CLC 101 intro to greek civilizations quiz 2

Iliad

Oldest, first, greatest of Greek epics; opens with the wrath of Achilles.

Overarching narratives of the Iliad

The Wrath of Achilles (individual fate) and The Fall of Troy (fate of the city).

Heroic Code

Set of principles guiding Homeric heroes: Timē, Geras, Aratē, Kleos.

Timē

Honor, portion of social status.

Geras

Trophy or prize of honor, often women as spoils of war.

Aratē

Excellence or prowess in battle.

Kleos

Glory, immortalized in poetry.

Motivation of Homeric heroes

Strive for recognition, honor, and lasting glory through battle.

Two fates of Achilles

1) Stay and fight: die young, gain eternal glory. 2) Return home: live long, lose glory.

Dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon

Quarrel over geras (Chryseis/Briseis); wounded pride and dishonor.

Agamemnon

Bad king; selfish, cares about recognition.

Achilles

Great warrior, but selfish; cares mainly about his own honor.

Gods in the Iliad

Zeus' plan; Apollo sends plague; Athena restrains Achilles; Thetis convinces Zeus; quarrels among gods.

Tragic action of the Iliad

1) Quarrel and withdrawal (hamartia). 2) Death of Patroclus/Hector (peripeteia). 3) Priam and Achilles reconciliation (anagnorisis).

Achilles and Priam scene

Priam begs Achilles for Hector's body; both mourn losses, showing shared humanity.

Two urns of Zeus

One urn of blessings, one of evils; mortals receive a mixture or only suffering.

Unity of design in the Iliad

Concentrated, unified action; in medias res; simple plot; universality.

Universality of the Iliad

Homer turns chaos into order, revealing universal moral truths.

What is the heroic code?

Code of honor (timē, geras, aratē, kleos) motivating heroes.

What motivates Homeric heroes?

Glory, honor, excellence, immortality through fame.

Cause of dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon

Conflict over war prizes and honor.

How does the Iliad display a tragic pattern?

Error, reversal, recognition.

How does the Iliad display unity and universality?

Unified design that elevates individual events into universal truths.

Contrast: Iliad vs. Odyssey

Iliad: simple plot, emotion/suffering, tragic pattern. Odyssey: complex plot, character focus, comic pattern.

Odysseus

Wily hero, known for wit, intelligence, versatility; favored by Athena.

Polytropos

"Man of many turns/ways."

Polymetis

"Man of abundant cunning and skill."

Polymechanos

"Man of many devices/contrivances."

Polyatlas

"Man of much suffering and enduring."

Invocation of the Muse (Odyssey)

Tells of Odysseus' wandering, suffering, and struggle to return home.

Structure of the Odyssey

Two parts: wanderings of Odysseus; return and reintegration.

Nostos

Greek word for "homecoming" after war.

Odyssey plot style

Multi-layered, retrospective narrative (Odysseus tells his story to Phaeacians).

Xenia

Hospitality/guest-friendship, protected by Zeus.

Xenos

Stranger or guest-friend.

Cyclopes

Live without agriculture, councils, laws, or seafaring; primitive society.

Odysseus and the Cyclops

Tests whether strangers are civilized and hospitable.

Happy ending of the Odyssey

Odysseus reunited with Penelope and Telemachus; earns homecoming and lasting fame.

How does the Odyssey differ from the Iliad?

Odyssey has complex structure, focus on character, comic pattern.

What kind of hero is Odysseus?

Intelligent, cunning, versatile, enduring.

What is xenia?

Sacred code of hospitality that bonds strangers.

Cyclops episode

Examines the contrast between civilized and uncivilized societies.

Civilized society in Homer

Defined by hospitality, laws, councils, and shared values.

Suitors in Odyssey

Violate civilized standards by abusing hospitality.

Phemius

Bard on Ithaca.

Demodocus

Phaeacian bard; glimpse of Homer's role in society.

Status of poets

Honored role; poetry seen as central to communal life.

Ekphrasis

Literary description of a visual work of art.

Shield of Achilles (cosmos)

Earth, sky, sea, sun, moon, stars.

Shield of Achilles (city at peace)

Weddings, feasts, music, community.

Shield of Achilles (city at war)

Battles, strategies, ambush, gods involved.

Greek love of beauty

Embodied by Helen of Troy; beauty as cultural value.

Helen of Troy

Cause of war; her beauty valued like divine.

Sublime style

Literature that elevates and inspires awe across cultures and times.

Example of sublime in Homer

Hector and Andromache scene (grandeur + human realism).

Who are the Phaeacians?

Idealized hosts, showing Greek values of civilization.

Who are Phemius and Demodocus?

Bards who show the honored role of poetry in society.

What is the Shield of Achilles?

Artistic vision of cosmos and human life; symbolizes Homer's art.

How does Homer's art show sublime style?

Combines grandeur and human realism to elevate readers.

Archaic Greece

776 BC (first Olympiad) to 480 BC (defeat of Persians).

Key developments after Dark Age

Colonization, alphabet, city-states, codified law.

Polis

City-state, community, political unit.

Politai

Free-born members of a polis, citizens.

Aristotle on polis

"Man is by nature a political animal."

Forms of government

Aristocracy (rule of best), Oligarchy (few), Tyranny (one strongman), Democracy (people).

Drakon

First codified Athenian laws (c. 624 BC).

Solon

Reformer (594 BC); canceled debts, reorganized social classes by wealth.

Solon's four classes

Pentakosiomedimnoi (wealthiest), Hippeis (knights), Zeugitai (hoplites), Thetes (lowest).

Kleisthenes

Reforms of 508 BC; divided Attica into demes, introduced ostracism.

Sparta's system

Two kings, Gerousia (council of 30), Apella (assembly), Ephors (magistrates), Helots (serfs).

Hoplites

Citizen-soldiers, armed with spear and shield.

Phalanx

Tight infantry formation of hoplites.

Pan-Hellenism

"All-Greek" cultural unity through religion, games, and identity.

Hesiod's Works and Days

Poem about farming and virtues; stresses hard work, competition, meritocracy.

Two kinds of Strife (Hesiod)

1) Destructive (war, cruelty). 2) Healthy (competition, inspires hard work).

Greek art (Archaic age)

Geometric pottery (c.750), black-figure pottery (c.540), kouros and kore statues.

Kouros

Statue of a young male, nude, with "archaic smile."

Kore

Statue of a maiden, clothed, with "archaic smile."

What developments ended the Dark Age?

Colonization, alphabet, polis, codified laws.

What is a polis?

Greek city-state, community, and political unit.

What political developments in Athens?

Drakon's laws, Solon's reforms, Kleisthenes' democracy.

What is Pan-Hellenism?

Shared Greek identity and culture.

How does Hesiod show Archaic life?

Values of work, competition, and meritocracy.

Miletus

City in Ionia; center of Ionian Enlightenment (6th c. BC).

Ionian Enlightenment

Early philosophy and science (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Heraclitus).

Historia

Greek word meaning "investigation, inquiry."

Hecataeus

Early historian from Miletus (6th c. BC).

Herodotus

"Father of history"; wrote Histories; explained causes of Persian Wars.

Aim of Herodotus

Preserve memory of past, record great deeds, explain causes of conflict.

Thucydides

Historian of Peloponnesian War; wrote eyewitness account.

Aim of Thucydides

Record factual, timeless account; avoid myth; provide lessons for future.

Aristotle on history vs. poetry

History = what happened; Poetry = what could happen, more philosophical.

Significance of Miletus

Center of early philosophy and historical thinking.

Main Greek historians

Hecataeus, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, later Plutarch, Arrian, Polybius.

Methods of Herodotus

Inquiry, storytelling, causation of wars.

Methods of Thucydides

Eyewitness, factual accuracy, timeless analysis.

Timē

honor (portion of social status)

Geras

trophy (prize of honor)

Aratē

excellence (prowess in battle)

Kleos

glory (immortalized in poetry)