Overview
Exploring the Interconnectedness of Archaic Age Institutions: Minimum essay of at least 1000 words, excluding cited sources.
As you realize by now, the Archaic age was a pivotal period in Greek civilization, setting the stage for the development of the cultural norms we associate with the Greeks. This essay asks you to analyze three key institutions from this era, chosen from the list below, to uncover a shared idea, aspiration, or value that they collectively embody. You are NOT asked to describe these institutions individually, but to weave them together around a theme you believe they all express. Stating that all three institutions contributed in common to Greek culture does not qualify as a common theme, since that remark is obvious and taken for granted.
Acceptable examples of a theme are: ‘tension between individuality and social conformity,’ ‘aesthetic privileging of the male over the female body,’ ‘civic identity and pride,’ ‘emergence of rationalism,’ ‘demarginalizing the masses.’ If you have another theme in mind but you are not sure whether it will work, text or email me your proposal and I will let you know.
List of Institutions (pick three):
Colonization
Statuary
Architecture
Symposium
Tyranny and Oligarchy
- Panathenaic Athletics
- Pottery
- Hoplite Phalanx
- Greek ‘homosexuality’
- Science
- Lyric poetry and music
- Your essay should be organized as follows:
- Introduction (First Paragraph): Provide an overview of the Archaic age, emphasizing its importance in shaping Greek civilization. Introduce the three institutions you will analyze, and state clearly the common theme (idea, aspiration, or value) that connects them.
- First Institution (Second Paragraph): outline the first chosen institution, explaining its significance during the Archaic age, and how it reflects the common theme you have identified. Conclude this section with a transition that naturally leads to the next institution.
- Second Institution (Third Paragraph): continue with your second choice, elaborating on its features and its connection to the overarching theme. End with a transition that introduces the final institution.
- Third Institution (Fourth Paragraph): complete your institutional analysis by discussing your third choice and how it contributes to the shared idea, aspiration, or value you are exploring.
Synthesis (Fifth Paragraph): summarize the interconnectedness of the selected institutions around the identified theme. Explain why this collective examination offers a richer understanding of the Archaic age’s values compared to an isolated review of each institution.
I will use this rubric to grade your essay; make sure you know what I am looking for.