In class, Dr. Quillin discussed the historical context within which The Odyssey was written. Using your notes on this lecture, discuss how you think why it was necessary to develop an oral tradition during the Greek Dark Ages and what you think happens to that oral tradition once it is written down.
The Greek Dark Ages involved the collapse of many different civilizations all across the mediterranean, with major trade routes being disrupted and illiteracy becoming commonplace. With that being said, I think that oral traditions were developed to preserve the culture of the area as it went through these tough times. Since many couldn't read and write, oral traditions like songs would've been a more palatable way to introduce large group of people to various stories. This also leads to the stories being changed up quite a bit- when people hear interesting things, they naturally want to spread those ideas. Through that, the stories would've become disorganized and then devalued, as their forms were constantly shifting and most likely deviating further and further from the original tellings. Writing the stories down preserves them as they were at that time, putting a stop to the constant changes. People would've continued to change the stories orally, but this wouldn't really matter anymore as long as there were written-down versions of the stories.
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