CLAS/HIST1631

Lecture 2: Archilochus

Review

To what uses did Greeks put the skill of writing in the 8th century BC?

What time period do Homer's poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, purport to describe?

What is the name of the process by which Homer's poems were composed?

What new kind of fighting appeared in the 8th century, replacing that which is described in Homer's poems?

A Guide To Names in Ancient History

Greek names are strange partly because they come to us through Latin, actually Ἀρχίλοχος

Better to have some sound in mind than none 'ch' = Greek 'chi', not like our church, but k +

puff of air What is the difference betweeen kite and lake

So some texts will say 'Arkhilokhos' for For English purposes, say 'k'

Pronounce every syllable

Archilochus, Some Notes

Born in early 7th century on Paros Father, Telesicles, founded a colony on

Thasos His mother was a slave, Enipo Writes heart-felt poetry of love, war,

politics and life

Understanding a Person In the Past

I. Form First Impressions

I. Do you like him?

II.Would you want to have lunch with him / marry him?

III.Who is he like?

II.Piece Together the Fragments

I. Why does one poem praise Neoboule and then another call her a cow?

III.Put him / her in context

IV.Interrogate the Sources

V.Repeat

Always Read Closely

Εἰμὶ δ' ἐγὼ θεράπων μὲν Ἐνυαλίοιο ἄνακτος,

καὶ Μουσέων ἐρατὸν δῶρον ἐπιστάμενος.

Although I am a servant of Lord Enyalios [Ares, god of war],

I also know well the lovely gift of the Muses.

Forming Impressions

Why is this easy with Archilochus? E.g:

Some barbarian is waving my shield, since I was obliged to leave that perfectly good piece of equipment behind under a bush. But I got away, so what does it matter? Let the shield go; I can buy another one equally good.

Critias, for example, doesn't like him.

Archilochus the Lover

Neoboule I have forgotten, believe me, do.... A woman like that would drive a man crazy. She should get herself a job as a scarecrow. I'd as soon hump her as [kiss a goat's butt].

Such is the passion for love that has twisted its way into my heartstrings and closed deep mist across my eyes stealing the soft heart from inside my body...

Context: Laughing at the Hero

“Now when Pond-larker saw Loud-crier perishing, he struck in quickly and wounded Troglodyte in his soft neck with a rock like a mill-stone so that darkness veiled his eyes” from the pseudo-epic Battle of Frogs and Mice

Questioning the Aristocrat

I don't like the towering captain with the spraddly length of leg, one who swaggers in his lovelocks and cleanshaves beneath the chin. Give me a man short and squarely set upon his legs ...

Ares is a democrat; there are no special people on a battlefield.

Interrogate the Sources

“The tradition that Telesicles had been informed by the oracle at Delphi that his son was to be “immortal” is a late one and would have no bearing on his decision”. What is the reasoning here?

What makes one source more reliable than another?

Textual Transmission

Most of our ancient Greek and Roman texts come to us this way

Until the advent of the printing press, all was copied by hand What errors could

they make?

How Else Might Our Sources for Archilochus Fail Us?

Is lyric poetry always truthful memoir? What is the purpose of a poet? How can we tell when a poet is 'telling the

truth'?