foundation stories

Question 1

where can we see the foundation story of athens?

Answer 1

western pediment of the Parthenon

Question 2

How was Athens named?

Answer 2

1. King Cecrops founded a city in Attica and needed a name for it. At this time, the gods traveled the lands, seeking cities to lay their patronage on
2. King C gave worship to both Athen and Poseidon so both came to his city to claim it for their own
3. Poseidon arrived first and struck the centre of the Acropolis with his trident, creating a hole in the ground. from this, sea water sprang up
4. Athena was next to arrive on the Acropolis. her gift was planting an olive branch
5. in order to decide the winner, Zeus and cecrops judged the gifts
6. Poseidon gave water, but its salt content made it largely unusable but Athena gave an olive tree, which was central to the Greek’s way of life, both as food and oil. it was also useful for trade and libations
7. having weighed up these points, Athena was judged as victor

Question 3

why does Zeus judge alongside Cecrops?

Answer 3

because Cecrops is only mortal, so he can’t judge with immortal gods

Question 4

who is Cecrops?

Answer 4

the king of a nameless city in Athens

Question 5

what is Athena to the city of Athens?

Answer 5

she is their patron. she gave her patronage when she won the contest

Question 6

what did the story of the naming of Athens give to Athenians?

Answer 6

• sense of pride (Athena was patron AND another God also wanted to be their patron)
• Poseidon could have given them pride in their army
• the myth was likely used to explain something they otherwise couldn’t
• gives the city a sense of identity
  -Athena known for wisdom and military

Question 7

how does the erechtheion commemorate the story of the naming of Athens?

Answer 7

this is because it was dedicated to Athena, Poseidon, and a legendary king called Erechtheus. The temple has a small walled garden containing an olive tree (which is suspected to be Athena’s) and a well (believed to be Poseidon’s). the temple also held the graves of the legendary cecrops and erechtheus

Question 8

how is theseus important to the founding of Athens?

Answer 8

Theseus united Attica under the political leadership of Athens and so was a great reformer. he was also a hero and went on heroic adventures, similar to Heracles.

Question 9

how was Theseus born?

Answer 9

Aegeus, King of Athens, had been to Delphi, where he had been asking how to get an heir.
Aegeus went to King Pittheus of Troezen on his way home, a small city SW of Athens, and asked him for help. Pittheus could interpret oracles. He quickly realised that the next time Aegeus had sex, he would conceive a son.
- therefore, he got A drunk in order to induce him to sleep with his daughter Aethra.
- The same night, Aethra received a message from Athena in a dream that she would wade to the island of Sphairia that lay close to the Troezen shore.
- There, Poseidon coupled with her and so the child she carried contained both human and godly characteristics

Question 10

who are Theseus’ parents

Answer 10

Aegeus, Aethra, Poseidon

Question 11

where is Sphairia

Answer 11

an island close to the Troezen shore

Question 12

what is the name of Theseus’ mother?

Answer 12

Aethra

Question 13

what is the name of Theseus’ grandfather?

Answer 13

King Pittheus of Troezen

Question 14

what is special about the king of Troezen

Answer 14

he could interpret oracles

Question 15

why did Pittheus want his daughter to conceive a child by Aegeus?

Answer 15

political ties and this child would become a future king because he was the king, making him powerful

Question 16

why was Aegeus worried after the birth of Theseus? what did he do in response?

Answer 16

He was worried that Theseus’ cousins in Athens would be jealous (claim to throne) of him and kill him.
so, he left Theseus in Troezen. he also left his sword and sandals under a rock. He told Aethra that if Theseus was destined to be king, he would lift the rock and go back to Aegeus

Question 17

what happened when Theseus came of age?

Answer 17

Aethra led him to the rock and revealed his true parentage. Theseus picked the rock up easily and removed both items. After, Aethra told T that is he returned to Athens with them then he would become king.

Question 18

which way did Theseus take to get back to Athens? Why?

Answer 18

He took the dangerous route, via land which was full of peril and monsters, instead of by boat which both Aethra and Pittheus begged him to take.
This could have been because he wanted to seem more heroic + brave - kleos and he also would’ve looked up to his cousin Heracles and his accomplishments. This also would’ve been his coming of age.

Question 19

Are there any similarities between Heracles and Theseus?

Answer 19

• similar birth - both involve the powerful gods and them being abandoned by atleast one of their parents
• they both have some sort of labour at some point in their life
• Heracles’ birth story is more heroic because he overcame peril and challenges including the interference of Hera.
• Theseus could be argued to be more heroic because he voluntarily completed his labours unlike Hercules, who’s labours were forced upon him by Hera and Eurystheus
• Theseus wanted to clear Attica out of criminals and prove himself (kleos) and become king.
• however, the scale of Heracles’ tasks is arguably more impressive e.g. , Apple of Hesperides

Question 20

what was Theseus’ 2nd labour?

Answer 20

• Sinis the ‘pine bender’
• sinis was a robber who would tie his victims to the ends of pine trees, then release them, tearing them into pieces
• one version says that T tricked Sinis by asking Sinis to help him bend a pine. once both had bent the pine tree, T let go and flung S to his death
• another version says Theseus tied sinis to 2 pines and was torn into 2.
• After he killed him, he courted his daughter Perigune and she bore a son called Melanippus.

Question 21

who is Perigune? what is their son called?

Answer 21

her father was Sinis the tree bender (one of Theseus’ labours). Her son was called Melanippus

Question 22

what was Theseus’ 3rd labour?

Answer 22

The Crommyonian Sow
- note the sow could either be a pig or a female thief (sow referring to her beast like behavior)
- Theseus kills her, which is heroic because he sought her out

Question 23

what was Theseus’ 4th labour?

Answer 23

Sciron - an old man who would sit on a path by cliff’s edge and ask passers-by to wash his feet
- as they did this he would kick them into the sea to be consumed by a massive turtle
- Theseus overcame this challenge by grabbing the old man by the feet and throwing him off the cliff

Question 24

what was Theseus’ 5th labour?

Answer 24

Cercyon - set in Eleusis, a city ruled by King Cercyon
- The king would challenge passers-by to a wrestling match as a show of strength. the winner would become King of Eleusis.
- this was frightening as he treated guests wickedly - e.g., wrestling against them against their will and killing all those who lost
- Theseus defeated him as he was the first to establish the treachery of the art and so became the king but he moved to Athens anyways

Question 25

what was Theseus’ 6th labour?

Answer 25

this is the last of his 6 labours!
- procrustes
- he would invite visitors to stay a night on a ‘magical bed’ that would fit anyone. Once they accepted, he would lay them ont he bed
- if they were too tall, he’d use an axe to chop their head and feet off
- if they were to small, he’d use a mallet to stretch them out
- Theseus overcame this by making P test out the bed before he did. Theseus chopped off his head quickly so he could suffer the same fates as his victims

Question 26

what was Theseus’ 6th task?

Answer 26

The bull of marathon - it terrorised Attica (Heracles brought it to King Eurystheus as a part of his labours).
He easily overcame it and marched it though Athens and then sacrificed it

Question 27

Give some more information about the task with the bull of Marathon. why did he have to do it?

Answer 27

Theseus had to fight the Bull of Marathon because when T arrived to Athens, the witch Medea controlled his father.
- Although Theseus didn’t reveal himself to his father, Meda knew who he was and so she convinced Theseus’ father that he posed a threat to Athens
- In response, he killed the bull
- In the meal afterwards (post sacrifice), Medea tried to kill him by poisoning his drink, but during the meal Theseus pulled out his sword to carve the meat and Aegeus immediately recognised him
- in all his excitement, Aegeus knocked over the glass filed with poison

Question 28

what was Theseus’ 7th task? why did he have other do this?

Answer 28

the minotaur - set in Crete
- Because of King Minos’ son’s death (Adrogeus), he demanded that 7 girls and 7 boys were to be sent to crete each year as a sacrifice to the Minotaur
- Theseus’ return coincided with the sacrifice to he volunteered
- When he was there, he met Ariadne (Minos’ daughter) and she fell in love
- she helped him by giving him a bag of wool so he wouldn’t get lost in the labyrinth and a sword to kill the minotaur
- theseus was successful

Question 29

what happened after Theseus’ 7th (8th) task?

Answer 29

Theseus and Ariadne left together, however, he left at Naxos.
some versions say that his ship was swept away when he went to secure the ship (Ariadne was pregnant at the time). There, Ariadne stayed, having been looked after by the women of Naxos and she brought up their son there.
other versions say that he left Ariadne for another woman with whom he fell in love with
- another version says that Ariadne came to him in a dream and told him that Dionysis had chosen her as his bride, therefore Theseus had to leave her in Naxos

Question 30

what are the names of King Minos’ children?

Answer 30

Aridane and Androgeus (who died)

Question 31

what is Theseus’ first labour (not featured on the Kylix)?

Answer 31

-Periphetes (the club bearer)
- P would hide on the side of the road and jump out and beat travelers.
- T notices this and before P could do anything, T grappled him and beat him with his own club. he then took the club and used it for his other labors
- notice this is similar to the cattle of Geryon

Question 32

How did Medea seek out to Kill Theseus twice?

Answer 32

The first time was by making him fight with the bull of Marathon. The second time was afterward, during the meal when she poisoned his drink, however she failed both times

Question 33

Why did king Aegeus leap into the sea? what did Theseus then do?

Answer 33

Upon returning to Athens, Theseus accidentally left up the black sail ( he was supposed to replace it with a white one).
- the black sail signified grief
- upon seeing the black sail, Aegeus thought that Theseus had died and jumped into the sea from the city walls
- Theseus then became King and honoured his father by having a state burial and a massive sacrifice

Question 34

How was Theseus as king of Attica?

Answer 34

he brought about many reforms

Question 35

How did Theseus unite Attica, as king of Attica, and make himself redundant?

Answer 35

He united smaller warring towns in Attica by negotiating their allegiance to Athens because Attica was weak and lacked unity. He won them over by promising that there would be a democracy (so they would vote for his leaders).
- Theseus would only be commander of war (if there was a war) and be keeper of laws
- therefore making him redundant
- to make Athens the centre of the alliance he destroyed all town halls and chambers and replaced them with the Panathenaic games to unite religions of area

Question 36

why was Theseus so important to Athenians, even after his death?

Answer 36

He was still important because he was a demigod, but also gave democracy to those who otherwise might not. have it e.g., men of low estate. he also helped the poor and needy over his lifetime, making him important. therefore, he made all citizens equal and gave Athens an identity

also, he might’ve been an example/someone to look up to?

Question 37

who was more significant as a hero to their ‘centre’, Hercales to Olympia or Theseus to Athens?

Answer 37

H - origin of Olympic games, 12 labours which are on metopes, the temple of Zeus and the temple of Augean stables taking place there, other heroic tasks e.g., Cacus
T 0 gave them democracy and helped poorer people, gave athens an identity, heroic and a demigod (kleos)