UR 2

Iliad

• 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.

Histories

• 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.

Lysistrata

• 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.