The Philosophers of ancient Ionia

Chapter 2: Homer and Despina in the City of Ancients, meeting

great Greek Poets

Despina woke up in an ancient city and she met an old man who introduced himself as Homer. Despina was very surprised to see him and start asking him about the city and his presence in that place. Could he really be the great poet Homer from ancient Greece?

Are you really Homer the poet? I learn about you at school you know!

Yes my dear child! I didn’t knew that young people have heard about me. I am very old…

2856 years old and 3 months – I think… Difficult to remember my birthday after such a long time

here… I think that I am the oldest here! The next one is my friend Hesiodos! He is 2756

years old!

What is this place? It looks like the

Acropolis – but this place is quite new!

This city is an imaginary place! We, all the ancient Greeks, decide to make this city and live in peace here! If you go for a walk you will see

poets, philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, all talking about good old times… If you come

with me I’ll introduce you to some of them!

So Despina and Homer start walking in the streets of the city!

The first thing to see was a big theater where they saw three great Greek tragedians, Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides, preparing a new drama play. Soon, Aristophanes, a Comic dramatist came to their company!

Do you see this theater? Is identical with the Small Theater of Epithavros. It is our favorite place to watch a drama play!

Where are we now? And who are these people?

I am amazed! Everybody knows these poets! Their plays

are still the audience’s favorites in Greece!

Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides come from the

mainland of Greece, not Ionia. And Aristophanes too.

I am very happy to meet you all! I will definitely watch your

play when you are ready!

Well, every month they prepare a new play! Sometimes they take ideas from my poems but I am

too modest to say that in public!

Welcome little girl! We are in a hurry. We prepare a new drama!

Will you come and see it?

Despina was very happy to talk with the poets about there new play! The subject was about the creation of the universe by the Gods. Homer suggested that they should ask help from his friend Hesiodos. Hesiodos wrote a great poem “Theogony” to tell how universe was made.

I’ll call Hesiodos! He is the one to tell us about the creation of the universe. His poem “Theogony” may give us many

details – even if I disagree with him about certain things….

I understand what “Theogony” means! Is how gods where born!

… Hesiodos is a poet. “Theogony” is a wonderful poem (not as big as my poems) and is completely mythological!

Do you want to know how really universe was made?

Yes, I would like to know what ancient scientists believed!

Despina was very curious to learn about the beliefs of ancient scientists. At school she had read the poem of Hesiodos. At the beginning there was Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth). They got married and had sons: the Ecatogxires, the Cyclops, the Titans. But this is mythology, stories for little children. Despina wants to know about the scientists!

Please, Homer, will you take me to speak with real scientists?

Ok Despina, let’s go to

Friends of Militos Club!

So, Despina and Homer continued their walk in the streets of the City on Ancients, to find the “Friends of Militos” Club.

Militos was one of the greatest cities in Ancient Ionia. The cities called Ionian in historical times were twelve in number. These were (from south to north) Miletus, Myus, Priene, Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos, Erythrae, Clazomenae and Phocaea, together with Samos and Chios. And last, Smyrna, which was originally an Aeolic colony.

Important philosophers are said to originate from Miletus. These include Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. Heraclitus was from Ephesus, Anaxagoras was from Clazomenae and Aristarchus and Pythagoras were from the island of Samos.

All these great philosophers and scientists from ancient times worked on the foundations of today’s science and people all over the world remember them for their theories about philosophy, mathematics and physics!

And now, imagine these ancient scientists, all together in the City of Ancients! Despina was excited to meet them and talk with them!

FRIENDS OF MILITOS

Here we are Despina! Are you ready? We are going in!

I am so excited! I wish my friend Mateusz was with us here! When I go back and

tell him, he will not believe me!

I think I can do something about it!!!Close your eyes!

FRIENDS OF MILITOS

So, Despina closed her eyes and the very next minute Mateusz was there! And not just that, now, both of them looked like ancient Greek children!