Classics 144 Midterm Terms

Mediterranean Climate

hot, dry summer. wet, mild winter. fire-prone, but lush w/ rainfall

Relates: climate influenced how greeks lived (farming, ocean travel, where to dwell) , and led to myths about natural phenomenon (rough storms from poseidon , gas at delphi oracle). influenced relationship with nature

Karst Geology

landscapes formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks like limestone

Relates: influenced where people found water and settled. also led to caves and springs being used for rituals or in etiological myths

Maquis

dense Mediterranean shrubland (ie. bushes, small trees, aromatic plants) adapted to hot, dry summers

Relates: represents distinctive vegetation of Mediterranean climate. shows how Greeks interacted with their local ecosystem (ie. harvesting plants for specific uses)

Buell’s 4 Characteristics of an Environmental Text

1. The nonhuman environment is present as more than a backdrop

2. Rejection of strict human-centeredness (Anthropocentrism)

3. Ethical accountability

4. The environment as an ongoing process

Relates: helps us analyze Greek literature through than environmental perspective. For example, how the environment influences the advice given in Works and Days

Homer

legendary epic poet of Iliad, Odyssey, Homeric Hymns. stitched together dactylic hexameter to compose narrative poetry

Relates: connects human experiences with weather, animals, nature. helps us see how ancient Greeks imagined the human-environment relationship (ie. Odyssey and travel through different parts of Greece)

Epic Simile

extended comparison in epic poetry describing something by comparing it to something else (ie. Iliad describing soldiers as vicious wolves for multiple stanzas)

relates: ties together humans and natural world through vivid description (ie. viciousness of predators/wolves tied to violent deeds of warriors)

Storied Ecology

idea that environments and landscapes are filled with cultural stories, memories, histories, and meanings

Relates: shows how ancient Greeks understood landscapes through mythology and storytelling. Mountains, rivers, forests, and islands could all be sacred places connected to gods, heroes, and myths

Odyssey

Homer’s ancient epic poem following Odysseus’ journey home after Trojan War. themes include nostos (homecoming), xenia (guest-host relationship) and ends in reunion/righting of order

Relates: journey shows how environment can impact human experience (ie. Lotus flowers slowing down journey, storm almost killing Odysseus)

Xenia

ancient Greek tradition of hospitality between hosts and guests. considered a sacred obligation protected by Zeus

Relates: In Odyssey, different communities judged partly by how they treat strangers. ie. Cyclopes' lack of hospitality contrasts with Greek social expectations. demonstrates how ancient Greeks connected ideas about civilization, morality, and human relationships with different environments

Cyclopes

one-eyed giants in Greek mythology. In Odyssey, Odysseus encounters Polyphemus, who lives independently in a cave

Cyclopes represent an alternative relationship b/w humans and nature. don’t have xenia. lifestyle allows Homer to show how different environments impact societies from Greek POV

Circe

powerful enchantress in the Odyssey who transforms Odysseus's men into pigs. She lives on Aeaea

Relates: represents relationship between humans, animals, and the natural world. also shows how magic was viewed in ancient Greece, and women’s deeper connection to nature

Hesiod

legendary ancient Greek poet known for writing Theogony, Works & Days

Relates: most of his works explore agriculture, labor, seasonal cycles. explores/emphasizes how humans depend on and need to understand natural world for survival

The Ecological Thought

coined by Morton. views all forms of life, matter, and systems as deeply interconnected

Relates: helps us understand that ancient Greeks didn’t always view humans as separate from nature. myths usually portrayed nature, gods, humans as interconnected

Francois Vase

famous ancient Greek black-figure pottery vessel that depicts numerous mythological scenes (ie. Theseus, Achilles)

Relates: illustrates how ancient Greeks represented their world through mythology, including gods, animals, and natural imagery

Gorgoneion

image of a Gorgon's face, usually Medusa's, used as a protective symbol in ancient Greek art and architecture

Relates: shows how ancient Greeks used mythological creatures to explain and represent forces they feared. used to protect spaces and people against fears natural/unnatural

Nymphs

young female nature spirits associated with specific natural features (ie. rivers, springs, forests). could possess people or cause divine inspiration. likely lived in groups

Relates: demonstrate how ancient Greeks imagined nature as alive with divine beings. a river or forest could also be the home of a supernatural presence

Homeric Hymns

collection of ancient Greek religious poems celebrating individual gods. composed by multiple poets, not just Homer

Relates: often used as etiological myths, connecting Gods and phenomenon’s to natural forces/places. ie. Demeter with changing of seasons and harvest season

Myth of Athena and Gift of the Olive

myth explaining how Athena became the patron goddess of Athens. Athena and Poseidon competed to offer city a gift. Athena offered olive tree, while Poseidon offered a different gift, usually a horse or a saltwater spring. The people chose Athena, named Athens

Relates: olive tree represents importance of Mediterranean agriculture, food, civilization. myth shows how ancient Greeks used mythology to explain the value of particular plants and their relationship with the environment, along with why places like cities were named such

Delos

Greek island in the Aegean Sea traditionally considered the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. was principal cult center for Ionians

Relates: shows how mythology transformed a geographical location into sacred space. ties to Apollo made it a key center in the ancient world, connecting natural landscape to religion and community

Delphi

sanctuary of Delphian Apollo. seen as center of the world, housed Oracle of Delphi

Relates: demonstrates how geography influenced religious beliefs. ancient Greeks understood particular landscapes as places where humans could communicate with the divine (ie. here)

Demeter

Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility, harvest. mother of Persephone.

Relates: represents humanity's dependence on agriculture and the natural cycles of plant growth. Homeric Hymn demonstrates how ancient Greeks used religion to understand food production, fertility, changing seasons

Eleusinian Mysteries

mystery rites into which a person of any gender or social class could be initiated. held at Eleusis in honor of Demeter and Persephone. associated with agricultural fertility, death, rebirth, and hopes for a better afterlife

Relates: connected the agricultural cycle to human life and death. story of Persephone's seasonal return symbolized the renewal of vegetation and the natural cycles of growth and dormancy

Ecofemenism

perspective examining connections b/w the exploitation of women and the exploitation of nature. argues that systems of domination can treat both women and the environment as things to control

Relates: can be used to examine ancient Greek mythology, particularly female nature figures and goddesses such as Demeter. Woman (Demeter) exploited, nature also exploited (she stopped harvest). also tried to control Persephone, leading to return in spring and dismissal in winter

Works and Days

didactic (teaching) poem concentrating on humanity’s position in the world and struggles to survive. has two parts — agricultural wisdom & etiological myths. includes practical agricultural advice to his brother Perses, who wronged him

Relates: demonstrates how ancient Greeks depended on understanding seasonal changes and agricultural cycles. presents nature as something humans must observe, respect, work with to survive

Myth of Ages

story in Hesiod's Works and Days describing five successive ages of humanity

• Golden Age: Peace, harmony, and abundance; humans lived like gods

• Silver Age: Long childhoods, short adults lives, and impiety toward gods

• Bronze Age: War, violence, and heavy use of bronze

• Heroic Age: Nobler era of demigods, myths, and epic battles (e.g., Trojan War)

• Iron Age: The current, final era of endless labor, corruption, and moral decay

Relates: describes decline of humanity from an idealized existence of abundance to a difficult life characterized by labor and injustice. raises questions about humanity's changing relationship with the world and the conditions of human existence

Herodotus

ancient Greek historian known as the "Father of History." His work, The Histories, discusses the Persian Wars, geography, customs, and different cultures

Relates: frequently describes how geography, climate, animals, and natural resources influence different societies. His writing demonstrates how ancient Greeks used environmental observations to understand cultural differences. gives insight/Greek POV of other cultures & lands

Ethnography (ancient literary genre)

literary genre involving the description of different peoples, cultures, customs, traditions, and ways of life

Relates: Ancient Greek ethnography often connected people's customs and lifestyles to the environments in which they lived. demonstrates how geography and climate became ways of explaining cultural differences

Hippocratic Corpus

collection of ancient Greek medical writings traditionally associated with Hippocrates. discusses medicine, health, disease, and the human body

Relates: writings like Airs, Waters, and Places, examine how climate, geography, seasons, and water affect human health. shows how ancient Greeks understood the environment as something that directly influenced the human body

Environmental Determinism

belief that physical environmental factors, especially climate and geography, strongly influence/determine human behavior, physical characteristics, and societal development

Relates: Ancient Greek writers sometimes argued that people developed different characteristics because of the environments in which they lived. demonstrates how geography and climate were used to explain differences between human societies