Hermahai Profile picture
Feb 23, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read Read on X
1/ In the Iliad, Homer often refers to the uniqueness of the capabilities of the armies of Achilles and Ajax, where they are described as dense formations of elite soldiers, who use brilliant tactical battles under the guidance of highly trained warlords.
#Homer #Iliad #Troy
2/ " ...howbeit thereto could he no more avail, for with shields were they fenced in on every side, as they stood around Patroclus, and before them they held their spears. For Ajax ranged to and fro among them and straitly charged every man; ➡️
➡️ Thus mighty Ajax charged them, not one, he bade them, should give ground backward from the corpse, nor yet fight in front of the rest of the Achaeans as one pre-eminent above them all; but stand firm close beside the corpse and do battle hand to hand. ➡️
➡️ and the earth grew wet with dark blood, and the dead fell thick and fast alike of the Trojans and their mighty allies, and of the Danaans; for these too fought not without shedding of blood, ➡️
➡️ howbeit fewer of them by far were falling; for they ever bethought them to ward utter destruction from one another in the throng."
3/ Does Homer's narration of a historical Mycenaean invasion of Troy contain memories of the existence of elite special forces in the ranks of the Mycenaean army,who were undertaking difficult operations,while with their fighting being a decisive factor for the battle's outcome?

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More from @hermahai

Feb 6
1/My view is that initially the Mycenaean world was divided into scattered, interconnected, autonomous communities. During the 16th century BC,a process of emergence of powerful centers and absorption by these new regional centers of the secondary settlements began. @StefanT2005 Image
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2/ Mycenae played an important role in the transformation of the Mycenaean world, as it evolved into a leading power in Argolid and mainland Greece in general. The warlords of Argolid were the protagonists in the conquest of Crete, the islands of the Archipelago and Miletus. Image
3/ The process of concentrating political power and economic wealth in a few regional centers continued during the first phase of the palatial period (14th century BC). In many cases the new situation was imposed through violence and destruction (see Iklaina, Ayios Vasileios).👉 Image
Read 9 tweets
Jan 30
1/ The ship that sank at the end of the 14th century BC near the coast at Uluburun (SW Anatolia) is not a simple case of another wrecked merchant ship that was making a typical voyage sailing the sea routes of the Eastern Mediterranean of the Late Bronze Age.
#Uluburun Image
Image
2/ Its cargo testifies to a special purpose sea voyage. It included a large quantity of copper ingots, numerous vessels and mainly exotic - precious objects intended for a very specific elite audience (carved ivory vessels and jewelry made of gold and semi-precious stones), 👉 Image
👉 as well as raw materials for the manufacture of fine elaborate artifacts (glass ingots, raw ivory, ostrich eggshells and faience beads). These artifacts were manufactured in royal workshops in Syro-Canaan and Egypt by highly qualified craftsmen. Image
Read 18 tweets
Jan 22
1/ Preclassical Lemnos is shrouded in the mist of myth, constituting a special case for the ancient Greek world due to the presence of a strong pre-Greek population. Thus, mythological Lemnos is associated with various peoples.
#Lemnos #Sintians #Minyans Image
2/ The first inhabitants of Lemnos were the Sintians, a people of Thracian or Phrygian origin, who, according to legend, cared for and raised Hephaestus, who was exiled from Olympus. More generally, the Sintians are related to the Neolithic inhabitants of Poliochni and Myrina. Image
3/ Scholars, attempting to etymologize the ethnonym Sintians, have come up with two different (and dubious) interpretations: 1) from the poetic verb σίνομαι which means "to plunder" and 2) from the IE root kuento- which means "sacred" and is related to the worship of Hephaestus. Image
Read 10 tweets
Jan 17
1/ In the past, there was a strong belief among members of the scientific community that the appearance of Minoan palaces was a "sudden" event in which various "ancestral" palatial patterns of the Near East, such as those at Mari and Alalakh, played an important role. #Minoans Image
Image
2/ On the other hand, there were some scholars who argued that the appearance of the Minoan palaces was the creative result of a native genius craftsman. On a more logical basis, other scholars seek the emergence of palaces through the evolution of local architectural structures. Image
3/ In my opinion, the Minoan palaces were a combination of elements that have their roots in the pre-palatial period and some innovations that came from the Near East, such as the palatial administration, the widespread use of seals and the inscribed tablets. Image
Read 14 tweets
Jan 9
1/ The Aegean was a marginal area for the Egyptians of the Bronze Age, but nevertheless they had very good relations with its inhabitants. Archaeological and textual evidence demonstrates close trade, diplomatic and cultural contacts between the two lands, even royal marriages. Image
2/ However, where the close relationship between the two peoples is most vividly commemorated is in the representations of Aegean emissaries with offerings for the Egyptian king, which adorned the tombs of officials in the cemeteries of Thebes. The motif of the representations 👉 Image
👉 in which the Aegean emissaries are depicted is always the same: they participate together with other foreign embassies from all over the known world in processions, arriving in Egypt in order to offer the enthroned Egyptian Pharaoh precious and exotic metals and objects, 👉 Image
Read 16 tweets
Dec 22, 2024
1/ Ancient Greek texts refer to a mythical king of Crete with divine origins and extraordinary abilities, Minos. Thucydides reports that Minos was the most ancient king of Crete, who dominated the entire Aegean with a powerful fleet (Minoan Thalassocracy). #Minoans Image
2/ He had the perspicacity to colonize the Aegean islands and defeat the pirates who "polluted" the seas, promoting peace and trade. However, he also had another aspect: he is presented as a wise legislator, gaining great fame and becoming after his death the judge of the dead. Image
3/Minos reigned from the Knossos, which he made the most famous city in the Aegean, and was the founder of the labyrinth. Of particular interest is the fact that his mother, Europa,was the daughter of the king of Tyre that she was kidnapped and taken to Crete by his father, Zeus. Image
Read 14 tweets

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