Lesson 1.1: Before Virtue

Glossary

Philosophical & Ethical Foundations

• The Good Life – A central concern of ancient philosophy, referring to how one should live to achieve happiness, virtue, or fulfillment.

• Ethics vs. Morality – Ethics, as we’ll be using the term, refers to the philosophical study of how one should live; this is juxtaposed with the modern notion of morality which is much narrower in scope, primarily focusing what actions are right or wrong (e.g., is abortion morally permissible?).

• Therapeutic Philosophy – The idea that philosophy is not just about abstract reasoning but about transforming one’s life and achieving well-being. Stoicism and Epicureanism are prime examples.

• Lifestyle Philosophy – A system of thought that provides not just a set of theoretical idea but also a way of living (e.g., Stoicism, Cynicism, Epicureanism).

• Sages & Mystics – In ancient times, philosophers were sometimes seen as having secret knowledge or even supernatural abilities, blurring the line between philosophy, religion, and magic.

Historical & Cultural Context

• Bronze Age (ca. 3000–1200 BCE) – The period of early civilizations in Greece, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, characterized by interconnected trade and political powers.

• Bronze Age Collapse (ca. 1177 BCE) – A massive civilizational breakdown caused by climate change, famine, war, and disease, leading to the Greek Dark Age.

• Greek Dark Age (ca. 1177–750 BCE) – A period of population decline, loss of literacy, and political fragmentation following the Bronze Age Collapse.

• Mycenaeans – An early Greek civilization (ca. 1600–1100 BCE), known for its warrior culture and its role in shaping Greek mythology.

• Apoikia – Greek settlements that were different from traditional colonies; instead of resorting to monarchy, these new communities utilized negotiation and political innovation to manage their social structures.

• Poleis (plural of Polis) – City-states that became the fundamental political units of Greece, known for their independence and constant warfare with each other.

• Homeric Tradition – The oral storytelling tradition that gave rise to The Iliad and The Odyssey, later written down and used as educational and religious texts.

• Hesiod’s Theogony – A work that describes the origins of the gods and the creation of the universe from chaos.

Language & Writing

• Proto-Indo-European (PIE) – The hypothetical common ancestor of many languages, including Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and English.

• Linear B – The earliest form of written Greek, used by the Mycenaeans before the Greek Dark Age.

• Phoenician Alphabet – A writing system adopted by the Greeks around 850 BCE, which was modified to include vowels, making it the first true phonetic alphabet.

• Cultural Capital of Greek Language – Greek became the language of philosophy, science, medicine, and theology, influencing regions far beyond Greece itself.

Religion & Rituals

• Greek Pantheon – The system of gods and goddesses worshiped by the Greeks, led by Zeus, often portrayed as powerful but tyrannical.

• Household Gods – Various deities that were worshiped in Greek homes, including:

  • Hermes (guardian of roads and households).

  • Apollo (protector of the household).

  • Hestia (goddess of the hearth).

  • Zeus Ktesios (protector of property).

• Ritual Sacrifice – A major part of Greek religion, where offerings were made to the gods, sometimes shared as a meal:

  • Communal Sacrifice – The most common type, where food was shared between humans and gods.

  • Burnt offering – The complete burning of an offering (e.g., human sacrifice), usually for some kind of atonement.

  • Sacramental Sacrifice – A mystical ritual in which participants consumed a god’s essence (e.g., Dionysian cults).

• Taking the Auspices – A form of divination by observing birds, practiced by leaders before making important decisions.

• Oracles – Priestesses who delivered prophecies from the gods, often in cryptic or ambiguous messages (e.g., the Oracle of Delphi).

Mystery Cults & Religious Continuity

• Mystery Cults – Secret religious groups with hidden knowledge and initiation rituals, promising insight, transformation, or divine favor.

• Göbekli Tepe (ca. 10,000–8,000 BCE) – One of the earliest known religious sites, possibly a site of pilgrimage and ritual sacrifice.

• LSD Beer & Soma – Some scholars speculate that psychedelic substances were used in ancient religious rituals (e.g., Eleusinian Mysteries and Vedic Soma).

• Pagan Continuity Hypothesis – The idea that early Christianity absorbed and transformed older pagan religious traditions, such as mystery cult rituals.

• 1 Corinthians 11:27–30 – A passage in which Paul warns against improper participation in the Eucharist, possibly reflecting an older mystery cult tradition.

Poetry & Cultural Memory

• The Iliad & The Odyssey – Epic poems attributed to Homer, blending history, myth, and moral lessons; essential reading for ancient Greeks.

• Homeric Oral Tradition – The long-standing verbal storytelling tradition before the poems were written down around 500 BCE.

• Immortality Through Song – The idea that heroes achieve eternal life through the preservation of their names in poetry and history.

Words You Might Not Know

• Ethnos – A shared cultural identity among people, even if they are politically fragmented (e.g., Greek ethnos despite city-state rivalries).

• Ambrosia – A sacred mixture (seeds, olive oil, and pure water) used in religious rituals, thought to be the food of the gods.

• Transregional Gods – Deities worshiped across multiple regions, unlike later monotheistic gods who were tied to a specific people (e.g., Yahweh for the Israelites).

• Skull Cult – An ancient practice where human skulls were venerated, possibly connected to ancestor worship or ritual sacrifice.

• Atonement – A religious concept where a person makes amends for sin or wrongdoing, often through sacrifice.

• Hegemony – Dominance of one state or culture over others, such as Greek cultural influence across the Mediterranean.

• Martial Valor – Bravery in battle, considered a key virtue in Homeric society.

• Anachronistic – Applying modern ideas to historical periods where they don’t belong (e.g., calling ancient philosophers “scientists”).

• Raiding Culture – A common practice in early societies, where groups survived through piracy, theft, and warfare (e.g., the revised view of the Trojan War).