UR 2

Heinrich Schliemann

Archaeologist who excavated the site believed to be Troy.

Troy

Ancient city besieged by the Greeks in the Trojan War, central to the Iliad.

Homer

Legendary ancient Greek poet, traditionally said to be the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Homeric Question

Debate over the authorship and composition of Homer’s epics.

Achilles (divine rage)

Greek hero of the Iliad, known for his wrath and near-invincibility.

Achilles’s shield (ekphrasis)

Detailed description of the shield forged by Hephaestus, symbolizing the world.

Patroclus

Achilles’ close friend, whose death spurs Achilles to rejoin the war.

Agamemnon

Greek king and leader of the forces against Troy; conflicts with Achilles.

Menelaus

King of Sparta, husband of Helen, whose abduction sparks the Trojan War.

Odysseus

Cunning Greek hero, central to the Odyssey.

Diomedes (aristeia)

Greek warrior celebrated for his heroic exploits in battle.

Great Ajax & Little Ajax

Two Greek warriors; Great Ajax is a towering figure, while Little Ajax is lesser but still notable.

Nestor

Elderly and wise Greek king who advises the warriors.

Briseis

Captive woman taken by Achilles, whose seizure by Agamemnon sparks his rage.

Chryseis

Captive woman whose return to her father Apollo ends a plague on the Greeks.

Hector

Trojan prince and greatest warrior of Troy, killed by Achilles.

Priam

King of Troy, father of Hector and Paris.

Paris

Trojan prince who abducts Helen, starting the war.

Helen

Wife of Menelaus, abducted by Paris; her beauty is the war’s cause.

Aeneas

Trojan hero, survivor of the war, later central to Roman myth.

Andromache & Astyanax

Hector’s wife and son, symbols of Troy’s tragic future.

Zeus

King of the gods, neutral but influential in the war.

Hera

Zeus’s wife, supports the Greeks.

Athena

Goddess of wisdom, aids the Greeks.

Thetis

Sea nymph, mother of Achilles.

Apollo

God who supports the Trojans, sends plagues.

Aphrodite

Goddess of love, protects Paris and Helen.

Poseidon

God of the sea, favors the Greeks.

Ares

God of war, supports the Trojans.

Herodotus of Halicarnassus

'Father of History,' wrote The Histories about the Greco-Persian Wars.

Philobarbaros

Term meaning 'foreigner-lover,' used critically of Herodotus for his balanced portrayal of Persians.

Herodotus’s characterization of the Persians

Depicts them as complex, not just enemies, with their own customs and virtues.

Race & ethnicity in ancient Greek world

Greeks viewed identity through cultural/political ties, not modern racial concepts.

Abductions of women (Book 1)

Herodotus cites mythological abductions (e.g., Helen) as causes of conflicts.

Queen Gyges (Book 1)

Involved in a tale of power and morality in Lydia.

King Croesus of Lydia (Book 1)

Rich king who misunderstood the Oracle’s advice, leading to his downfall.

Solon the Athenian Lawgiver

Wise ruler who warned Croesus about the unpredictability of happiness.

Apollo

God associated with the Delphic Oracle.

Delphic Oracle

Sacred site where prophecies were given, often ambiguously.

Hoplite warfare (phalanx, panoply)

Greek infantry fought in tight formations (phalanx) with heavy armor (panoply).

Ionian Revolt

Greek cities in Asia Minor rebelled against Persian rule, sparking the wars.

Histiaios & Aristagoras of Miletus

Leaders of the Ionian Revolt.

Sardis

Persian capital in Asia Minor, burned during the revolt.

Susa

Persian royal city.

20 Athenian ships

Athens’ initial aid to the Ionians, provoking Persian retaliation.

Persian Invasion I (490 BCE) (Book 6)

Darius’s first invasion, ending at Marathon.

Darius

Persian king who launched the first invasion.

Miltiades

Athenian general who led the victory at Marathon.

Athenian strategy

Used innovative tactics at Marathon to defeat the Persians.

Marathon

Battle where Athens defeated Persia in 490 BCE.

Athens

Democratic city-state, key Persian Wars player.

Persian Invasion II (480 BCE) (Book 7)

Xerxes’ massive invasion, including Thermopylae.

Xerxes

Persian king who led the second invasion.

Persian Army

Vast but less flexible than Greek forces.

King Leonidas

Spartan king who died heroically at Thermopylae.

Spartans

Renowned warriors, led at Thermopylae.

Thermopylae

Narrow pass where 300 Spartans delayed the Persians.

Strategy

Greeks used terrain to counter Persian numbers.

Ephialtes

Traitor who showed Persians a path around Thermopylae.

Delphic Oracle

Predicted doom or salvation for Greeks, depending on interpretation.

Aristophanes

Ancient Greek playwright of comedies like Lysistrata.

Old comedy

Satirical, bawdy, and politically bold genre.

Peloponnesian War

Conflict between Athens and Sparta (431–404 BCE), backdrop of Lysistrata.

Athenians (Delian League)

Led Athens’ empire.

Spartans (Peloponnesian League)

Led the rival coalition.

Lysistrata (Athenian)

Protagonist who organizes a sex strike to end the war.

Lampito (Spartan)

Spartan woman who joins the strike.

Chorus

Traditional Greek theatrical element, commenting on the action.

Sex strike

Women’s tactic to force peace in the play.

Acropolis

Sacred hill in Athens, seized by women in the play.

Parthenon

Temple on the Acropolis, symbol of Athenian power.

Pericles

Athenian leader during the war’s early years.

Gender roles in Athens

Women excluded from politics, central to the play’s satire.

Lord Elgin

British diplomat who removed Parthenon sculptures.

Parthenon marbles debate

Controversy over returning the sculptures to Greece.

British Museum

Current location of the 'Elgin Marbles'.

New Acropolis Museum

Athens’ museum built to house the sculptures if returned.