Midterm Fill-in-the-blank

Phoencian

The Greek alphabet is derived from this culture’s alphabet

Palace

During the Mycenaean Period, Greek culture seems to have centered around this type of architectural structure

Cyclopean

The archeological site of Mycenae, which was famously excavated by the German businessman/archeologist Henirich Schliemann has impressive defensive walls known as ___ walls because of who the ancient Greeks thought must have built them.

Linear B

At many Mycenaean sites, archeologists have found writing (mostly lists and inventories) preserved on small clay tablets. This early Greek writing is known as

Linear A

Another type of written language preserved on clay tablets, which antedates the Mycenaean’s writing and which scholars have not yet been able to translate, is known as

The Iliad

Composed first, epic

The Odyssey

Composed second, epic

Epic

a lengthy narrative poem recounting the adventures of legendary heroes and gods, in Dactylic hexameter

Dactylic hexameter

a metrical line of six feet used in Ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry, famously employed in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

Epic Conventions

Invocation to the muse, hero of great status, setting on grand scale, supernatural beings/Goddesses+Gods, elevated style, epithets, elaborate (epic) similes

Epithet

the literary term for phrases such as “bright-eyed Athena,” or “white-armed Nausicaa,” or “the wine-dark sea."

Epic Simile

the literary term for this kind of passage: Just as a mountain lion trusts its strength, and beaten by the rain and wind, its eyes burn bright as it attacks the cows or sheep…so need impelled Odysseus to come upon the girls with pretty hair, though he was naked. (6.130-36)

Hesiod

The poet we know as ___ says he hails from the polis of Askra, which is in the region of Greece known as Boeotia. He tells us he was a travelling poet, the Greek word for which is rhapsode, who won a tripod at a competition.

Rhapsode

Traveling Poet

Agon

The notion of competition, the word for which is ___ in Greek, was a powerful societal force in ancient Greek culture

Works and Days, Penses

In Hesiod’s work called ___, the speaker spends quite a bit of time chastising his brother, whose name is ___, for being a lazy good-for-nothing moocher

Egyptian

During the period from 800-510 BCE, Greek sensibilities reflected the influence of the much older ___ culture, especially in the form of almost-free-standing sculptures of humans.

Kouros/Koursi

The name given to the Greek sculptures of the male nude figure is

Free-standing sculptures of females were also produced, and these sculptures were also nude. True or False?

False

Phalanx

During this period, the Greeks invented a type of infantry formation known as the

Hoplite

The individual infantryman was known as a

Sparta

The typical polis did not maintain a standing, professional army. Rather, soldiers came from the citizenry, who, of course, had other jobs. One polis, however, did maintain a standing army, and this polis was

Helots

In large part, this polis’s male citizens could devote themselves to year-round training because this polis had subjugated a large number of people who were basically slaves of the state. As a group, these subjugated people were known as

Ionia

Around 7th century BCE, a region of islands and coastline of central and southern Asia Minor known as ___ saw a flowering of philosophical and scientific thinking.

Pre-Socratics, who lived in this region during this period and who influenced later Greek philosophers and scientists were named

Heraclitus, Anaxagoias, Thales, Anaximenes, Anaximander

Solon

During the 6th century BCE, a wise and respected Athenian by the name of ___ was chosen by Athens to reform its civil and judicial policies.

Peisistratus

Solon’s reforms were only partially successful because his reforms were soon followed by the rise of a tyrant named ___, who ruled Athens for two short periods and then for a longer third period, finally dying in 527 BCE

Hippias and Hipparchus

After the overthrow of Peisistratus’ sons, ___ and ___, Athenians elected an archon by the name of Cleisthenes, who reformed Athenian government again and who pretty well set it on a democratic trajectory.

Cleisthenes

After the overthrow of his sons, Hippias and Hipparchus, Athenians elected an archon by the name of ___, who reformed Athenian government again and who pretty well set it on a democratic trajectory.

Pnyx

In part, he strengthened the role of the Athenian Assembly, known in Greek as the ___. This was a group of 5000-6000 male citizens.

Ecclesia

This group of 5000-6000 male citizens met near the Acropolis at a site known as the ___ to vote on policies of the polis.

490

In the year ___ BCE, the Persian king named Darius I invaded Attica to avenge the assistance Athens had given to the Greek-speaking peoples who were part of his empire.

Darius I

In the year 490 BCE, the Persian king named ___ invaded Attica to avenge the assistance Athens had given to the Greek-speaking peoples who were part of his empire.

Marathon

The Persian king Darius I, however, was defeated by a mostly Athenian army at the Battle of ___.

Themistocles

Fearing that the Persians would invade again, a Greek general named ___ then convinced his fellow Athenians to spend the financial windfall they had realized after striking silver at Laurion on new naval vessels

Trireme

new naval vessels, which were called ___. These Athenian warships were primarily powered by oarsmen who were slaves of the state, true or false

480

Then years later, in the year ___ BCE, the Persian king by the name of Xerxes again invaded Greece.

Xerxes

Then years later, in the year 480 BCE, the Persian king by the name of ___ again invaded Greece.

Thermopylae

His land troops were delayed in reaching Athens by a small contingent of Spartans and their allies at this narrow pass

Salamis

Ultimately defeated after a Greek shepherd showed the Persians how to get behind the Greek contingent, their valiant stand allowed the Athenians to evacuate their city. After Athens was sacked, the Persian navy was lured into a narrow strait and but was defeated by a mostly Athenian-led navy at the Battle of ___

Platea

A year later, the land army the Persian king had left behind was defeated at the Battle of ___, and the Persian threat was finally ended.

Herodotus

The most famous ancient Greek historian of these wars was ___, who composed a work entitled Historiai or Histories (inquiries, Researches

Delian League

After the last battle with the Persians, the Greeks formed a naval alliance called ___, which, ostensibly, was meant to deter a third Persian invasion and to protect the grain route from the Black Sea.

Peloponnesian

Over time, however, many alliance poleis from around the Aegean began to resent the influence Athens exerted over the alliance and so wanted to pull out of it. Sparta, too, began to worry about rising Athenian power. Tensions rose until the ___ War broke out in 431 BCE, and which lasted until 404 BCE with the fall of Athens.

Thucydides

The most famous chronicler of and commentator on this war was the historian named ___ who composed a work entitled History of the Peloponnesian War.