Mycenae: Reality and Legend: Term 2 2008/9

Tutor Ken Wardle

Mycenae is one of the best known sites of Greek Myth, the home of Agamemnon leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, fabled as Rich in Gold and Well Built. With its astonishing golden grave goods found over a century ago in the Shaft Graves by Heinrich Schliemann and massive fortifications with blocks reputedly too large for human hands to shift, Mycenae is a complex archaeological site and the focal point of a civilization whose influence stretched from Egypt to Italy.

Aims of the course:

Ø       To learn how to make good use of the library and learning resources

Ø       To learn critical use of bibliographic searches and web sites

Ø       To learn general research and writing skills

Ø       To learn how to work in a seminar group

Ø       To understand basic methods of archaeological analysis

This project will introduce you to the interpretation of archaeological remains through a study of Mycenae and its history, together with its representation in mythology.

Basic bibliography:

Wardle, K. A. & Diana. - Cities of Legend: The Mycenaean World- London : Bristol Classical Press, 1997, 2000, Shelfmark DF 221.M9/W

Chadwick, John, The Mycenaean World / by John Chadwick. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1976, Shelfmark: DF 220

French, Elizabeth – Mycenae: Agamemnon’s Capital, Tempus 2002

Homer, The Iliad, & the Odyssey
Some books are on short loan to make sure everyone has a chance to read them.

Useful web site with extensive bibliography:-

http://devlab.cs.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/

for detailed discussions of topics and full bibliography

Ø       Web site review: short presentation

Ø       Course essay 1500 words for Class in Week 7 (see week 4)

Ø       Assessed project essay. 2500 words for Summer Term Week 2: 2009 date is 12.00 noon Tuesday 5th May.

Course Outline

Week 1            Introduction and outline

Explain aims of course and student requirements

The course will have set exercises for each week for discussion in class. You are expected to do the work and assignments on a week-by-week basis and come to class prepared to contribute to discussion. One of the best ways to develop skills for studying any academic subject is by talking about them. Discussion makes one more sure of ideas and opens the mind to new ideas. It is also a good forum to have ideas one is unsure of explained. It is a group learning experience with the tutor serving as a facilitator rather than a lecturer. The tutor should be able to learn as much as the students from a good seminar session.

Working in seminars can be daunting, you might like to consider the following points.

What can you learn from participating in seminar groups?

Ø       Attentive and constructive listening

Ø       Ask intelligent questions

Ø       To present your position and argue it

Ø       To think on your feet

Ø       Critically appraise your arguments in the light of responses

Ø       Critically evaluate the arguments of others and formulate a response

Ø       Experience group dynamics and play a number of roles within the group

How do you prepare and participate in seminar groups?

Ø       Make sure that you understand what is required of you for each session. Ask your tutor if you are unsure.

Ø       Plan ahead so that you have time to do the required work (hint: read all module/course outlines from start to finish in the first week – this gives you a good overall view of what is expected of you when)

Ø       Try to learn everyone’s name early on

Ø       The tutor is in control but you are an adult member of the group

Ø       Try to listen rather than to take notes while others talk. If you want to write anything down it should be a response to another’s comment or a question you want to ask

Ø       Question asking is encouraged. You might ask questions for many different reasons: checking your understanding… ‘have I got this right….?’; or to query a line of argument, in this case try to phrase your question sympathetically rather than confrontationally-‘could this be interpreted another way    ?’. Question asking is improved by preparation.

Ø       Even if it is not your turn to present you should do the required work, otherwise this puts unfair pressure on your fellow seminar members.

Ø       If you find the idea of speaking out too scary to contemplate, plan your questions first.

Do not be afraid of appearing stupid: firstly, you won’t be – you are probably asking the question everyone else wanted to ask; secondly, everyone, including the tutor will be glad you responded.

Equally if you feel you are talking too much, allow others some space. However do not be held back others’ lack of preparation.

What does a presentation consist of?

This varies from course to course but for the purposes of this course you will not be required to do more than talk for 5-10 minutes on a topic. Sometimes the whole group will speak, at other times an individual or smaller group will present.

Do not be afraid to use visual aids or handouts to help you – just make sure you incorporate them into your preparation.

Try not to read out loud but to use your notes as an aid.

Remember the archaeological record is fragmentary and our understanding of it imperfect. Some questions have several different answers – or no answers at all. Do not be afraid to ask ‘why?’ or ‘say I/we don’t know’.

From today’s class:

Understand what is required of you for this course

Assignments for next week:

omit this section in spring term [A)         Find and review one of the following journals:

American Journal of Archaeology (AJA)

Annual of British School at Athens (BSA)

Antiquity

Archaeological Reports (AR)

Archaeologion Deltion (ADelt)            yes its in Greek but see what you can make of it !

Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique (BCH)               and this one is in French.

Greece and Rome

Journal of Hellenic Studies (JHS)

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (PPS)

Look for the most recent volume on the shelves and note the following:

Ø       Class marks

Ø       Are several editions bound together?

Ø       What is the main theme of the journal? (literature, history, epigraphy – a mix of everything? A particular subject?)

Ø       Look at the contents list of several volumes and note any articles you think may be useful  for any of your courses. ]

B)         Find 5 relevant web sites about Mycenae and review them.

Ø       Use search engines to find any interesting sites then:

Ø       List the addresses

Ø       Note how they are laid out – text/ illustrations

Ø       Review them: are they useful? What sort of audience are they aimed at? Would you recommend them?

Week 2            Journal and Web reviews:

Students will present their findings from the Web Review assignment.

From today’s class:

Ø       A basic knowledge of some the main journals for your discipline and where to find them in the library.

Ø       Basic grasp of the range of sites on the web and their relative usefulness

For next session:

I suggest you begin your reading about Mycenae and the relevant bits in Homer now (not so much the battle scenes as the bits about Mycenae itself and about the background to the epic stories. You will need to read them and reread both at least once – so it is best to be able to do it in a leisurely fashion at first.

Find out the following:

Ø       where is Mycenae?  when was it occupied ?

Ø       what legendary characters are associated with this famous site.

Ø       chose five principal monuments or objects found at the site for further study.

Week 3            Why was Mycenae so important?

From today’s class:

Ø       Outline of the monuments found at the site and the principal finds in chronological order.

Ø       What are the Homeric epithets (descriptions) for Mycenae – how does the reality match up ?

For next session:

Find out about either Grave Circle A or Grave Circle B and compile a short list of principal features. Do this by:

Ø       Checking reference books in the library

Ø       Visiting relevant web sites

Ø       Reading one of the relevant publications you have found in your web/bibliographic search

Week 4            The Shaft Graves

From this and subsequent sessions we are going to look at how archaeological evidence can contribute to our picture of a society

From today’s class:

Ø       What do we understand by a shaft grave ?

Ø       What kind of people were buried in them ?

Ø       What kind of objects were placed in the graves ?

Ø       Why do you think these objects were chosen ?

For next session:

Ø       Find out about the nine tholos tombs

Ø       Read some of the detailed descriptions in BSA vol XXV

Unassessed course essay for submission at class in week 7: 1500 words on

What do we know about the people buried in the Shaft Graves ?

Week 5            The tholos tombs

From today’s class:

Ø       What was found in these tombs?

Ø       What skills were needed to build them?

Ø       How much effort did they take to build?

Ø       What kind of people were buried in them?

For next session:

Read about the Palace at Mycenae (BSA XXV again)

Week 6            Reading Week

Week 7            The Palace at Mycenae

From today’s class

Ø       How much remains of the Palace ?

Ø       Why do we call it a palace?

Ø       What do you think happened in the Palace?

For next session:

Read about the Cult Centre at Mycenae (Use Wardle, French and Taylour, Well Built Mycenae, Fascicule 1 The excavation and Fascicule 10 The Temple Complex)

Consider why is this considered to be a religious part of the site ?

Week 8            The Cult Centre at Mycenae

From today’s class

Ø       What kind of objects were found in the different rooms ?

Ø       Which of these are everyday objects?

Ø       Which are valuable objects

Ø       Which might have a special function?

For next session:

Read about the Linear B archives (use Wardle and Wardle and Chadwick).

These archives cover many aspects of life: chose one and read more deeply.

Week 9            The Linear B Archives

From today’s class:

Ø       What is Linear B?

Ø       What language does this represent?

Ø       What kind of topics are recorded in Linear B?

Ø       Why did the scribes go to all this effort

For next session:

Read one book of either the Iliad or the Odyssey

Ø       Note the kinds of information which might be reflected in the archaeological record

Ø       Note the kind of information which will not be reflected in the archaeological record

Week 10            Homeric Epic & Essay Preparation

From today’s class:

Ø       How far can we expect to compare the epic poetry with the archaeological record?

Ø       How far can we say that any of the epic stories are true

Ø       How useful is the poetry as a source of information about the Mycenaean period?

How to write and present your essay

Essay topics will be chosen focusing either on the value of the Homeric Epics or the Linear B archives for understanding the archaeological record.

For next session:

Look up one of the following sites/areas for the Mycenaean period (say 1600-1100 BC) and prepare short notes about key information

Week 11            The Mycenaean World

From today’s class:

Ø       What other important Mycenaean sites were there apart from Mycenae itself

Ø       How far did Mycenaean trade extend?

Ø       What goods were traded?

Ø       What effect did this contact have on neighbouring areas to north and west?

KAW 12.01.09