Лекция курсы lecture 1 The Problems of the Lecture

BC AD
VII VI V IV III II I O I II III IV V


Antique Literature

Latin word “antiquus” means “ancient”. When we say about antique literature we usually mean the literature of Europe or Greek & Roman literature, but not the whole ancient literature, such as Indian literature, Persian literature or Egyptian literature.

Antique literature has some periods of its development. The 1 period is called archaic or before classic period. It began with the oral folk creation and ended in the I BC. The works of that period did not come to our time, besides two monuments of Greek literature, which were written in the VI BC. They were the heroic poems “The Iliad” and “Odyssey”.
The 2 period - becoming and blooming of Greek classics. Slave - holding time, which lasted from the VII till the IV B.C. That period is usually called a classic period. Due to the devolopment of mankind, and distinguished individuals there developed numerous shapes of lyrics and drama, and also some elements of prose which were consisted of Greek philosophers, historians and orators’ creations . Since that epoch there were known the greatest playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophoklus, Euripides, and a comedy writer Aristophanes.
The 3 period is called Hellenic period. It apperead at the period of blossoming of slave - holding time. About 800 BC the first small Greek forming communities became organized into a larger political unit that the Greeks called”the polis” meaning “city-state”. The city-state served as a trading center for the countryside. Every city-state had a marketplace, which was a meeting place for all citisens. At first, Greek city-states were ruled by kings, then control passed into the hands of a privileged upper class. Greek city-states developed a form of government called “democracy”. (“Demos”- means “people”, “kratas” - “rule”). A democracy is a government in which people rule through free elections and a system of representation. One of the largest cities, Sparta. It was ruled more like a military camp, than a democratic society. That after classic period lasted from the III B.C. till the V A.D.
Roman literature was also refered to the 3 period, that’s why we often, call it as Hellenic-Roman period. The archaic period of Roman literature which was apperead in the III BC was lasted the first two centuries and the I AD is usually considered as blooming of Roman literatures or classic period. And the I-V AD. were afterclassic period of Roman literature. The VI AD is called as the boundary of ancient & middle aged literature, because that century was the century of disappearance of slave - holding formation and appearance of middle-aged feudalism.