Ancient Studies Ancient Greece Quiz Part Two

Alexander the Great

Macedonian king (4th century BCE) who conquered a vast empire from Greece to Egypt and into Asia, spreading Greek culture widely.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher, student of Plato and tutor to Alexander, who wrote influential works on ethics, politics, logic, and natural science.

Athens

Major Greek city-state known for its democracy, strong navy, and leadership in art, drama, and philosophy during the Classical period.

Catharsis

Emotional release or 'purging' of pity and fear experienced by the audience of a tragedy, according to Aristotle.

Classical Age

Period of Greek history (about 5th–4th centuries BCE) marked by the dominance of Athens and Sparta and the peak of Greek art and thought.

Classical Greek Canon

Artistic standard of ideal human proportions and beauty, especially associated with Polykleitos’s rules for sculpting the body.

Contrapposto

Sculptural stance where most weight rests on one leg, causing a natural shift in hips and shoulders and a relaxed posture.

Delian League

Athenian-led alliance of Greek city-states formed after the Persian Wars, centered at Delos, that became the basis of the Athenian empire.

Doryphoros (by Polykleitos)

Classical Greek statue of a 'spear-bearer' that illustrates Polykleitos’s canon of ideal male proportions and balance.

Eudaimonia

Aristotle’s term for the highest human good, often translated as 'happiness' or 'flourishing,' achieved through a life of virtuous activity.

Extrinsic Value

Value something has as a means to achieve something else good, not for its own sake.

Final Good

The ultimate end desired for its own sake, not for the sake of anything further; in Aristotle, the overall goal of human life.

Function

Characteristic activity that defines what a thing is; for humans, rational activity that helps determine what a good human life involves.

Hamartia

The tragic hero’s error, mistake, or misjudgment that leads to suffering and downfall, rather than sheer wickedness.

Hellenistic Period

Era after Alexander’s conquests when Greek culture mixed with local cultures across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East.

Hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that leads a character to overstep human limits or defy the gods, often bringing ruin.

Icarus

Mythic youth who flew with wax wings, ignored warnings, and fell into the sea after flying too close to the sun.

Jocasta

Queen of Thebes in Greek myth, wife of Laius and later unknowingly wife and mother of Oedipus.

Laius

King of Thebes and father of Oedipus, fated to be killed by his son according to prophecy.

Midas

Legendary king granted the 'golden touch,' causing everything he touched to turn to gold, which became a curse.

Narcissus

Beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection and wasted away, origin of the idea of extreme self-love.

Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle’s major work on ethics that analyzes happiness, virtue, and the good life, possibly addressed to his son Nicomachus.

Oedipus

Tragic king of Thebes who unwittingly kills his father, Laius, and marries his mother, Jocasta, then blinds himself upon learning the truth.

Pandora

First woman in Greek myth who opened a forbidden jar (or box), releasing evils into the world while hope remained inside.

Parthenon

Large temple on the Athenian Acropolis dedicated to Athena, considered a masterpiece of Classical Greek architecture.

Peloponnesian League

Spartan-led alliance of Greek city-states in the Peloponnese that opposed Athens and its Delian League.

Peloponnesian Wars

Series of wars (431–404 BCE) between Athens and its allies and Sparta and its allies, ending in Athens’s defeat.

Polykleitos (Polyclitus)

Classical Greek sculptor from Argos whose works and written 'canon' set mathematical rules for the ideal human figure.

Prometheus

Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, punished by being bound while an eagle eternally ate his liver.

Sisyphus

Figure in the underworld condemned eternally to roll a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down each time.

Sophocles

One of the three great Athenian tragedians, author of plays such as Oedipus the King and Antigone.

Tragedy

Serious dramatic form showing a noble character’s downfall through a mix of flaw, fate, and the gods’ will, aiming to evoke pity and fear.

Vice

Bad or defective character trait that disposes a person to act badly, often representing excess or deficiency compared to a virtuous mean.

Virtue

Good, well-formed character trait that disposes a person to choose and act well; in Aristotle, a habit of hitting the reasonable mean between extremes.