Homer’s Epics: Warfare

By Valerian Planche and Grace West

Overview of section

• This section is about Homer’s perspective of warfare of Greece. In this section, Cahill finds the incongruities of Homer’s idea of warfare to the actual battlefield and military of that time.

• This study guide will lead you through the section, highlighting important parts.

• In this section Cahill clearly demonstrates the type of learning he uses that he talked about in the introduction. He connects a lot of the military tactics portrayed by Homer to other part of history.

Homer portrays warfare like this… • chieftains fought in chariots• Dropped of on battlefield and fought in close formation• Wore heavy armor• Shields, breastplates, swords, etc. • Resembled a close formed chicken fight

• Speeches were given before every battle(Illiad)

Can compare this to Shakespeare's play:People never actually talked in such beautiful poems, but Shakespeare

portrayed his story this way, much like Homer changed actual warfare into his stories.

Philosopher Heraclitus says,

“ War is the father of all, the king of all.”

• Next, Cahill wants to find elements of western warfare weaved into Homer’s story…

• He reads you a part of Homer’s story where Homer describes a part of a battle( page 44)

• The techniques displayed in this clip where then transformed later to more advanced military techniques.

• Homer keeps his audience engaged in his battle scenes with the “ personal valor of Homer’s soldiers.”

• Example: Hector’s bravery

• The stories stay interesting and the audience stays engaged through the heroic moments.

• Hanson, a man often referred to in this section, find the connection between ancient military and present day.

• Dick Cheney has signed on to the “ Greek view of war” “ terrible but innate to civilization- and not always unjust

or amoral if it is waged for good causes to destroy evil and save innocent.”

This quote says that war is not always a horrible thing. It is natural to any civilization, and is not bad in a case that is trying to destroy bad and save good.

• Much of our modern military approach can be traced back to the Greeks

• Strengths and weaknesses of past must be taken into consideration for improvement.– Connection to First Gulf war

• Is a military antidote( something that counteracts of neutralizes an unpleasant situation) what is needed?

• Will our military along with our supplies suffice to preserve our dominance of one country?

• These questions are in the Greek spirit: thinking the impossible.

• Agamemnon comes into the mix

• Homer used Agamemnon society- into danger

• Strategy- derived from Greek word

for army

“It is impossible to determine exactly whether man, nature, or chance is the initial catalyst

for the origins of Western civilization.”

Who can say who is the initial starter of the origins of Western civilization?