One of the earliest literary works in Greek literature that explain Greek society is Homer’s Iliad. Book one of the Iliad is set nine years since the beginning of the Greek-Trojan war. Chryses, an Apollo priest, journeys to the Greek camp to rescue his daughter Chryseis from Agamemnon’s captivity. Agamemnon insults and expels him causing Apollo to punish the Greeks by sending a plague. Achilles convenes a meeting to address the plague, where the prophet Calchas explains Apollo’s rage. Agamemnon grudgingly agrees to return Chryseis but in exchange for Briseis, Achilles’ “prize,” also a hostage. As a result, King Agamemnon and the mighty Achilles clash. As a primary source, book one of The Iliad provides insight into subjects like polytheism, social stratification and gender roles in ancient Greeks.
Polytheism was central to the Greek religion at the time of the Iliad. The premise of polytheism is that there are several deities operating on earth. As a result, there’s a god for different aspects of life, such as the sky, the plagues, the war, the water, etc. Homer, in Iliad book 1, introduces several gods the Greeks worshipped. Even Homer himself, before starting the poem, implores the MUSE, the goddess of poetry and inspiration, to sing a song about Achilleus’ wrath “Rage-Goddess. sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous. doomed. that cost the Achaeans countless losses” (Homer, 77). All gods and goddesses in the Iliad, including Apollo, are descended from Zeus, the god of the sky, weather, and light (Homer, 91). Zeus and Leto’s son, Apollo, was the Greek god of the Sun and plague. He unleashed the plague on the Achaeans as retaliation for his priest Chryses’ daughter being seized as loot during the battle by King Agamemnon. “Hear me, Apollo! God of the silver bow … God of the plague!” (Homer, 78). Also, Hera and Athena are goddesses worshipped in book one. When Achilles is gripped with anger and wants to fight King Agamemnon, the goddess Athena is sent by the goddess Hera to check his rage. “Down from the skies I come to check your rage…white-armed goddess Hera sped me down” (Homer, 84). Through his depictions of the worship of several gods, Homer demonstrates how the gods and goddesses, who the Achaeans believed to be in charge of all facets of human life, were revered and held in high regard. Also, morality is not at the centre of these gods and goddesses, and Homer demonstrates their “humanly” character defects such as envy, rivalry, infidelity, and hubris.
From Book One of the Iliad, one can also infer that the Ancient Greeks lived in a society with a social hierarchy. Social hierarchy is ranking people or groups according to a valued social dimension, either implicitly or explicitly. The various people in the Iliad had distinct rights and powers depending on their social position. Apart from the gods held in the highest regard, King Agamemnon had the highest ranking among the Achaeans in the social order. This is evident when Calchas, the seer, fears angering Agamemnon with his vision. He claims that Agamemnon is “a powerful man who lords it over all the Argives, one the Achaeans must obey … A mighty king” (Homer, 82). Although Achilles is party immortal (his mother is the goddess Thetis), he falls below Agamemnon in the social hierarchy. “Achilles, … no one can match the honors dealt a king, you know, a sceptered king to whom great Zeus gives glory. Strong as you are-a goddess was your mother he has more power because he rules more men” (Homer, 86). Because Zeus chose Agamemnon to be king, he is the most revered Achaean. Thus ultimately, the gods were the most revered, the king and the men who fought for the king. Apart from the goddesses who seem to wield some power, women don’t seem to have much of a place in this society.
The Iliad sheds light on men’s and women’s place in Homer’s society. Men in book one are kings, mighty soldiers, priests, and seers; ultimately, they hold influential positions in Homer’s culture. But as seen in the supportive element of the women characters, women don’t have important positions or roles in this society. Briseis and Chryseis, introduced in book one of the Iliad, are the two women captured during the war. They are gifted to Agamemnon and Achilles as war spoils. Chryseis is delivered to Agamemnon, the commander of the Achaean army, and Briseis is given to the mighty warrior Achilles. However, Agamemnon is forced to abandon Chryseis to please the god Apollo, and he is not pleased about it. “But fetch me another prize, and straight off too, else I alone of the Argives go without my honor” (Homer,81). Agamemnon commands. Briseis, who ‘belongs’ to Achilles, is delivered to Agamemnon in exchange for his surrender of Chryseis. This demonstrates that in Homer’s civilization, women did not have the same rights as men. Men possessed authority over them to the extent of being able to trade them like property, and women were socialized to be subservient to men.
This poem captures the fundamental aspects of ancient Greek culture, such as polytheism, social stratification, and gender in the Achaean society. As part of their culture, the Greeks worshipped many gods, including Zeus, Apollo, Hera, and Athena, to name a few. With gods being the most revered, kings were second to the gods as they were selected and favoured by the gods. Then the men who served the kings came next in the hierarchy. Ultimately, women did not hold critical positions, were seen as property in this society and were expected to obey the men. This poem, although fiction, gives excellent insight into this society.
Works Cited
Homer. The Iliad. Trans. R. Fagles. Intro. B. Know. New York: Penguin, 1990. Print.
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