First Hour Exam Vocab

Parchment

processed animal skin used for writing in a scroll version.. Invented around 200 BC... why the Odyssey uses line # instead of page #

Codex

the first version of the modern book using page # and made of papyrus

Papyrus

first version of paper invented by the Egyptians in 3000 BC and adopted by the Greeks until the rise of parchment, which could be produced anywhere outside of Egypt

Epos

Greek for "Word, song, epic"

Aoidos

a skilled oral epic poet in ancient Greece

dactylic hexameter

rhythmic scheme used by the Ancient Greeks (1 long, 2 short syllables)

Epithet

add on to a name (ie: earth-shaker poseidon, wide-seeing Zeus, gray eyed Athena)

nostos (plural nostoi)

a story of an epic hero returning home from sea

Reciprocity

the important exchange of favors or support to one another (builds social connections)

do ut des

Gifting to the Gods in hopes of reciprocity/ blessings. I give so you can give

Xenia

the custom of offering hospitality towards strangers

Krater

Ancient Greek bowl used for diluting wine with water

Xenos

A foreigner, but also a friend, host, or ally

Technê

an art, craft or skill

Phaeacians

group of sea faring people in Greek mythology under the protection of Poseidon

Nausicaa

"Excelling in Ships" (maybe)

Odysseus

"The Hated Man" (maybe)

Penelope

"Textile-faced Woman" (maybe)

Nausithous

"Swift in Ships"

Alcinous

"Strong Mind"

Arete

"Virtue"

Heinrich Schliemann

German archaelogist, did first large scale excavation of site of Troy(Hisarlik)

Sophia Schliemann

wife of Schliemann, known for posing w jewelry from Treasure of Priam

Frank Calvert

original excavator of Hisarlik, gave idea to Schliemann and got hoed, didn't receive credit

Treasure of Priam

treasure found by Schliemann at Hisarlik, he assigned it to Priam, last king of Troy from Homer, because he was so set on finding Homeric evidence, might not actually be from Priam

Troy = Ilion = Ilium = Hisarlik

Hisarlik determined to be site of Troy

Wilhelm Dörpfeld

architect employed by Schliemann, sorted out layers of Troy after Schliemann dies

Troy II

where the Treasure of Priam was located, discovered by Schliemann

Helladic

region of mainland Greece included Mycenae, Lerna, and Pylos

"Sauceboat"

Urfinis pottery, only called this because it looks like a modern sauceboat

Cycladic

islands in Aegaean Sea

Mycenaean

area of influence of Mycenaean people on mainland Greece

Cup of Nestor

described in the Iliad, "found" by Schliemann supposedly

Tomb of the Griffin Warrior

tomb excavated in Pylos in 2015 dating to 1450BC that has uncovered 3500 items and treasures

Minoan

Crete, land of mythical king Minos

Sir Arthur Evans

archaeologist most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on island of Crete

Outis - mê tis - mêtis

name Odysseus gave Polyphemus, means nobody or no man

Minoan

civilization on island of Crete ending in Greek Dark Ages

Chthonic

Ancient greek word meaning earth or surface, refers to something in the Underworld

polychrome pottery

ancient pottery with 3 or more colors

Faience

liquified and solidified quartz that creates glassy material, good for painting

Avaris

Hyksos capital of Egypt on Nile Delta

Fresco

painting done on wet plaster of wall or ceiling so that it penetrates plaster as it dries and becomes part of wall

Rhyton

conical container resembles animal head/horn that was used for drinking or libations

Tomb of the Griffin Warrior

tomb excavated in Pylos in 2015 dating to 1450BC that has uncovered 3500 items and treasures

Phaistos Disk

disk of fired clay found at Minoan palace of Phaistos with symbols on both sides

Linear B

syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1400 BC

megaron

the largest room in any ancient Greek building, and it had characteristic architecture. The entrance featured an open porch, sometimes with an awning supported by twin columns. a large, rectangular room, often with four columns supporting the ceiling with a hearth in the center.

tholos

a round structure, usually built upon a couple of steps, with a ring of columns supporting a domed roof.

corbeled dome

a dome build by stacking the bricks horizontally on top of each other. Unlike a traditional dome with a keystone.

"The Treasury of Atreus" (1250 BC)

Tomb of Agamemnon is a large tholos or beehive tomb on Panagitsa Hill at Mycenae, Greece, constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC.

Michael Ventris

English architect, classicist and philologist who deciphered Linear B, the ancient Mycenaean Greek script.

(w)anax

an ancient Greek word for "tribal chief, lord, (military) leader". It is one of the two Greek titles traditionally translated as "king", the other being basileus

basileus

Another ancient Greek word for "king"

Uluburun wreck (late 14th century or early 13th c. BC)

A shipwreck carrying Oxhide Ingots along with other precious cargo

copper oxhide ingot

metal slabs, usually of copper but sometimes of tin, produced and widely distributed during the Mediterranean Late Bronze Age (LBA). Their shape resembles the hide of an ox with a protruding handle in each of the ingot's four corners.

The Sea People

a hypothesized seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean prior to and during the Late Bronze Age collapse (1200-900 BCE).

heroön

a shrine dedicated to an ancient Greek or Roman hero and used for the commemoration or cult worship of the hero. They were often erected over his or her supposed tomb or cenotaph.

centaur

a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse

Protogeometric

Associated with the greek dark ages. Decoration is restricted to purely abstract elements and is characterized by broad bands and concentric circles.

pyxis

a shape of vessel from the classical world, usually a cylindrical box with a separate lid. Originally mostly used by women to hold cosmetics, trinkets or jewelry, surviving pyxides are mostly Greek pottery, but especially in later periods may be in wood, metal, ivory, or other materials.

Geometric

Larger vases, women and men's vases have handles at different locations. Bands that run around the vase, with depictions of humans and animals on them. The vases had various uses or purposes within Greek society, including, but not limited to, funerary vases and symposium vases.

prothesis

A dead person lying down as a funeral ritual?

ekphora

denotes the funeral procession which takes the body from the place where it was laid out to cremation or burial.

Moliones

Cteatus and Eurytus, the twin sons of Molione, sometimes said to have been joined at the waist. They were fathered by Poseidon and reared by Actor.

Pithekoussai (modern Ischia)

the first Greek Colony. Located on the island of Ischia off the western coast of Italy. Functioned as a trading center

Hittites

A people from central Anatolia who established an empire in Anatolia and Syria in the Late Bronze Age. With wealth from the trade in metals and military power based on chariot forces, they vied with New Kingdom Egypt over Syria.

Wilusa

a Late Bronze Age city in western Anatolia known from references in fragmentary Hittite records. The city is notable for its identification with the archaeological site of Troy, and thus its potential connection to the legendary Trojan War.

Talawagalas Letter (mid 13th century BC)

a fragmentary Hittite text from the mid 13th century BC. It is notable for providing a window into relations between Hittites and Greeks during the Late Bronze Age and for its mention of a prior disagreement concerning a city called Wilusa, generally identified with the archaeological site of Troy.