Cla 2323 lec 4

Who wrote the Bibliotheca, a crucial catalog of Greek myths?

Pseudo-Apollodorus

What city became the Mediterranean center of learning from the 3rd century BC onward?

Alexandria

What is mythography?

The cataloging of myth

Which author wrote the Argonautica, the definitive epic of Jason and the Golden Fleece?

Apollonius of Rhodes

Which Greek satirist mocked religion and superstition, inadvertently helping historians reconstruct lost myths?

Lucian

Why was early Roman literature originally written in Greek?

Latin lacked a robust literary vocabulary

Who translated Homer's Odyssey into Latin (the Odyssia) and shifted the name from Odysseus to Ulyxes?

Livius Andronicus

Who wrote the Bellum Punicum, tracing the Punic Wars back to the survival of Aeneas?

Gnaeus Naevius

Which Roman author adapted Greek "New Comedy" into Roman farce, utilizing bodily humor?

Plautus

Who was known as the "Roman Homer" and wrote the Annales?

Quintus Ennius

Which Emperor heavily sponsored the arts and commissioned Virgil to write The Aeneid?

Emperor Augustus

Which epic traces Aeneas's journey from the fall of Troy to Italy and became a standard school textbook?

The Aeneid

Which Roman historian wrote Ab Urbe Condita, mixing human history with divine legends?

Livy

Which work by Ovid records over 250 myths involving physical transformation (e.g., Arachne, Narcissus)?

Metamorphoses

Which Roman author wrote gory, stoic-themed plays for Emperor Nero that may have never been performed?

Seneca

Which later imperial text by Apuleius features the story of Cupid and Psyche and highlights the Cult of Isis?

The Golden Ass

What core themes do Greek myths tend to emphasize?

Complex plots, character development, human flaws, individual heroics, and grand adventures

What core themes do Roman myths tend to emphasize?

Strict social hierarchy, obedience, duty, warfare, and the defense of the state

What physical features of Greece made political unification nearly impossible?

Mountainous terrain and a lack of navigable rivers

What is the ancient Greek term for a city-state, which included both the urban center and surrounding farmland?

Polis

What term describes the shared culture, language, and shrines (like Delphi and Olympia) of all Greeks?

Panhellenic

In what year did the first Olympics traditionally take place, marking a reawakening of shared Greek identity?

776 BC

Who were the hoplites?

Armored citizen-warriors who claimed the right to rule because they defended the polis

What term was used for foreign Greeks living outside their home polis?

Metoikoi (Metics)

How were slaves viewed and treated in ancient Greek society?

As chattel (property) and "speaking tools" completely stripped of legal rights

What was the most common form of Greek government, meaning "rule of the few"?

Oligarchy

What was a "tyrannos" in ancient Greece?

A leader who violently seized control, often to fix societal issues, but who was overthrown if they tried to establish a dynasty

Which Greek city-state intentionally transitioned from an oligarchy/tyranny into a democracy around 508 BC?

Athens

What traditional era of Greek history spans from 776 BC to 508 BC?

The Archaic Age

What traditional era of Greek history spans from 508 BC to 338 BC?

The Classical Age

What event marks the end of the Hellenistic Age in 30 BC?

The Roman conquest (and the death of Cleopatra)