ancient civ midterm

where did Hellenic culture extend beyond mainland Greece?

across the Mediterranean and Black Seas

Was Hellenic culture limited to modern Greek borders?

no, it extended far beyond those borders

how did Greek communities communicate and trade?

through maritime networks & sea routes

why were sea routes important to ancient Greek communities?

they connected fragmented coastal and island communities

what was the Archaic context (800-650 BCE)?

geographic expansion alongside the shaping of Homeric epic traditions

what r the 2 major Homeric epics?

The Iliad & the Odyssey

who was Robin Osborne, & what did he emphasize ab Greek identity?

a scholar who emphasized that Greekness was not defined by state borders

what defined Greekness according to Osborne?

shared language, cults, & customs across distant shores

what is the main takeaway ab Hellenic culture?

Greek identity extended across connected communities, beyond political borders

what was Magna Graecia?

dense Greek settlement in Southern Italy and Sicily

what r examples of Greek settlements in Magna Graecia?

Poseidonia (Paestum), Tarentum, and Syracuse

what were Black Sea emporia?

Greek trading outposts established around the Black Sea

what resources did Black Sea emporia trade for?

grain, metals & other resources

what r examples of Black Sea emporia?

Trapezous and Phasis

what does apoikia mean?

"home away from home" -- a Greek settlement abroad

what does Osborne interpret apoikia?

as settlement driven by individual & group mobility, not modern imperial colonization

why does Osborne challenge the modern concept of colonization?

it can wrongly imply an imperial system unlike Greek settlement patterns

what is the difference btwn literacy dates & archaeological evidence?

literary dates may precede the earliest physical evidence

what does the archaelogical timeline show for Greek settlements?

physical evidence peaks in the 7th century BCE, despite earlier literary foundation dates

what is the timeframe of the Early Bronze Age?

3200-1100 BCE

what r the Early Cycladic phases?

early Cycladic I, II, and III

what came after the Early Cycladic phases in the broader Aegean context?

the rise of Minoan palace hegemony

what does the Minoan palace hegemony refer to?

the growing dominance of Minoan palace-centered society

what was one of the earliest maritime trading societies in the central Aegean?

an early Aegean island society connected through maritime trade

how did maritime trade shape the early Aegean world?

it connected communities through sea-based trade networks

what major historical event occurred around 1200 BCE?

the collapse of palatial systems in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean

what period did the early Bronze Age network precede?

the palatial collapses around 1200 BCE

what is the main significance of the pre-1200 BCE Aegean network?

it shows that maritime connections existed before the palatial collapses

what r the three key ideas in this section?

Early Bronze Age chronology, Cycladic phases, and maritime trade networks

Where were the Cyclades centered?

around the central Aegean Sea

what five islands are examples of the Cyclades?

Naxos, Paros, Melos, Amorgos, and Delos

how did the Cycladse connect different regions?

they served as natural navigation bridges betwn mainland Greece, Crete, and Anatolia

what does "maritime stepping stones" mean?

islands helped sailors navigate btwn distant regions

what resource came from Melos?

Obsidian, a volcanic glass used to make tools

what resources came from Paros and Naxos?

high-quality marble used by early sculptors

why was marble important in the Cyclades?

it provided material for early sculpture

what were early longboat networks used for?

long-distance trade across Aegean waters

how did seafaring affect early Aegean communities?

it enabled mobility, trade, and contact btwn islands and mainland regions

what are the three main contributions of the Cyclades?

navigation routes, valuable resources, and maritime trade

what were Cycladic marble idols?

abstract, folded-arm marble figurines often placed in graves

what made Cycladic musician figurines distinctive?

rare 3D marble sculptures of harpists & pipe players

what do Cycladic statuettes reveal ab early Aegean society?

evidence of ritual practices and artistic skill before written records

what was Minoan thalassocracy?

Minoan maritime power and regional economic dominance across the Aegean Sea

what was the timeframe of the Minoan Civilization?

middle to late Bronze Age, c. 2700-1100 BCE

why r the Minoans important to the Bronze Age palace tradition?

their civilization was centered on palaces and represents a palace society that collapsed before the period around 1200 BCE discussed by Osborne

where was the center of Minoan civilzation, and what were its major palatial centers?

the island of Crete, with major unfortified palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Zakros

what was Akrotiri, and why is it important?

a Minoanized island settlement on Thera (Santorini), preserved beneath volcanic ash

how did Minoan geography help its civilization thrive?

Crete's strategic Mediterranean location supported maritime trade, agricultural wealth (esp wine & oil), and connections with Egypt, the Levant, Cyprus, and mainland Greece

what was Linear A?

an undeciphered script used for administrative record-keeping in Minoan palaces

what were Minoan palaces like, and what might their unfortified design suggest?

they were open complexes organized around central courts. their unfortified design is associated w/ Minoan maritime security

what are 2 examples of Minoan art to recognize?

the Bull-Leaping and Dolphin frescoes, and faience Snake Goddess figurines

what r the key dates associated with Minoan decline?

Thera's volcanic eruption: c. 1600 BCE. Mycenaean takeover of Knossos: c. 1450 BCE

what was the timeframe of Mycenaean civilization (Late Helladic period)?

The Late Bronze Age, c. 1600-1200 BCE

when did Mycenaean palatial power peak, and what characterized it?

c. 1400-1200 BCE, bureaucratic palace dominance across mainland Greece

what happened around 1200 BCE, and why is it important to Osborne's Greece in the Making?

many palace and citadel centeres were destroyed or abandoned. this collapse marks the historial structure point of Osborne's study

what were the major Mycenaean mainland citadels?

Mycenae, Tiryns, Argon, Pylos (the Palace of Nestor), and Thebes

what was cyclopean masonry and what was its puropse

massive stone was built around Mycenea citadels for military defense and territorial domination

where was the Mycenean power concenctrated, and where did its influence extend?

power was conectrated in the Argolid and Southern Greece. Influence extended to Crete (Kronos) Rhodes, Cyprus, and coastal anatolia (milletes)

what was Linear B, and what happened to it around 1200 BCE?

a deciphered early form of Greek used for palace economic administration. It disappeared with the palace collapse around 1200 BCE

Peloponnese Heart

power concentrated in the Argolid and Southern Greece with regional administrative control

what evidence shows the Mycenaeans emphasized warfare?

boars' tusk helmets, bronze armor (including the Dendra Panoply), and chariot battle scenes

what were the famous Mycenaean shaft grave treasures?

Gold marks made using repousse (hammering metal from the reverse side) and decorated daggers. the 'Mask of Agamemnon" is a famous example

seafaring peoples

these were nautical peoples on the broader Aegean and Mediterranean

Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean

Proto-

Greek peoples (non-Greek speaking) who

inhabited the region that would eventually

be dominated by the Greek language, its

peoples, and its city-states (poleis)

what period is known as the Greek Dark Ages, and when did it begin?

approx 1200-700 BCE. it began after the Mycenaean palace system collapsed around 1200 BCE, marking the end of the Bronze Age in the Aegean

why is this period called the "Dark Ages"?

archaeological evidence for major stone buildings & tombs declined, and Linear B palace record-keeping disappeared. 'Dark' refers to limited surviving evidence, not necessarily that all culture vanished

what are the proposed explanations for the collapse around 1200 BCE, and what is the key takeaway?

theories include Sea Peoples, Dorian invasions, and climate change. the notes emphasize that the 1st 2 explanations lack broad supporting evidence, so the collapse's causes remain debated

what is the Homeric Question?

the debate over whether Homeer was one historical author or whether the Homeric epics developed through a multi-century oral tradition

why did several Aegean cities claim Homer?

cities such as Colophon, Chios, and Smyrna claimed him as their own, while traditions also portrayed Homer as a figure shared across the Greek world

what did Milman Perry and Albert Lord study in 1933-35, and why?

they studied oral poets called gulsars in Yugoslavia to understand how epic poetry cld be composed and passed down without writing

what were recycled oral formulae?

memorable rhythmic, metrical phrases--such as noun-and-epithet combinations--that poets reused to improvise verses during performances

what does 'fluid multiformity' mean in oral epic tradition?

each performance cld produce a diff version of the epic, rather than repeating one fixed, written original

what geographic area does the catalogue of ships cover?

a wide Aegean world, including mainland Greece (Boetia, the Peloponnese, Thessaly) and areas across the sea toward Ionia and Asia Minor

why does the bard invoke the Muses when recounting the Catalogue of Ships?

the army includes so many leaders and places that human knowledge alone is insufficient; the Muses provide divine sight and knowledge for this enormous account

what is kleos, and what does kleos aphthiton mean?

kleos means fame or flory that lives on through being remembered and retold. kleos aphthiton means 'imperishable fame'--fame that does not perish

how does the catalogue of ships create an epic, god's-eye view?

it uses sweeping geography and massive natural similes, such as fires and migrating cranes, to portray the Trojan War on a vast scale. A comparable panoramic scene appears on Achilles' shield in Iliad Book 18

what does 'local micro-identities' mean in the Catalogue of Ships?

the poem zooms in on individual Greek contingents, their leaders (basileis), exact ship counts, and local landscapes

what story is told about Tlepolemus of Rhodes?

Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, fled into exile and went to Rhodes, where he established his kingdom

why might the Catalogue of Ships emphasize Rhodes?

the detailed attention to Rhodes, including its three-part tribal division and Tlepolemus' origin story, may reflect a strong local Rhodian oral tradition or performance context. This is a scholarly possibility, not a proven fact

how does the Catalogue of Ships balance epic scale with local identities?

it combines a sweeping panorama of the Aegean with local memories, landscapes, and histories that help define individual communities and city-states

what does nostos mean, and what does anostoi mean?

- a hero's return home.

- refers to those who do not return, including heroes fated to die at Troy

why can the Catalogue of Ships be described as an 'Illadic Odyssey'?

it describes the warriors and their local identities while also recalling the fate of heroes who may never return home. it connects the Trojan War with themes of travel, place, and nostos

what kinds of genealogies appear in the Catalogue of Ships?

mostly paternal ancestry (father & family line), sometimes maternal ancestry, & occasionally further ancestors such as a hero's grandfather

Why are heroes' ancestral homelands impt in the Catalogue of Ships?

they identify where each hero came from before leaving for Troy. mentioning these homelands may also evoke the hope of nostos (returning home)

how does the Catalogue of Ships build a wider mythological world?

it includes earlier voyages, occasional prophecies about heroes' deaths, and stories later adapted into other works, such as Sophocles' tragedy Philoctetes, based on the hero featured in Iliad 2.817-830

how does the Catalogue of Ships connect Odysseus to the Odyssey?

the Iliad (2.724-731), describes Odysseus's Cephallenian forces, connecting with his self-introduction in Odyssey 9 and grounding the epic in lonian geography

why is Ithaca's geographic location impt?

Ithaca and the Cephallenian island group lie in the western Greek world, facing toward the setting sun and the western Mediterranean

how was Ithaca connected to Archaic Greek colonization?

its position near the western edge of the Greek world connected to it westward maritime routes toward southern Italy, Sicily, and the Adriatic

why do scholars use the Cephallenian archipelago when discussing Homeric Ithaca?

the exact identification of Homeric Ithaca with a modern island is debated, so the archipelago provides a broader geographic context without claiming a definitive identification

how do the Iliad and Odyssey connect odysseeus to Ionian geogrpahy?

the Iliad (2.724-731) describes Odysseus's Cephallenian forces, while the Odyssey (Book 9) includes his self-introduction to King Alcinous

why is Ithaca's western location significant?

it lies in the western Greek island world, facing the setting sun and connecting Greece to routes toward the western mediterranean

why is the exact location of Homeric Ithaca debated?

scholars disagree about which modern island matches Homer's Ithaca, so the Cephallenian archipelago offers a broader geographic context without claiming a definitive identification

how does the perspective shift from the Iliad to the Odyssey, according to Graziosi?

the Iliad emphasizes a divine, panoramic view of Troy, while the Odyssey shifts toward a more intimate, human-centered focus on Odysseus and Telemachus

what does polutropos mean, and why does Emily Wilson translate it as "complicated"?

literally "of many turns", it describes Odysseus's many physical wanderings and his mental cleverness, cunning, and complexity

how is Odysseus similar to a wandering oral bard, and what does he gain from his travels?

like a wandering rhapsode, Odysseus visits distant communities and recounts experiences shaped by hardship and travel. his adventures contribute to his kleos (fame)

what is nostos, and how do encounters with the Lotus-Eaters, Cicones, and Cyclops threaten it?

return home.

encounters with unfamiliar peoples can delay or prevent Odysseus's return, showing the dangers of seafaring and exploring foreign lands

what do the Lotus-Eaters, Cicones, and Cyclops represent about travel?

they illustrate different dangers of travel, from the temptation to abandon the journey to violent conflict and life-threatening encounters

how does the Odyssey present foreign lands as both threats and opportunities

foreign lands bring dangers and uncertainty, but they also inspire hopes of establishing a new home (oikos/oikia). Osborne's term apokia means a 'home away from home' and emphasizes settlement away from one's original homeland

what is xenia, and how does it distinguish civilized behavior from aggression in the Odyssey?

guest-friendship: the social rules for welcoming and treating guests or strangers. respecting xenia reflects civilized behavior, while violating it can mark someone as lawless or hostile. xenos can mean a stranger, guest, or foreigner

according to Moses Finley, how did people obtain resources across different oikos (household) boundaries during the Greek Dark Ages?

through organized raiding or formal gift-exchange. raiding such as the Greek attack on the Cicones at Ismarus, took resources by force, while gift-exchange built relationships and reciprocal obligations between households