile bull before her. But after Europa got on, the sea parted and paved a way for them. The bull charged for two days and one night until it reached Crete. Then, the bull turned into Zeus again and he married her. This myth seems like it is all make-believe, but there is reality in it. The Minoans who lived on the island of Crete actually came from the Middle East, the area of Lebanon and Syria to be more precise. They probably traveled to Crete and settled there, so this myth probably tells the story of that travel. This can also prove a fact, that Greek culture was profoundly influenced by Middle Eastern cultures.

Another example tells the story of the mythical tyrant Minos, who ruled Crete. In the story, Minos was the son of Zeus. He had a vast palace and an intricate labyrinth, where he kept the Minotaur, a bull-headed creature that ate human flesh. Many people at first did not trust this story. However, in the 20^thcentury, archaeologists started to dig at the site where the palace should be. Miraculously, they indeed dug out not only a huge palace, but also the labyrinth. This proves that this myth has connections with reality.

Furthermore, the Iliad and the Odyssey all mentions the Trojan War and the city of Troy. But whether they existed or not was a mystery to archaeologists and historians before the 20^th century. However, in that century, an archaeologist team set out to search for this mysterious city. If they could find the city,then it means that the Trojan War had happened. According to the epic poem,Troy was located in the northwestern tip of Turkey, so the team started to excavate there. The first few months were disappointing; there were no findings at all.But as they dug deeper, they began to find things. Finally, after many months of hard work, the team successfully excavated the city of Troy. That means that the myth of the Trojan War is at least partially correct and real.

Last but not least, there is the famous excavation of the ancient Mycenaean city Mycenae,which was also mentioned in the Iliad. The same archaeological team that discovered Troy set out for the search of Mycenae. Luckily, the team again hit the jackpot. They also dug out a whole complex city of that was built by the Mycenaean Greeks. This again is strong evidence that a part of the Iliad is true.

Mythologies were not created by any individual, nor were they fabricated fantasies. They were created by our ancestors based on tangible realities through memories and were passed down through the generations. Also, myths have a huge positive effect on a culture. It can act as a bright torch, which can keep a civilization alive when all other lights go out.