Greek Quiz 1 terms

Mediterranean Sea

sea between Europe, Asia, and Africa

provided trade routes and cultural exchanges

Aegean Sea

part of the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Turkey

polis

city-state

Greek Agonism

athletic contest not focused on victory or defeat but the struggle of the battle itself

timē

the concept of honor, value, and social worth

motivates people to fight, compete, and protect their reputation

Classical Studies/Classics

Education (study literature, drama, history, art, etc.), Authors (works have been known across centuries), Archaeology (investigate Mediterranean civilizations)

Greek Miracle

the move from explaining natural phenomena through myth to using rational, observational explanations

Classical Ideal

Sense that Greeks do no wrong, portray as “ideal” instead of what actually look like

shaped cultural values, artistic practice, and even modern perceptions of perfection

Paleolithic

early stage of Stone Age

represents period of human prehistoric technology

Neolithic

later part of Stone Age

final stage of technological development among prehistoric humans

Agricultural Revolution

shift from nomadic hunting and gathering to settled farming

included the reallocation of land ownership to make farms more compact and an increased investment in technical improvements

Sedentism

living in one place for a long time

face-to-face model

learning that occurs in person

Social Stratification

structured system that organized individuals into ranked groups with differing rights, privileges, and roles

based off of land ownership, gender, citizenship, birth and lineage

lithics/flint knapping/obsidian

shaping flint or obsidian into tools to build walls

essential for making tools, weapons, decorative items

ancestor worship

honored their ancestors through festivals, funerary rites, and offerings

reflecting a deep belief in the continued influence of the dead on the living

megaron

central hall of a large Mycenaean house

place for religious ceremonies to be held

Cycladic figurines

consisted of men, women, musicians

flat, may be meant for funerals, painted, tattoos?

marble (metamorphic carbonate)

primary medium for architecture, sculpture, and religious expression

valued not only for its beauty but also for its durability, precision, and symbolic meaning

primitivism

represent the physical world on nature

Maria Gimbutas

archaeologist known for her research in Neolithic and Bronze Age

located the Proto-Indo-European homeland

Sir Arthur Evans

excavated the site of Knossos

provided a foundational understanding of Minoan civilization and its significance

labrys

double-bitted axe

sacred symbol of the Minoan religion

Horns of Consecration

stone or clay on top of roofs

thought to represent the horns of the sacred bull

rhyton

container that held liquids, usually in the form of an animal head

used to pour wine or blood for sacrifices

magazines

storerooms in palaces

stored oils, wine, grains, and other goods gifted to the king or queen

Phaistos Disk

clay disk with an unknown language

discovered in palace, may be a syllabary or alphabet

Linear A

primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization

Linear B

syllabic script used for writing

the only Bronze Age Aegean script to have been diciphered

procession

acts of worships

people came together to honor specific deities to secure protection and stability

proskynesis

the act of submission or worship

solemn gesture of respect towards gods and people of higher status

Cultural Hybridity

a mix of cultures, when two cultures come in contact it causes mixing

caused the mix of traditions and influences

Tholos tomb

a dome shaped tomb created by corbelling

usually used for burials, but sometimes used for homes or rituals

Fresco

mural painting on wet plaster

depict scenes of life and society of ancient Greece

Grave Circle A

royal cemetery

gold masks, weapons, and jewelry were found in the graves

Grave Circle B

royal cemetery before Grave Circle A

Stele and false doors found there

Continuity versus collapse

Continuity: preserving core traditions

Collapse: continuity broke down

continuity explains the resilience and legacy of Greek culture, while collapse explains the limits of that resilience and the forces that reshaped the Mediterranean

Chiefdom

central community surrounded by smaller communities

represented or governed by a chief

ruling one singular kinship group than a multiple group of them

Early Iron Age

final age after copper and bronze

Homer

Greek epic poet

author of Iliad and the Odyssey

poems were used as sources by others

Amphora

a tall jar with two handles and a narrow neck

Hellenes

what the Greeks called themselves

Euboea

a strategically important and culturally influential island in ancient Greece, home to major city-states like Chalcis and Eretria, and a hub for trade, colonization, and early Greek civilization

Early Iron Age

1000-700BC
-loss of writing, substantial stone architecture, sculpture, wall painting, rich burials

Lefkandi

on the island of Euboea, discovery of the Heroon and centaur

Heroon

shrine dedicated to a hero
-contained tombs of a man and a woman and another tomb of 4 horses
-buried with various possessions
-man was cremated but woman wasn't
-Early Iron Age
-amphora

Ancestor Veneration/Worship

the dead remained part of the living world and needed to be honored to maintain harmony between generations

offerings, feasts, rites

Greek Dark Age

can’t see whats happening bc no writing

Inhumation vs. cremation

choice depending on period, region, and social status

inhumation: Believed to provide the deceased with comfort in the afterlife

cremation: early Archaic period, cremation was the norm

Oral Composition

literature that was created, performed, and transmitted orally

Geometric Period

triangles, squares, spirals, circles, and rhombi to decorate pottery

horror vacui

Registers

official public records—often inscribed on stone or kept on wooden tablets and papyrus—that documented transactions, obligations, and civic activities

Meanders

a geometric pattern made from a single continuous line that turns at right angles in a repeating, interlocking sequence

Dipylon Cemetary

major burial ground in Kerameikos, used for both private and state burials, and is famous for its Geometric period grave markers such as the Dipylon kraters and amphorae

Dipylon Master

Attic Geometric vase painter active around 760–750 BC in Athens, renowned for producing large funerary vessels for aristocratic graves at the Dipylon Gate cemetery

Krater

a large two‑handled vessel used in Ancient Greece primarily for mixing wine with water, used at symposia

Prothesis

ritual display of a deceased person’s body before burial.

Ekphora

carrying the deceased from the home to the burial site, typically before dawn within three days of death, after prothesis, symbolized the transition of the deceased from the world of the living to the realm of the dead

Greek colonization

After the collapse of Mycenaean civilization, Greek groups began migrating and founding new settlements, especially along the Anatolian coast.

widespread migration, the founding of new city-states, and the spread of Greek culture, trade

Synoecism

uniting settlements into one polis

ex when Theseus united Athens and Attica

urbanization

growth of towns and cities

sphyrelaton

sculpture made from hammered metal sheets

orthogonal plans

layouts with streets crossing at right angles

hekatompedon

a “100 foot” temple or building

Archaic-period temple on the Acropolis of Athens, built from limestone and dedicated to Athena

relief

sculpture projecting from a background

architectural sculpture

sculpture made for a building

apoikia

a self-governing Greek settlement abroad

metropolis

“mother city” the community that founded an apoikia

oikist

the leader credited with founding an apoika

polos

a high, cylindrical crown worn by goddesses in Ancient Greek art and religion, symbolizing divine authority, fertility, and high status

appears in terracotta figurines, marble statues, and vase paintings from the Mycenaean to Classical periods

Daedalic

early Archaic Greek sculptural style, named after the legendary craftsman Daedalus

Orientalizing period

Greek art adopted Near Eastern and Egyptian motifs—such as floral patterns, lions, sphinxes, and mythological creatures

votive offering

objects dedicated in sanctuaries as gifts to the gods, often in thanks for favors or in hopes of healing, with major deposits found at sites such as the Asklepieion at Corinth

proto-Attic pottery

a shift from symbolic, geometric patterns to narrative storytelling on ceramic, influencing later black‑figure and red‑figure styles

Corinthian wares

pottery and metalwork produced in Corinth

copper with small amounts of gold and/or silver

horror vacui

artists filled every available surface with patterns, figures, and symbols to avoid blank areas

Panhellenic Sanctuaries

religious sites open to all Greeks, serving as neutral meeting places, pilgrimage destinations, and venues for major festivals and games

Oracle of Delphi

most influential prophetic institution in ancient Greece, believed to convey the words of Apollo

symposion

male drinking party held after a meal, featuring wine, music, poetry, philosophical debate, and entertainment, typically hosted in a special room called the andron

komos/komastes

procession of revelers marked by music, dancing, and festive excess, closely tied to Dionysian worship

hetairai

educated, high-status female companions in ancient Greece who combined intellectual, artistic, and sexual services, distinguishing them from ordinary prostitutes and citizen wives

at symposia

kottabos

skill-based drinking game played at Greek and Etruscan symposia

kylix

wide, shallow drinking cup central to ancient Greek social life, especially in symposiums

Kouros / kouroi

free‑standing marble statues of nude male youths produced mainly in the Archaic period

Kore / korai

freestanding Archaic-period statue of a young, draped female figure, serving as a votive offering to a deity or as a commemorative grave marker

Archaic smile

upturn of the lips on Archaic Greek statues, intended to suggest liveliness, vitality, and ideal well-being rather than emotion

Funerary sculpture

simple stone slabs to monumental marble statues, serving both as memorials and as expressions of identity, status, and belief in the afterlife