Honor (timê) is a crucial aspect of identity for ancient Greeks, especially warriors. Amongst the death and destruction of conflict, honor remains a desirable quality that warriors aim to achieve and maintain. As seen through Homer’s Iliad and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the cultural value placed on honor poses a limitation on ancient Greek warfare by restricting one’s combat tactics and suppressing beneficial strategies. War in this context is no longer a fight for justice, but rather a chance for men to prove their individual worth.
Both Homer and Thucydides demonstrate how honor is a driving force of war yet restrictive in nature. Honor can be seen as a driving force of war because it is gained through bravery and audacity
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in battle. The pursuit of honor encourages men to act heroically and take bold, risky actions. In the Iliad, Achilles exemplifies the magnitude of this pursuit as he recounts to Odysseus the source of his rage (mênis) and his reasoning behind withdrawing from the Trojan war: “‘Nothing is worth my life, not all the riches / They say Troy held before the Greeks came, / Not all the wealth in Phoebus Apollo’s / Marble shrine up in craggy Pytho’” (Il. 9.415-418). Moments later Achilles goes on to say, “‘If I stay here and fight, I’ll never return home, / But my glory will be undying forever’” (Il. 9.425-26). According to Achilles he was not invested in the war in order to gain material rewards or prizes (geras), but rather glory (kleos) - an honorable form of immortality. After previously losing his prize, Briseis, to Agamemnon, Achilles must reclaim his honor with the help of Thetis and Zeus. Losing his honor has caused Achilles to lose his identity, and the only way to reclaim it will be through his own death. Although Achilles claims he will no longer engage in combat because he values his life, attaining the honor associated with glory is a powerful temptation that Achilles must consider. Honor begins to become restrictive and destructive when it is viewed as having a higher importance than self-preservation and sensible discernment. In Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians warn the Melian representatives about the consequences that overvalued honor can bring: “Do not be led astray by a false sense of honour - a thing which often brings men to ruin when they are faced with an obvious danger that somehow affects their pride” (HPW 5.111). The Athenian representatives go on to explain that the fear of dishonor has often made men turn a blind eye to the obvious dangers that awaited them. These warriors have surrendered to the idea of dishonor, and as a result “they have fallen voluntarily into irrevocable disaster” (HPW 5.111). In addition to this, the Athenians recognize that “if one follows one’s self-interest one wants to be safe,” whereas “honour involves one in danger” (HPW 5.107). Despite recognizing the danger that pursuing honor may bring, Pericles’ speech to the Athenians promotes the desire to achieve honor through upholding glory: “you must therefore be willing to face the greatest disasters and be determined never to sacrifice the glory that is yours” (HPW 2.61). Honor repeatedly takes a higher position than the risk of danger and the use of sensible actions, and individuals regularly persist to attain it, no matter the cost. The restrictive nature of honor and its role in war come into play when logical combat tactics are sacrificed to uphold one’s honor and pride.
When the Greek soldiers are pressing on the city of Troy in Homer’s Iliad, it would be sensible for the Trojans to remain inside the city and use the protection and height of the walls as an advantageous point to attack their enemy. Polydamas suggests an idea to his fellow Trojans, explaining that they should seek safety while they still have the chance: “My advice / Is to return to the city and not wait for daylight… At dawn we take our positions on the wall / In full armor, and so much the worse for him / If he wants to come out from the ships and fight us / For our wall” (Il. 18.272-273,297-301). Adamantly opposing a rational retreat inside the walls of Troy, Hector claims Polydamas is a fool for thinking such a thing. Aiming to uphold the honor of his men, Hector blatantly addresses them: “If any of you are worried about your effects, / You can hand them over for distribution! / Better our men should have them than the Greeks” (Il. 18.320-322). In ancient Greek warfare a warrior’s armor is not only a valuable material possession, it is also synonymous with honor. When a warrior is killed and later stripped of his armor by his enemy, it brings him dishonor, even in death. Hector would rather have the cowardly Trojans give up their armor and remove themselves from combat than bring dishonor upon themselves. In Hector’s eyes this …show more content…
dishonor would be caused by retreating into the city of Troy or by having a warrior’s armor stripped from their corpse in battle. In the case of withdrawal to the city, honor trumps rationality, even when preserving honor may inevitably lead to death. Suppressing beneficial warfare strategies due to upholding honor is also illustrated in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War.
In Sparta “they feared a revolution” (HPW 4.80) from the helot population, so a considerable amount of Spartan soldiers remained in Sparta in attempt to fight back the slaves if a revolt were to occur. In an attempt to lower the possibility that a slave revolution would occur, thousands of the strongest helots were slaughtered by the Spartans. A favorable war tactic may have included sending a larger proportion of soldiers to fight Athens and limit her tyrannical expansion, but it was necessary for the Spartans to keep soldiers in Sparta in order maintain their honor. Even though the massacre of thousands of helots was extremely barbaric and brutal in nature, the Spartans appear to have been more concerned with presenting an honorable reputation than with being just in their horrific actions. If the Spartans were unable to control their own slaves, what could they
control? Honor is both a defining characteristic and a desirable attribute in ancient Greek culture, specifically for men involved in warfare. Yet at the same time honor can be seen as a limitation in the context of war. Individuals become so invested in maintaining honor and proving their worth that the war in which they are fighting is easily overlooked - rational strategies and self-preservation are frequently sacrificed for the desirable concept that is honor. So is honor worth the price of death? Textual evidence shows that ancient Greeks certainly believed it was. In the modern civilized world we may not be quick to jump to the same agreement, but the preservation of honor appears to be a value that transcends history, and it may even be an aspect of human nature.
In the book Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy Behind The Military Mind, the author Nancy Sherman presents a strong argument of the connection between ancient stoics and the modern military that leaves little room for rebuttal. Being raised by a father who served in WWII, she seldom heard stories about the war but still developed an appreciation and fascination with the military. Most of her career she was “focused on ethics and the emotions, in ancient and modern philosophy,” as she states. Her fascination with both the mind and the military crossed paths in the nineties when she was appointed as a civilian assistant to the military where she served as the inaugural occupant of the distinguished chair of ethics. Throughout the book she utilizes the contemporary military as a lens to study and evaluate Stoic philosophy. She uses examples from wars, ranging from Ancient Greek to Iraq, not only to highlight and confirm the presence of the Stoic philosophy has on the modern military warrior but also why it is such a compelling guiding principle for not only military members but civilians as well.
The social structure of Sparta consisted of the Helots, Perioikoi and Spartiates. Enslaved in the wars of Messenia were the Helots, considered as the property of the state, and released on rare occasion as Neodamodeis ’new citizens’. Tyrtaeus’ compares the enslaved Helots to ’donkeys worn down by heavy loads’, a downtrodden minority group with no great power. However, Thucydides accounts for their de-facto influence in Spartan administration, with ’most of their decisions with a view to precautions against the Helots. Finley supports this assessment, identifying certain advantages Helots held over other slave groups in this era. The basic rights of the Helots included the right to their own possessions; the ability to retain a percentage of their crop; and ’in general, all the normal human institutions except their freedom’. Rights afforded may have been in response to fears of a Helot uprising, as their obedience was paramount to a functional Spartan society, and vastly outnumbered the Spartan
A very obvious example of loyalty is, Penelope. She is faithful to Odysseus for over 20 years and does not give up for long time. Even when the suitors came to her house and ate her food and overstayed their welcome she did not budge and still stayed faithful to Odysseus for the whole time he was gone. She told the suitors that when she finished her tapestry she would choose who she wants to marry, but every night she would undo a piece of the tapestry just so it would take longer and it would give Odysseus more time to come back just so she would not have to choose one of the suitors.
The definition of pride is a feeling or deep pleasure of satisfaction that people obtain from their own accomplishments. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, is full of pride throughout his long journey. Odysseus is a warrior from the ten year Trojan War and he is trying to get back home to Ithaca. He is one of the most popular war heros from his time. On his journey home over sea, the sea god and Odysseus’s enemy Poseidon, creates obstacles for Odysseus that he has to overcome if he wants to get home. Odysseus eventually returns home after another ten years. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer represents pride Odysseus’ biggest flaw throughout his encounter with Polyphemus and the Phaeacians.
Throughout its history, strong values have stood at the core of Greek culture. Ancient Greeks placed a focus on a balance of mind and body. Citizens were expected to adhere to three main Greek virtues; these being respect for the body, respect for the gods, and hospitality. At times, these virtues were not upheld, usually resulting in what they believed to be punishment from the gods. Examples of this can be seen in the epic, The Odyssey, authored by Homer. Throughout the poem, a repeated disregard for the ancient Greek values teaches readers a fundamental principle of life--consequences follow poor decisions.
For hundreds of years, psychologists have attempted to understand why toddlers selfishly refuse to share. Recently, many experts in the field agree that toddlers are incapable of sharing because of their lack of integral brain development. From birth through early childhood, a child can only recognize his own wants and needs. Around the time a child begins kindergarten, he starts to development his understanding of abstract concepts, such as empathy, and sympathy. However, some believe that humans never rid themselves of that original selfishness. In essence, humans are born selfish and hopefully become compassionate later on. The idea of a natural tendency towards selfishness
In The Odyssey, book nine and ten written by Homer, Odysseus constantly embodies the principal characteristics of a hero which are : cleverness, leadership, and selflessness. Thus, this character is regarded as an idol among the other characters and greatly captures the reader’s sympathy for his choices and the fruit to his actions in life. First, Odysseus displays cleverness in Book Nine when he tricks the Cyclops Poluphemus that his name is “nobody” in order to escape the horrors of the cyclop’s cave. He states: “Nobody--so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (Homer, 18). Second, Odysseus is a brave leader of his army especially in book ten when he displays leadership by motivating his comrades in keep trying to sail despite the
Like most Greek states of the Archaic and Classical Era, the Spartan city-state was a militaristic one. Sparta, however, took the idea to its extreme. In order to become the best soldiers, Spartan citizens had to dedicate their entire lives to the occupation. In fact to be a soldier – a hoplite – was the full infrastructure of Spartan society. While most Greek city-states looked down on labor, physical work, and even working for profit, they still had to work for a living, produce something. “The Spartans a...
Sparta was a key city state which was located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula in southern Greek, which today is referred to as Laconia. Sparta is historically known for their strong military training, warfare tactics, and numerous victories. This city state included full citizens known as the Spartans, the helots, and the Perioeci. The men of Sparta had a main obligation to become strong warriors, fight with their brothers, and protect against any invasions or attacks. The helots where owned by city state of Sparta. They came from Messenia and were forced into slavery after being invaded by the Spartans in c.735. The helot’s responsibilities included farming, being of help if needed during battles, used as nurses, and for any other task that need to be accomplished. Unlike many traditional slaves, the Messenia’s were given certain leeway. They had
book takes place in, is called to action and set in motion on his Hero
The epic poem called The Odyssey, which was written by the poet Homer, is one of the many classical stories from Ancient Greek culture. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey back home from the war with Troy, which had occurred in Homer’s other epic Greek poem, The Illiad. Odysseus faces many trials and quests in his journey home and to take back his kingdom from the suitors, such as meeting the witch Circe, blinding a Cyclops named Polyphemus, dealing with Poseidon, and staying with the goddess Calypso. The poem has many themes that are relevant to it. One such theme is the factor of redemption. Redemption is usually a typical subject in any kind of religion, like the Greek religion and Christian religion. The story of Odysseus has an underlying message of him receiving redemption from the Greek gods. The Odyssey is a tale of redemption because it deals with Odysseus being forgiven by the gods after having to go through many trials and wrongs to rightfully claim back his wife and the throne of Ithaca.
The notion of personal honor is prevalent throughout the Iliad. The honor of every person in Homeric culture was important, but to the hero, his honor was paramount. He could not endure insults, and he felt that he had to protect his reputation — even unto death. The hero 's duty was to fight, and the only way he had of gaining glory and immortality was through heroic action on the battlefield; thus, he continually prepared his life for the life-and-death risks of battle. The Homeric hero believed that men had to stand together in battle; men had to respect each other; and they had to refrain from excessive cruelty. This last condition was critically important for the Homeric hero. He loathed deliberate acts of cruelty and injustice. If he were ready to kill a victim, he believed that he should do it quickly; he was not to mutilate him, as Achilles does with Hektor 's body. By following this code, a hero gained a sense of dignity and a reputation for honor that would ensure his place in the social memory of his community.
In the Homeric world, honor is qualified by power. In the Iliad, power is measured several ways. When Nestor tries to mediate between the enraged Achilles and Agamemnon, he makes the point that “power and glory [are] given by Zeus himself” (Book I, Line 294). A king is the ultimate in nobility, even if he is the king of a small, poor Greek city. Being a king depends on accident of birth, not on ability, and is a sign of the gods’ favor. Because the gods have smiled on him, “a scepter-holding king has honor beyond the rest of men” (Book I, Line 293). In the Greek army...
“No man ever proves himself a good man in war unless he can endure to face the blood and the slaughter, go against the enemy and fight with his hands.” The preceding was quoted from “The Spartan creed” by the poet Tyrtaeus. There are two authors in this primary resource reading which include Tyrtaeus as well as Xenophon, whom authored “The laws and customs of the Spartans”. These two works give great detail to the Spartan society. As history has presented it, Sparta was a smaller polis and yet was one of the most, if not most, influential societies in history. What we know of this culture comes to us from excavation of its heritage as well as literary works such as these. But are these “eyes” into history factual and creditable enough to base our own interpretations of such a masterful race? These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion. This lacking may have been due to both writer’s motives for their work.
Sparta is the most formidable city known in history. Famous for her impressive military power, she proved that strength didn’t lie in numbers, it lay in Spartan discipline. Sparta started out as a small city fighting only to survive against enemy invaders. Her goal was to avoid defeat from other city-states and she very nearly succeeded in achieving it. Using self-denial, strong discipline and harsh training, Sparta focused almost all her attention on achieving her goal. Known as the ‘tamer of men’, her strength made all but Spartan men shrink in fear. However, Sparta did not wage war any more lightly then any other army, she simply waged it better. Despite the cold, military driven surface, Sparta often engaged in merriment. Festivals were celebrated with vigor, men were good to their families and their women were renowned for their beauty. Nevertheless, they always refused to become distracted from their purpose. Civil wars and ancient rivalries made it painfully clear that Sparta had no intention of allowing Athens or any other rival take over. However, she was still quite willing to join arms with the same rivals to fight off foreign invaders. When Greece was threatened by Persia, Sparta halted her competition with Athens and relentlessly fought back the enemy forces. After her triumph over the Persians, Sparta’s temporary peace with Athens was short-lived. The Greeks soon returned to their petty affairs. For 75 years Sparta and Athens fought for supremacy. Eventually, Sparta won, but in doing so she finally allowed all of Greece to witness her tragic flaw.