Literature
Despite having different backgrounds on leadership skills, Gilgamesh and Enkidu grow to become more alike in the sense that Gilgamesh learns to be respectful to humankind, just like Enkidu. The two learn an important lesson after having a disagreement and fighting; but in the end, they show no enmity towards one another. There are ten ways in which these two friends got to be quite similar.
Gilgamesh identifies himself as a protector. This character is revealed when he goes for an adventure with Enkidu to kill Hambaba, whom he considers too evil to protect.
Gilgamesh learns to identify with his people as his friend does.
Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu have a common mission, one to become good leaders.
They both become fearless, partly because of the experiences that each one of them undergoes.
Both can easily identify with the people's interests.
Mortality becomes a part of what they believe in.
Respect is universal in both characters.
They both have common goals in their leadership pursuits.
Both parties become humble and compassionate towards the community.
Achilles has a struggle in balancing the need for personal honor and that of community safety. For one to be accorded honor in the community, he or she needs to perform glorious activities and in the so doing, one might be forced to compromise his or her personal need at the expense of the society. Glory and honor are valued in the Greek community for one to be powerful and regarded highly in the society. Achilles has the decision to make on whether to consider death in a battle that will bring him everlasting glory and honor or to forgo the fighting and have to live without glory for the rest of his life. He feels he is not accepted by Agamemnon when he decides to take over the fight and thus considering it an insult to his personal honor. The features of the struggle include:
The urge to gain everlasting glory and honor.
Disaffection from the Greek and the society.
Resolution and rehabilitation of the fighters.
The sense of the eternal.
Withdrawal from the war.
The death of his friend, Patroklos.
Anger.
Achilles becomes successful, and he is finally able to reconcile with his community and participate in battles which make him highly valued and held in high regard as a hero.
Hector is also another hero who has to struggle with his personal duty and that of the public. He has the responsibility to attend to his wife, mother, and sister-in-law who care so much about him and positively contribute to his role as a mortal hero. His struggle to both accomplish his personal, and public life has an effect on the women.
The women's motive to question his decisions and authority fails and this results in his leadership stands of refusing to accept advice from other fighters.
He denies the women the opportunity to counsel them, but in turn gives then occupations that suit them.
His affection for his family does not hinder him from fulfilling his public mission
The family remains central to an understanding of his identity, and, as a result, he stands for Helen when the society blames her for his judgments.
The ancient Greek believed that once someone died, their spirit left their body in the form of a wind and then the deceased laid to rest at a particular time. Neglect of burial rites was considered a dishonor to human dignity (Homer 23). Women primarily conducted burial rituals. Guests were hosted with hospitality and with much generosity which created good relationships between the guests and the community that hosted them. They were also offered gifts as a way of appreciating their visitors. Religious sacrifices took place in the sanctuary conducted mostly for the gods and the goddess with the animal sacrifice being the most central sacrifice. Offering of sacrifices was the only means by which individuals expressed their thanks during their prayer or worship sessions (“The Epic of Gilgamesh” 89–91). Excellent work came with a reward of being valued in the society just as seen in the book Iliad where battlers who excelled were made heroes as well as respected in the community. Meetings within the community were conducted based on prior knowledge of the people where the clan leaders discussed issued of public concerns.
Archeologists perceive pottery transition as key to understanding the chronology of Greece culture. From the 7th century, there were various styles that represented different ways of pottery production and quality. The proto-geometric style represents the return of craft production after the Greek dark ages. The styles involved triangles, circles, wavy lines and arcs that represented much improvement in earthware. Geometric styles characterized by meanders and geometric decoration were also a reflection of the way Greeks were creative in distinct pottery. Black Di Pylon styles were part of the Geometric styles where extensive use of black varnish existed. Figurative decorations in the forms of animals such as goats and horses were also used with the style. Orientation styles, a product of cultural ferment, also came up in the 7th century. With a highly stylized art, there was more use of animals at the belly of the vase. The wild goat style was also common where stylized animals and decorative motifs were used. The Black figure style became popular for many years with the artistic impression of human beings thereby creating the impression of the ambition the artists had in producing their monumental work. The Red Figure style eclipsed the Black Figure and rather than the incision; the artists relied on painting. White Ground styles also gained relevance in the ancient Greece and was mostly used as a grave offering. However, with the emergence of rich style, later styles involved the use of plastic vases that had added colors including pink, green, blue and gold with emphasis on female mythological figures. The traditional pottery practices continued to decline by replacement of clay and plastic with metal and representations such as dolphins, wreaths, and rosettes adopted. The Hellenistic styles, therefore, led to additional uses of the pottery. The styles, therefore, prove the time and evolution of the Greece culture over the years and the events that led to shifting from traditional pottery practices to modern forms that relied on better representation and use of better materials (Ziolkowski).
Works Cited
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Translated by Benjamin Foster. New York: Norton, 2001. Print.
Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penquin, 1990. Print.
Ziolkowski, Theodore. Gilgamesh among Us: Modern Encounters with the Ancient Epic. Cornell UP, 2012. Web.
