Overview of Ancient & Modern Greek Literature, Culture, and Influence

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing major people, terms, genres, periods, and cultural influences highlighted in the lecture on Greek literature and civilization.

Latin-derived name for Hellas, originally from the Greek word Graikoi, the people of Dodona.

Greece (Graecia)

The Greeks’ own name for their land; literally “land of the Hellenes.”

Hellas

Body of stories about gods and goddesses, portrayed as idealized but flawed humans who are immortal.

Greek Mythology

Literary works written in Ancient Greek up to the 5th century AD, beginning with Homer’s epics.

Ancient Greek Literature

Writing system adopted by Greek Ionia and Athens, basis of surviving Greek texts.

Phoenician-derived Alphabet

Blind epic poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Homer

Homeric epic about the Trojan War and Achilles’ wrath.

Iliad

Homeric epic chronicling Odysseus’ ten-year voyage home from Troy.

Odyssey

Pre-classical poet, author of Works and Days and Theogony.

Hesiod

Hesiod’s poem on farming, justice, and the human condition.

Works and Days

Hesiod’s genealogy of the Greek gods.

Theogony

Long narrative poetry recounting heroic deeds; e.g., Iliad, Odyssey.

Epic Tradition

Verse performed with a lyre, expressing personal emotion.

Lyric Poetry

Serious dramatic genre honoring Dionysus; explores human suffering.

Tragedy

Humorous drama of ancient Greece, also staged for Dionysus.

Comedy

Greek god of wine; patron of dramatic festivals.

Dionysus

First alphabet to include vowels; source of letters A, B, E, O, etc.

Greek Alphabet

Prestigious dialect family that includes the speech of Athens.

Attic-Ionic Dialect

Ancient Greek dialect spoken in Sparta and parts of the Peloponnese.

Doric Dialect

Dialect found in Lesbos and Boeotia; one of five major ancient varieties.

Aeolic Dialect

Early form of Greek used by Mycenaeans; preserved in Homeric language.

Achaean Dialect

Group of dialects in regions north and west of the Corinthian Gulf.

Northwest Greek

Aimed to produce well-rounded citizens skilled in arts, war, and public life.

Greek Education – Athens

Focused on discipline and military training to create elite soldiers.

Greek Education – Sparta

Stringed instrument essential to Greek musical and poetic education.

Lyre

Wooden writing tool with a sharp end for inscribing and flat end for erasing.

Stylus

State-owned serf in Sparta, often assigned menial labor.

Helot

Early period marked by composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Homeric Age

5th-century BC era of great playwrights, historians, and philosophers in Athens.

Attic (Periclean) Age

Post-Alexander period when literary prominence shifted to Alexandria.

Hellenic Age

Athenian tragedian; author of over 100 plays, including Oedipus Rex (7 survive).

Sophocles

Greek tragedian known for Alcestis, Medea, and The Bacchae.

Euripides

Earliest of the three great tragedians; pioneered dramatic dialogue (noted in Attic Age).

Aeschylus

Comic playwright; wrote The Wasps and Lysistrata.

Aristophanes

Hellenistic mathematician; wrote The Elements, foundational geometry text.

Euclid

Philosopher; authored The Republic and Symposium.

Plato

Form of government first developed in Athens, allowing citizens to vote.

Democracy

World’s first great library, spread Greek learning throughout Egypt.

Library of Alexandria

Pan-Hellenic athletic contests held every four years in honor of Zeus.

Olympic Games

Use of columns (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) influencing buildings worldwide.

Greek Architecture – Pillars

20th-century works blending Greek heritage with European modernism.

Modern Greek Literature

Modern Greek poet; Nobel Prize in Literature, 1963; noted for symbolism.

George Seferis

Modern Greek poet; Nobel Prize, 1979; associated with surrealism.

Odysseus Elytis

Poet celebrated for intense, erotic love lyrics (1902-1930).

Maria Polydouri

Modern novelist seeking synthesis of Greek tradition; wrote Zorba the Greek.

Nikos Kazantzakis