Rosetta Stone Project: Greece

This past week I had the opportunity to meet with members of the class who, like me, have been researching the role that oral and written traditions have in Greek culture. We discussed the various methods and materials that the Ancient Greeks used in order to record and write down their knowledge in order to help us come up with ways that we could create our own Greek "artifact." 

Papyrus (a form of our modern day paper) was used in Ancient Greece, but the process of letting the product ferment takes weeks and we had limited time. (The fact that the bookstore does not sell papyrus may have played a role in our decision not to use it as well.)

The Linear B Script.

Ancient Greek civilizations are famous for their developments in language and communication. One such civilization is the Mycenaean civilization, which I have researched about in my last couple of blog posts. Originally, only those who held religious authority or political power were taught how to orate properly. It wasn't until philosophers, Socrates and Plato, had popularized speech, that the common Mycenaean people began to use oration as an authoritative and scholastic means of communication. However, Aristotle, a student of Plato, argued that speech was not the only means or even the most important mean of communication. He believed the written language was. 

Basic Linear B syllabary.

The Mycenaeans Continued.

Sorry for the late post! I was unable to conduct my interview for this week, so instead I decided to focus more on the transfer of knowledge within the Mycenaean (Greek) culture.

Like I noted in my previous post, there were different social classes among the Mycenaeans, the king (or rulers), palace men and the peasants. But even though "there was a distinct pecking order within this highly structured society...it was not overwhelmingly oppressive" (Rodney Castleden 84). Because of this, the lower class members of society had considerable freedom of action, which allowed them to speak their mind and pass on oral information without much censorship by those in power.

Socrates.

During this time, knowledge was passed on verbally through mentors. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle verbally communicated their ideas and thoughts with their mentors and students through the questioning and debate methods.

As citizens began to develop a better understanding of oral communication, the development of two different dialects began to occur. "The Mycenaeans spoke at least two different dialects, unrelated to the different Greek dialects of later times" (Castledon 89). One dialect was used by the upper class scribes. They used their spoken dialect when using Linear B writing system, a written form of communication that the Mycenaeans are most known for. The other dialect which sometimes appears in the Linear B tablets seems to reflect how the lower class citizens spoke.

Plato.

Aristotle.

This form of writing tells of the Trojan War, mentioned in Homer's epic poems. It is unsure if the Trojan war had anything to do with the downfall of the Mycenaean Civilization, however, it is known that the Mycenaean Civilization fell shortly after (within two decades).

Today, much of what we know about the Mycenaean language and culture has been passed down mostly through written history. "The language of the Mycenaeans, however did survive, as Greek, and from what we have seen some of their history and poetry survived too, in the tradition preserved in Homer" (Castleden 229).

Castleden, Rodney. Myceneans. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.