The ancient Greeks did not clearly define myth and history. In their view, myth is "ancient history". Myth has shaped an era of creation; A "golden age" in which god and man have fun together; A "heroic age" in which God and man are separated but still closely linked; A noble and upright "hero competition" between gods and people. The Greeks in the historical period regarded "heroes" as ancestors and their extraordinary achievements as "ancient history". Inheriting "ancient history"-myth is the same responsibility of poets and historians. In order to make myths more like "ancient history", the ancient Greeks historicized, rationalized and secularized myths intentionally or unintentionally; Minimize supernatural elements in myth; Let the world of "heroes" be closer to the world of people. The time, place, characters and events of Greek hero myths are very specific; The systematic pedigree arrangement and the age consciousness of myths further enhance the credibility and sense of history of myths as "ancient history". In the third century BC,

The Greek writer Ohmeros regarded the mythical god as a real historical figure, and thought that God was a monarch and great man in the past, and was remembered and deified by later generations because of his great contribution to mankind. Myth is history in disguise. Euclid's view is obviously a big step forward than the view that myth and "ancient history" are indistinguishable.

In the Middle Ages, Ohmedrosism has always maintained a strong influence, because Christian theologians can use this theory to prove the falsity of ancient pagan gods; Lovers of classical culture hope to find clues to ancient Greek history from beautiful and moving fairy tales. Myth is either regarded as a disguised history or interpreted as a metaphor of moral philosophy, which has always been the mainstream of medieval myth research.

Second, the attitude of modern classical historians towards myth.

From the enlightenment era of18th century, the spirit of scientific rationality gradually dominated the study of classical historiography. Calm historians prefer to be skeptical, critical and agnostic about the historical authenticity of classical myths. Modern Roman historians B·G· niebuhr (1776- 183 1 year) and G·L· Lewis (1806- 1863) both questioned and criticized the reliability of the early Roman legend history. T Munson (18 17- 1903)

When writing the history of ancient Rome, I simply avoided controversial myths. (Note: (America) J·W· Thompson: History of Historical Works (Chinese Version), Commercial Press, 1992, Volume 3, Page 209-2 10; Volume 4 Volume 2 Page 67 1-672. Greek "ancient history" constructed by myth, by the famous British Greek historian G grotte (1794- 187 1

The most representative point of view is that he refused to regard Greek mythology as a history of faith and thought it was "776 BC"

A large number of events in Greece before 2000 cannot be recovered in history and years, claiming that "the specific figures and events listed in Greek legendary poems cannot be considered as belonging to the real historical field." However, grotte does not deny the value that myths reflect the social life of prehistoric Greece. He said: "According to Homer's description and suggestion, it can be considered that the society and lifestyle in the heroic age are generally recognizable"; The ancient epic "as a picture of life style, it is instructive"; Epic writers can't be called historians, but they are of great value as unconscious interpreters of contemporary society. (Noe: George grotte: Greek history (G

Grote, Greek history), London, 1854 edition, volume 2, page 47, page 79; Preface to volume 1, page 14; Volume II, page 78. )

The famous German Greek historian E Kuster (1814-1896).

The attitude towards myth is in sharp contrast with that of Monson and grotte. "Monson abandoned the myth when writing Roman history; Grotte does not recognize Greek mythology as historical evidence; However, kuster believes that many historical situations can be found in legends, because legends are far from being fabricated by one person, but the memory of the whole nation. " (Noe: Thompson: History of Historical Works, Volume 4, Volume 2, pp. 682-683. )

Grotte's viewpoint represents the orthodox and mainstream viewpoint in the history circle in the middle of19th century, which is suitable for the academic development level at that time. At that time, archaeology and social anthropology had just started; The remains of ancient Aegean civilization have not been excavated; The research on primitive social organization, system, customs and culture is still immature. Comparative linguistics has made some progress in restoring the language and culture of ancient Indo-European languages, but it has made little contribution to the reconstruction of prehistoric Greek history. There are no historical documents in prehistoric Greece, and myth is the only clue. Prehistoric era is still a mysterious "mythical era". For modern historians who have received enlightenment and scientific training, it is irrational to accept the "ancient history" constructed by myth without criticism; The ability and means of analysis and criticism are very limited; Therefore, the legendary history is often avoided or simply denied. The study of myth and prehistory needs multidisciplinary cooperation. Historians can accurately describe and analyze the social and historical development track of prehistoric Greece only by drawing on the research results of archaeology, language, cultural anthropology, religion and mythology. It is possible to answer thorny questions such as whether myths reflect historical facts and to what extent. /kloc-In the second half of the 0/9th century, with the rapid development of related science, the study of Greek mythology and prehistory also jumped to a new level.

Three Breakthroughs in Archaeology and Linguistics in Aegean Sea

The progress of archaeology and linguistics makes it possible to study the history of the mythical age. Since 1970s, the remains of ancient Aegean civilization have been discovered one after another, and an ancient bronze civilization that has long been forgotten has been presented to the world by archaeologists. This is a strange world composed of archaeological objects and unread ancient characters, an "unexplained picture book". Historians must face this new reality, cooperate with archaeologists and linguists, and make logical explanations by using traditional mythological materials and scientific research methods to fill the "explanation" of picture books.

The breakthrough of prehistoric archaeology in Greece is attributed to a legendary German businessman and amateur archaeologist H. Sheriman (1822- 1890). He is self-taught and romantic.

He is fond of the past and quick, less bound by the orthodox view of history, and is convinced of the historical basis of Homer's epic, reaching the level of superstition. In ancient Greece, the legend of the Trojan War was regarded as a belief in history, but in modern times, not only the authenticity of the legend was questioned, but also the exact location of the ancient ruins of Troy was forgotten. Sheriman relied on the British scholar F. Calwater (1828- 1908,

As a former British and American diplomatic consul in the Daniil Strait, it was determined that the Trojan site was located at the foot of Rick Mountain in Hisar near the Daniil Strait in northwest Asia. Excavated from 187 1, it is easy to be cold and easy to be hot, and it has a shocking effect. There are nine ancient cities under the ruins. Sheriman is superstitious about myths, and thinks that Homer's Troy is the oldest and should be buried at the bottom of the site. So he dug deep and destroyed many valuable architectural and cultural layers above. On the penultimate floor (archaeological Trojan III), he found tall walls, towers, wide streets, palaces, rubble burned by fire and the famous "treasure of King Priam". He confidently discovered the mythical "Priam Castle" captured and burned by the Greek Expeditionary Force, which proved the historical authenticity of Homer's epic. 1876, guided by the travel notes of Bossanias, an ancient Greek traveler, Sheriman searched for five tombs of the mythical figure Agamemnon and his entourage in the remaining Mycenae castle.

He did find five tombs and saw King Agamemnon himself wearing Jin Mianju in them.

This also proves that Mycenae's statement of "higher gold content" is not a myth. 1884- 1885, he and German archaeologist Dou Bofei * * * excavated the Thurlings Castle, which is famous for its mythical "Cyclops Wall", laying a foundation for further excavation in the future. He also visited the ruins of Troy many times. 1890, Sheriman died. The biggest regret in his life is that he failed to realize his desire to explore the "maze" of Crete.

1893- 1894, Dou Bofei excavated the south wing of the Trojan ruins, and found more magnificent walls and towers, more spacious houses and streets, and a lot of signs of Meni pottery, Mycenae pottery, horse bones and fire. The conclusion is that this building belongs to the archaeological Trojan VI, which is the real Trojan city destroyed by the Greek war at the end of the bronze age. The city of Troy II identified by Sheriman was burned down thousands of years before the Trojan War. 1932- 1938 w

Professor Bregen led the American archaeological team to excavate the site in more detail, which proved that Troy VI was destroyed by the earthquake. ⅶ a city restored on the basis of ⅵ city (estimated by Bregen, it is about 1270- 1240).

Years) is the myth of the real ancient city of Troy burned by the Greeks. Bregen's viewpoint was generally accepted by academic circles and gained orthodox status; However, in the past 10 years, Dou Bofei's view began to resurface, and the view that the sixth city was destroyed by war was recognized again. (Note: For several different interpretations of the historical truth of the Trojan War, please refer to Michael Wood: Searching for the Trojan War (Michael

Wood, A Study of the Trojan War, London, 1985. )

Since Sheriman excavated five shaft tombs in Mycenae Castle Tomb Circle A, Mycenae archaeology has lasted for another century. During this period, Stamatax, Santas, Papadimitrio, Mirenas of the Greek Archaeological Association and British archaeologist Vas of Athens College in England all made important contributions. The architectural layout in Mycenae Castle is basically clear; Yes, No.9 outside the city

A royal dome tomb, a civilian cemetery and houses were also excavated, inspected and cleaned; The most important thing is the tomb circle B outside the city

During the excavation, 24 shaft tombs were cleared. After Sheriman, the excavation of Tilia amurensis lasted for nearly half a century until the 1930s.

With the dating technology of Aegean ancient pottery becoming more and more reliable, Sherman's hasty and optimistic conclusion in his early years was proved to be wrong. The age of the shaft tomb is about BC16th century. The legendary King Agamemnon, even if he really existed, should be a figure in the 3rd century BC/Kloc-0. What Sheriman saw in Jianjing tomb was obviously not King Agamemnon himself, but the early princes and nobles of Mycenae who were three or four hundred years earlier than Agamemnon. Archaeological findings show that Mycenae is a powerful and rich country with strong fortresses and luxurious palaces and tombs, which is very consistent with Mycenae's mythical memory of ruling all Greece. Archaeology has confirmed that Mycenae had two burial periods (the so-called shaft tomb era and dome tomb era) and two construction periods, which is roughly consistent with the myth that Mycenae was ruled by two royal families. However, if we do a detailed textual research, there are many contradictions. This shows that myth may reflect the outline of historical changes, but it can't accurately retell history, which is the enlightenment from archaeology.

Fourth, about the characteristics and influence of Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, human nature is supreme. People-oriented is its most prominent and distinctive part. In Greek mythology, every god has his own selfishness, which is different from ordinary myths and religions, making it have a far-reaching influence in human history. God is the most perfect embodiment of mankind. God and human beings have the same image and personality, which is the highest model and the greatest publicity and amplification of human personality. This is the most essential difference between Greek religion and other religions. God is not divorced from secular human nature, but exaggerates and magnifies human nature. This is an affirmation of human nature by human self, which makes the whole Greek civilization have the color of humanism, that is, everything is measured by human scale and starting point. People think that the bodies of other creatures or similar creatures have human emotions and even have their own personality characteristics. The Greek gods are physically like us, and even more developed and beautiful than us in a sense. 1, the characteristics of Greek mythology: 1. The reason why the Greek god is regarded as a god is not because of his lofty morality, or even because he is smarter than people, but because he has a more handsome body than people. The reason why a male god is a male god is because he is more masculine than a man; The goddess is also a goddess, because she is more feminine than women. It is because of its beauty that people regard it as a god. (2) The heroes in the legend of heroes are all descendants of gods and demigods, with extraordinary talents and perseverance. The legend of heroes has formed many systems centering on different families, including the biography of Heraclitus, the legend of theseus, the legend of Jason and so on. /kloc-in the 9th century, Dana, a famous aesthete, wrote a book called Philosophy of Art, in which he said: "The Greeks tried their best to take the beautiful human body as a model, but they were regarded as idols, heroes on the ground and gods in the sky." Therefore, both the gods in Greek mythology and the heroes in Greek legends have human bodies, even more like people than people. It is precisely because the Greek gods are exemplary in body that they are admired by people. The gods in the same sex (1) Greek mythology are highly personalized gods. They have human thoughts and feelings, and their personalities are also very distinct. In Greek mythology, God, like man, has love and hate, while worldly desires have everything, even jealousy. For example, Hera, the queen of heaven, is vain and morally inferior to people. What distinguishes them from others is that they are immortal and have unparalleled wisdom and magic. This reflects the Greeks' pursuit of light, love for real life, people-oriented and affirmation of human strength. (2) The gods in Greek mythology, like people, are all personified images. For example, Zeus, the father in heaven, often chases and seduces women on earth, while Hera, his wife, persecutes her rival in love like a jealous woman. But the difference between God and man is also obvious: they are immortal, can be deformed at will, have their own special skills and great power, and their likes and dislikes play a decisive role in the life and death of human beings in the lower world. Among them, the most prominent gods are the twelve main gods who live on Mount Olympus.

2. The influence of Greek mythology: 1. The source of literary creation. Greek mythology has experienced rich changes of the times and historical circumstances, and has become the basic material for almost all literary and artistic activities in Greece and even Europe. From legend to singing, from singing to story, from story to drama, it finally became an epic spread throughout Greece and took root in Roman culture. Since then, it has found its own way into Latin and ancient German, and has become a cultural treasure in Europe. Today, drama, poetry and other cultural activities in Europe and America are drawing new nourishment from Greek mythology flowing around the world and becoming an important source of literary re-creation. It laid the foundation for the formation of the modern Olympic Games. Ancient Greece was a mythical kingdom. Beautiful fairy tales and bizarre folk stories cast a mysterious color on the origin of the ancient Olympic Games. There are many legends about the origin of the ancient Olympic Games, the most important of which are the following two: First, the ancient Olympic Games was a regular sports activity to worship Zeus. Another legend is related to Hercules, the son of Zeus. 3. The influence of architectural style. The life of the ancient Greeks was controlled by religion, so naturally, the largest and most beautiful building in ancient Greece was the Greek temple. The ancient Greeks believed that God was also a human being, but God was more perfect than ordinary people. It shows that the overall style of Greek temple architecture is solemn and elegant, with harmonious, grand and lofty beauty. These style features are obvious in all aspects. Sculpture art and architectural style are extremely developed under the mythical background. The reappearance of Greek words can be seen in Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and collectivism. The architecture of ancient Rome was deeply influenced by that of ancient Greece. During the Roman period, it also developed its own mixed column style, which developed from the Greek column style. Ancient sculpture represents the perfect golden ratio and is a model of human beauty; The enduring fairy tales fascinate us; Names are still respected as "masters" by us. A thousand years later, Greek culture was influenced by the Hellenistic era, the Renaissance and even today. We still think and communicate in Greek in many subjects. Greece has always been synonymous with "beauty" and "harmony". Greece is the eternal world coordinate.