http://www.grisel.net/images/greece/Mycenae24.JPG
I assume this is Jeff Prosise... At the Lion Gate!
This website reads much like a tourist pamphlet; it has an introductory/ background paragraph at the top of the page with a few links to other "informative sites" about Mycenae and its glorious history. This website presents Heinrich Schliemann's view of Mycenae being the home of Agamemnon as described in Homer's epics without providing any proof (like Schliemann) for this claim. It does have a number of lovely pictures, all taken by the sites creator Grisel Gonzalez and friend Jeff Prosise, which are accompanied by descriptions that I quite liked. It appears to me that this is a site made after a trip and, probably, a guided tour of the Mycenae site on Holiday. What brings me to this conclusion is that: a) it presents a romanticized and good-story account of Mycenae's history, b) it shows no references for where the information is gathered from, and c) Gonzalez and Prosise are in some of the photos...and d) it is linked to another site titled "Our World Travels" by the same people. As a brows through site I almost liked it, loved the pictures, but as an informative anything it falls flat.
The point of this entry was to find a site on the same topic as the topic that Abbey, Lisa, and Kate and I have chosen for our website project, Mycenae, and then hold it up against our own grading rubric. It almost feels unfair to judge this travel site against our more academic grading scheme but, when it all boils down, they are propelling false information even if they do not mean to. Also, there are very few sites geared to the public on Mycenae and I had to choose one to tear a strip from.
So here I go!
Research Question: 1/8, This site does not seem to aim to answer any specific questions apart from "What is Mycenae?" and even that question they answer incorrectly; there is no concrete proof that Agamemnon ever came in contact with this city, let alone was buried there.
Analysis: 1/8, The site, as I said earlier, seems to be regurgitated information from a guided tour. They also do not try and support any of the information they present or question if there was another possible explanation for this site other than "it must be the city Homer spoke of!".
Evidence: 0/8, No evidence is provided.
Content: 2/8, The site provides a narrow and minimal explanation of the site and, given that there was never any proof of Agamemnon living there (other than Schliemann's ridiculous naming of artefacts) the information is inappropriate to be presented as fact or without a disclaimer.
Total for Information: 4/36
Visual Impact: 5/8, The site does present an interesting to look at page, It is a good mixture of image and text and I really liked the colour coordination and the artistic touch of the Greek columns topped with statues that provide the border.
Format/ Navigation: 4/8, the page is easy to navigate and seems complete but not all the links are working. It is quite simple and when you do navigate to viewing the pictures it is tedious and a bit boring.
Total for Aesthetics Section: 9/16
Spelling & Grammar: 4/4, There are no spelling mistakes. Way to go!
Clarity: 3/4, This site has no jargon and is extremely easy to read by any person, no matter their education. Could be considered overly simplistic.
Sources: 1/4, No sources are used.
Photographs: 4/4, There are a number of lovely photos on this site and I might even use them for my own!
Total for Basics: 12/16
Total Score of the site: 25/68
37%, in other words a Fail according to the Team Wilberforce Rubric.
I'm sorry to have had to fail this teeny-tiny site. At least I know that our site shall be better than this one was.
Thanks for reading,
Emily
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