Ancient Greek 311 – Specific Buildings & Objects (2nd Exam)

Klepsydra

Measures time using the regulated flow of liquid into or out of a vessel. They were used to mark the end of speeches in which people would present their cases in court. The klepsydra shows how organized and segmented the Greeks' trial system is, and is important to us because we believe that Socrates gave his speech at his trial with the Klepsydra running.

Kleroterion

A randomization machine that would help randomize the jury selection. Citizens would travel to Athens on the day and place their bronze ticket into a row of the machine. White and Black Dice were then added: if a white die came out, that row number was selected for jury duty, and if a black die came out, that row of citizens was dismissed. This is an example of how important randomization was in trial and society, and how seriously they treated trial rigging

metopes in the Agora

The rectangular architectural element that fills the space between triglyphs in a Doric frieze. on the agora, the eastern side shows the Labors of Herakles, and the Northern/Southern sides show the labors of Theseus. these depictions tell us a lot about who the Athenians associated with the orgin of the city.

Temple of Hephaestus (and Athena)

Well preserved temple in the agora dedicated to the gods Hephaestus and Athena. This dedication is very important for understanding how the Greeks viewed where they came from. The Story of Hephaestus and Athena, where the Greeks come from the ground, is very important to Ancient Greek identity.

Eponymous heroes momument

This moment is not only a shrine to the 10 heroes of Greece, but it is also a pillar of the voting system that was created in Greece. To get rid of the loyalty of clans, the Greek government created 10 political families with very separate properties between them, called phylai.