Greek Lit Flashcards
1
Q
Who is the author of the illiad?
A
Homer
2
Q
Who is the author of the Odyssey, and said to have been blind?
A
Homer
3
Q
How many books are in the Iliad/Odyssey?
A
24 books
4
Q
What meter are the Iliad/Odyssey written in?
A
Dactylic Hexameter
5
Q
What tells the story of the wrath of achilles during the Trojan war?
A
The Iliad
6
Q
What epic poem tells the story of the return of the Greek hero Odysseus to his home ithaca and his revenge on the suitors?
A
The Odyssey
7
Q
What gods are Homeric Hymns to?
A
Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite and Dionysus
8
Q
What master of early Greek epic poetry lived c 700 BC and wrote the Theogony, Works and Days?
A
Hesiod
9
Q
What meter were the Theogony/Works and Days written in?
A
dactylic hexmeter,
10
Q
What work by Hesiod is an account of the births of the gods, talks about the early gods, the titans and the Olympians?
A
the Theogony
11
Q
What work was written to Hesiod’s brother, Perses; talks about farming,
mentions the five ages of man (Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic, and Iron) and mentions Prometheus and Pandora?
A
Works and Days
12
Q
Who was an author of well-known fables, slave from Egypt or Thrace, lived on Samos?
A
Aesop
13
Q
What poet conflicted with
the tyrant Pittacus, went to Egypt, then reconciled with Pittacus and returned home?
A
Alcaeus
14
Q
What type of songs did alcaeus write?
A
Lyrical Songs
15
Q
Where was the poet Alcaeus born?
A
born in the late-seventh century from Mytilene on the island of Lesbos
16
Q
Where did Alcman live?
A
Sparta in the late seventh century
17
Q
What was Alcman mostly known for?
A
partheneia, which are songs sung by a chorus of maidens at religious festivals
18
Q
Where was Anacreon born?
A
Teos an Ionian Greek city
19
Q
Where did anacreon move to for the tyant Polycrates court?
A
Samos
20
Q
After polycartes fall where did anacreon move to?
A
Athens
21
Q
What did anacreon write in?
A
Ionian Greek, lyric, iambis and elegaic poetry. These are about love and the pleasures of life.
22
Q
When and where did Anaximander, the pre-socratic philosopher, live?
A
c 610-545, from Miletus
23
Q
Who was the first Greek known to have written a book in prose?
A
This book, concerning nature, which is lost was written by Anaximander
24
Q
Anaximenes
A
From miletus, younger contemporary of Anaximander .
He belived that the primary substance was air.
25
Where and when did the poet Archilochus live?
Paros, mid-seventh century
26
What term was Archilochus the first to use for the meter of some his poems?
Iambic
27
What great dishonor did Archilochus do in one of his poems? (which Alcaeus also did)
leaves behind his shield in battle
28
Where is the legendary lyric poet Arion said to have been born?
Lesbos (he is a seventh century poet)
29
Arion is said to be the pupil of whom?
Alcman
30
What court did Arion later live \in?
Perianders court in Corinth
31
What animal carried Arion to land when he was thrown overboard by pirates on the way back from a visit to Italy?
dolphin
32
what is arion accredited with inventing?
dithyramb, a form of choral lyric poetry
33
Where and when did the poet Bacchylides live?
ceos, late sixth and early to middle fifth centuries
34
Who as the nephew of the poet Simonides?
Bacchylides ( he is considered by aristotle to be a forerunner to tragedy)
35
What did Bacchylides write for victors at games in a similar style to Pindar?
odes
36
What did Empedocles believe the universe consists of?
four elements: air, fire, water and earth
37
who was Empedocles?
Presocratic philosopher pf the fifth century
38
what two poems is Empedocles said to have composed?
On Nature and Purifications
39
What philosopher from Ephesus wrote On Nature?
Heracletius
40
What was the primary element according to Heracletius?
Fire
41
What was Heracletius later known as?
the weeping philosopher
42
Who wrote the History of the Persian Wars?
Herodotus (born in asia minor)
43
How many books are in the History of the Persian Wars?
9
44
Who was killed by robbers while a flock of cranes passed overhead and swore they would avenge him, ultimately leading to the robbers being caught?
Ibycus
45
Who founded the Eleatic school of philosophy?
Parmenides
46
Who wrote Way of truth and Way of seeming?
Parmenides
47
Where and when did the lyric poet Pindar live?
thebes, in boeotia, c 518-440
48
What odes did Pindar write?
To victors at the four great games.
| Olympian, Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian odes
49
Whos house was the only one in thebes spared by Alexander the Great when he leveled thebes and is said to have been instructed by corinna?
Pindar
50
What did Pindar write in?
Doric Greek
| and he wrote an ode to Hieron 1 of syracuse
51
What presocratic philosopher left no writings, believed in an immortal soul, which is rational and reincarnated into different bodies based on choices made in past life (transmigration of souls)?
Pythagoras
| also credited with the theorem that bears his name
52
Who is the lyric poestess from Lesbos, lived in the late-seventh century, a contemporary of Alcaeus and is called the tenth muse?
Sappho
53
Into what Catullus poem was one of Sapphos poems translated?
poem 51
54
who is the iambic and elegiac poet from Samos, and later Amorgos; lived in the mid-seventh century.
He wrote in Ionic Greek and only a few fragments of his poems survive?
Semonides
55
Where and when did the poet Simonides live?
lyric and elegiac poet from Ceos, lived from 556-468
56
Who was Simonides the uncle of?
Bacchylides
57
What is simonides most famous for?
epigrams
58
Whom did Simonides write epitaphs (odes) for?
Athenian dead at Marathon
| and the Spartan dead at Thermopylae
59
Who is the lyric poet said to have been born in Matauros in Italy, and to have lived in Himera in Sicily?
Stesichorus
60
What was Stesichous' real name and what was he most famous for?
Teisias
| Being struck blind for slandering Helen in one of his poems.
61
Who was the elegiac poet from Megara, lived in the sixth century whose poems addressed to a young boy, Cyrnus that he seems to have loved, are commonly judged as authentic?
Theognis
62
Tyrtaeus
Spartan elegiac poet of the seventh century. He wrote about war, and exhorted the Spartans to conquer Messenia. His poems filled five books, but only fragments survive.
63
Seven Sages
name given by Greek tradition to a group of seven men: statesmen, lawgivers, and
philosophers.
64
Who are the seven sages?
1) Bias
2) Chilon
3) Cleobulus of Rhodes
4) Periander
5) Pittacus
6) Solon
7) Thales
65
Who was Periander?
tyrant of Corinth c 625-585, brought
| Corinth to its greatest prosperity and promoted the arts
66
Who was Pittacus?
a statesmen from Mytilene on Lesbos, feuded with Alcaeus, later became dictator in Mytilene
67
Who was Solon?
Athenian lawgiver, archon in 594-93; also a poet and known for his wisdom
68
What was solons most important law?
seisactheia, which ended enslavement for debt and all current debts.
69
When Solon visited Croesus what did he supposedly say to him?
no man may count himself lucky until he is dead. (He went into voluntary exile after enacting his laws)
70
Who was Thales?
Presocratic philosopher, lived in Miletus c 600; he was the earliest Greek scientist. He is said to have predicted an eclipse of the sun in 585, and he believed the primary substance was water
71
Where was theater performed?
Theater was performed in Athens at the Great Dionysia, a festival honoring the god of wine and revelry. Five comedies were performed; each competing playwright entered three tragedies,
usually a trilogy, and a satyr play.
72
orchestra:
originally a dancing floor, later for the chorus
73
thymele:
altar to Dionysus
74
theatron:
‘watching-place’, for spectators
75
parados:
‘way-in’, the entrance
76
skene:
‘tent’ or ‘hut’, the dressing rooms
77
what poetry may have been the precursor to the play?
Dithyrambic poetry
78
What Attican was credited with inventing the play in the 530s? Also credited with inventing the mask, the term Thespian comes from his name?
Thespis
79
Who lived from 525-456 and is the earliest tragedian whose work survives?
Aeschylus
80
How did Aeschylus die?
an eagle dropped a tortoise on his bald head while he was visiting Hieron I of Syracuse
81
What are the seven surviving works of Aeschylus?
1. the Persians ( only surviving Greek tragedy with a historical theme)
2. the Seven Against Thebes
Oresteia Trilogy:
3. Agamemnon
4. Choephoroe (the libation bearers)
5. Eumenides
6. The Suppliants
7. Prometheus Bound
82
What are the extant plays of Sophocles?
```
Ajax
Trachinian Women
Oedipus Rex (Tyrannus)
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
Electra
Philoctetes
```
83
What did Sophocles add to the plays?
Added a third actor, scenery and increased from 12 to 15
84
Where is Euripides said to have written his plays?
in a cave on Salamis
85
Deus ex machina
where a god solves the plot, the most of the playwrights. a technique used by Euripides
86
How many plays by Euripides survive?
19, the most of any Greek dramatist
87
How did Euripides die?
he was supposedly torn to pieces by the dogs of archelaus the king of macedon while visiting
88
What are Euripides extant plays?
```
Alcestis--satyr play (?)
Bacchae
Electra
Hecuba
Hippolytus:
Ion:
Iphigenia at Aulis
Iphigenia in Tauris:
Medea:
Orestes
Rhesus
Suppliant Women:
Trojan Women:
```
89
Comedy
all extant comedy is Athenian, the number of comedies performed at the Great Dionysia was
reduced to three during and after the Peloponnesian war for economic reasons. Comedy is organized into
three periods: Old, Middle, and New.
90
The Clouds
By Aristophanes; It ridiculed Socrates; old comedy
91
The Wasps
It ridiculed the jury and court system; By Aristophanes; old comedy
92
The Peace.
The hero in the play rides to heaven on a dung-beetle; By Aristophanes; old comedy
93
The Birds
Two Athenians travel to Nephelokokkygia(‘cloudcuckooland’) to escape the war; By Aristophanes; old comedy
94
Lysistrata
the most famous play of Aristophanes in modern times. The women of Sparta and Athens get together and decide to reject their husbands until they give up the war; By Aristophanes; old comedy
95
The Frogs
The Athenians need a tragic poet, and Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are all dead. Dionysus decides to settle a dispute between Aeschylus and Euripides as to who is the greatest
tragedian( Sophocles having given way for Aeschylus). Dionysus chooses Aeschylus.
96
Ecclesiazusae
Women, under the leadership of Praxagora, take over the government. They institute communal property and equal sexual relations for everyone, young and old.
The chorus is less important in this play than in previous Aristophanes works, and there is no parabasis; middle comedy
97
The Plutus(The Wealth)
produced after Ecclesiazusae; a previous play of his, produced in 408, had the
same title but is lost. The Plutus is the last of Aristophanes’ extant plays; middle comedy
98
New Comedy
all comedy from 323 to 263(from the death of Alexander to the death of Philemon).
99
Menander
the greatest writer of New Comedy, lived from 342-292, died by drowning in the
harbor of Piraeus. Only one of his some 100 plays is extant completely. The Dyscolus( ‘the badtempered man’): is the complete play;
100
Thucydides
wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War, which is known for being impartial, His
history ends in 411 with the recall of Alcibiades. He mentions Pericles’ funeral oration, to the Athenians
who died in the first year of the war.
101
Why was Thucydides removed from being an Athenian general?
after failing to take Amphipolis
102
Socrates
son of a sculptor (Sophroniscus) and a midwife (Phaenarete); his wife was Xanthippe, he
wrote nothing.
103
How do we know anything about Socrates and what is he known for?
What we know about him comes from his students, mainly Plato and Xenophon. He is
famous for the socratic method, which involves questions and answers.
104
Why was Socrates tried and compelled to commit suicide by drinking hemlock in 399?
He believed in pseudo-gods called Daimones (Daimon is singular). He was tried for corrupting the youth of Athens.
105
Plato
student of Socrates, lived from c 427-348; he founded the Academy, a school in Athens that survived for centuries. Demiurgus is a Platonic term for the creator.
106
Apology
Socrates’ address at his trial; a Plato work
107
Crito
a dialogue with Socrates in prison, Crito is a friend who visits him; a Plato work
108
Gorgias
dialogue in which Socrates discusses rhetoric with the famous sophist. Socrates states during the
dialogue that it is better to suffer evil than to do it, and to be punished than to go unpunished; a Plato work
109
Meno
dialogue concerning whether virtue can be taught; a Plato work
110
Phaedo
dialogue concerning the nature of death and the immortality of the soul, a discussion between Socrates and his friends as Socrates is dying; it also discusses the trip of the soul to the afterlife; one of Platos works
111
Republic
Plato’s most famous work in modern times, it discusses the perfect government, which to Plato is the rule of the greatest philosopher.
112
Symposium
discourse at a dinner party concerning the nature of love; Aristophanes hiccups
throughout it; a Plato work
113
Timaeus
contains the beginning of the Atlantis story, discusses the origin of the universe; a Plato work
114
Laws
Plato’s last and longest work, a modification of Plato’s political ideas in Republic
115
who was an Athenian, a student of Socrates; he was a member of the Ten Thousand in their expedition, took command after the officers were killed and led the mercenaries out of Persia?
Xenophon
116
What work contains the famous cry: Thalatta Thalatta (thalassa, thalassa)?
Anabasis
117
Apology
like Plato’s work of the same name, it is Socrates’ address during his trial; a work of Xenophon
118
Memorabilia
recollections of Socrates, including his character and some of his philosophical ideas; a work of Xenophon
119
Symposium
like Plato’s work of the same name, is set at a dinner party and discusses love; Socrates is present in both Symposia; a work of Xenophon
120
who lived from 384-322, born in Stageira in Chalcidice, and was nicknamed reader by Plato?
Aristotle
121
Who did Atistotle tutor?
Alexander
122
What schools did Aristotle found?
The Lyceum was a school he founded. He also founded the Peripatetic
school and was its first head.
123
Aristotles writings composed of?
A group of six treatises on logic.
| A group of treatises on metaphysics.
124
Physica
discusses matter, forms, and the four causes (Material, Formal, Moving, and Final) A work of Aristotle
125
De Caelo
concerning the movements of celestial bodies; A work of Aristotle
126
Meteorologica
treatises about weather, and including the Historia Animalium, which discusses animals and how they should be classified. A work of Aristotle
127
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle’s views on personal morality and happiness, edited by his son Nichomachus
128
Eudemian Ethics
an earlier edition of Aristotle’s ethical views, shows more influence from Plato, edited by Aristotle’s student, Eudemus.
129
Politics
eight books long, this work shows that Aristotle believed a limited democracy is best, because the perfect ruler could not be found, and speculates on the origin of government.
130
Constitution of Athens
written earlier than Politics, it traces the development of the Athenian constitution and discusses the democracy of Aristotle’s time.
131
Rhetoric
a discussion of oratory in general, focusing on persuasion. A work of Aristotle
132
Poetics
Aristotle’s commentary on literature, particularly tragedy and comedy. He says that Margites, a lost poem about a fool’s adventures, is a proto-comedy. He believes Oedipus Rex to be the supreme
tragedy. He also discusses epic poetry and finally deals with censury
133
Antisthenes
the founder of the Cynics
134
Diogenes
the most famous Cynic, lived in a tub; Alexander said that if he could not be Alexander, he would like to be Diogenes.
135
Cynicism
founded by Antisthenes c 440, the Cynics believed that virtue makes happiness; Diogenes
modified this philosophy into a general contempt for knowledge and morality.
136
Epicurus
founder of Epicureanism, born in Samos, he moved to Athens and founded the school in the gardens in 306. He wrote On Nature, expounding the beliefs of Epicureanism.
137
Epicureanism
founded by Epicurus, believed that happiness comes from pleasure (absence of pain). The Roman author Lucretius continued Epicurean theory.
138
Scepticism
philosophy founded by Pyrrhon of Elis; the Academy later adopted sceptic beliefs. The
Sceptics believed that true knowledge is unattainable and therefore the proper attitude is one of
indifference.
139
Neo-Platonism
the school of philosophy centered in Alexandria in the early centuries A.D. It developed
the ideas of Plato, until basically eliminated by Christianity. The most famous Neo-Platonist was Hypatia,
murdered by a Christian mob in A.D. 415.
140
Leucippus
original developer of the atomic theory, later improved by Democritus
141
Democritus
developer of the atomic theory, sometimes incorrectly stated to be its originator; he was
born c 460 in Abdera, lived a long life, and traveled widely.
142
Euclid
wrote Elements, establishing plane geometry.
143
Oratory/Rhetoric
may have come from Sicily, via the Sophists, travelling teachers who gave lectures in various places on various topics. Corax may have been its originator.
144
Gorgias
the most famous Sophist, from Leontini in Sicily
145
Protagoras
another famous Sophist, he was from Abdera, and came to Athens in the mid 400s. He is most famous for saying, “Man is the measure of all things.” Pericles gave speeches, paraphrased by Thucydides, also a famous speaker.
146
Antiphon
the earliest of the Attic Orators, he lived c 480-411; we have several of his law speeches and Tetralogies. He is said to have been a teacher of Thucydides.
147
Andocides
convicted for the Mutilation of the Hermae and disgraced, he wrote On his Return, asking for a return to Athens, and On the Mysteries, referring to the Eleusinian Mysteries, which he once attended.
148
Lysias
originally from Syracuse, he settled in Athens; he fled from the Thirty Tyrants, who killed his brother Polemarchus. His style was clear and resigned. Some of his 34 extant speeches are: On the Murder of Eratosthenes
149
Isocrates
lived from 436-338, influenced by the Sophists and Socrates(who in one of Plato’s dialogues predicts Isocrates’ future greatness as either an orator or philosopher), he stayed out of public life for awhile, due to a weak voice and a lack of nerve
150
What is Isocrates most famous for?
Panegyricus, which urged Greeks to unite
151
Isocrates wrote what to phillip 2 of macedon?
Philippus (he was pro-maedonian)
152
On the peace
given in 355, it urged Athens to pursue a nonaggressive foreign policy and to abandon the maritime empire Athens had built.
153
Demosthenes
the greatest Athenian(also the greatest Greek) orator, he studied under Isaeus.
Demosthenes overcame a speech impediment (he practiced speaking with stones in his mouth) to become a prominent politician. He was strongly against Philip II of Macedon.
154
The Philippics
were given against of Macedon.
155
On the Peace
given in 346 after the Peace of Philocrates with Macedonia Demosthenes feuded with Aeschines, whom Demosthenes had impeached, but successfully appealed in
343.
156
On the Crown:
this was Demosthenes’ greatest speech; given in 330, it was in reply to Aeschines’
attack on a proposal by Ctesiphon to give Demosthenes a crown for his services to Athens. The vote on the proposal was overwhelmingly in Demosthenes’ favor.
157
Aeschines
rival of Demosthenes, lived c 390-336; he was impeached in 343 by Demosthenes, but successfully appealed. Three of his speeches survive.
158
Against Timarchus
(an ally of
Demosthenes) and successfully convicted him of immorality in 345. He convinced Athens to start a war a
sacred war with Amphissa, which culminated in war with Macedonia and defeat for Athens.
159
Against Ctesiphon
He gave Against Ctesiphon in 330, but was defeated by Demosthenes’ On the Crown. Aeschines was decidedly
inferior to Demosthenes in oratory.
160
Lycurgus
member of the Eteobutadae family; a pupil of Isocrates, he was in charge of Athenian
finances from 338-326. Only one of his fifteen speeches, Against Leocrates, survives.
161
Anaximenes
Ionian scientist, came to Athens c 460 and became a friend of Pericles; he wrote On Nature and believed in a divine intelligence called Nous, and also was the first to explain solar eclipses.
162
Apollodorus
wrote On the Gods, and Chronicle; lived in Athens c 140
163
Apollonius of Rhodes
said to have succeeded Eratosthenes as head of the Alexandrian library, he wrote
the Argonautica, an epic four books long describing the story of Jason.
164
Aratus
wrote Phainomena, describing the stars and constellations, and Diosemal, which Cicero
translated into Latin in his youth.
165
Archimedes
scientist who lived from 287-212 in Syracuse, was killed by the Romans under Marcellus when they took Syracuse. He helped the defenders to hold out for two years with his inventions such as
huge mirrors which set Roman ships on fire
166
What did Archimedes invent?
He also invented a new type of pulley, and is famous for saying that that if he had a place to stand, he could move the earth. He also said ‘Eureka’, after discovering, by observing the displacement of water in his tub by his body, a way to test the purity of metals.
167
Aristarchus(of Samos)
an astronomer who first developed the theory that the sun is the center of the
solar system; but because he supposed the planets’ orbits to be circular and not elliptical, his ideas were rejected as not confirmed by observation until Copernicus in the late Middle Ages.
168
Aristarchus (of Samothrace)
head of the Alexandrian library from c 180 to c 145, he edited the works of
such authors as Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar, among others.
169
Aristides of Miletus
wrote Milesian Tales, a series of short stories, similar to the Satyricon of the Latin
author Petronius.
170
Aristippus
a pupil of Socrates from founded the Cyrenaic philosophy, which believed pleasure was the ultimate good; he was a predecessor to Epicurus.
171
Asclepiades
a writer of epigrams, he was from Samos, and invented a new type of meter which was named for him
172
Bion
poet, imitator of Theocritus, wrote a Lament for Adonis.
173
Callimachus
a head of the Alexandrian library in the early to middle 200s
174
What poem did Callimachus write that was translated by catullus in his poem 66?
Lock of Berenice
175
what did Callimachus do?
He originated the famous saying, “Big book, big evil.”He also wrote Hecale and Aetia(the latter is about customs).
Callimachus feuded with Apollonius of
Rhodes.
176
Callisthenes
a nephew and pupil of Aristotle, he was the historian accompanying Alexander, until he
was executed in 327 for knowledge of an assassination plot against Alexander.
177
Crates
a Cynic philosopher who instructed Zeno
178
Another Crates
(different from the comic poet and the philosopher) was the last head of the Old
Academy (The Academy went through several changes in philosophy).
179
Eratosthenes
succeeded Zenodotus as head of the Alexandrian library in the late 200s; he was
proficient at many areas from mathematics to poetry to philosophy.
180
What is Eratosthenes most famous for?
He is most famous for calculating the
circumference of the earth. He also wrote Chronographiae, which is the first scientific attempt to fix the
dates of Greek history.
181
Hippocrates
the father of medicine, he was born on Cos c 460 and lived to a very old age; many treatises and books on medicine are attributed to him, but most were probably by his disciples. The oath modern doctors take is named after him.
182
Lucian
wrote the Way to Write History, and many other things
183
Lycophron
lived c 325, wrote Alexandra, in which Cassandra foretells the fall of Troy
184
Menippus
another Cynic philosopher, he lived in the 200s and wrote combined prose and verse
185
Nicander
poet of the 2nd century B.C. from Colophon, who wrote Theriaca, about the bites of venomous animals, and Alexipharmaca, about antidotes to poisons.
186
Nostoi
a lost epic poem of unknown authorship dealing with the returns of various heroes from Troy
187
Pausanias
not the Spartan regent, he wrote Descriptions of Greece, a ten book long guidebook for tourists
188
Strabo
wrote Geographica and Historical Studies
189
Theocritus
poet born c 300 in Syracuse, moved to Alexandria. He is known for writing idylls, short poems usually describing pastoral scenes.
190
What is Theocritus most famous for?
Lament for Daphnis, a much imitated
work.
Another famous idyll by Theocritus is Adoniazusae. His other subjects include Polyphemus and Galatea, Hylas, Pollux and Amycus. He also wrote letters to Hieron II of Syracuse and Ptolemy II of Egypt.
191
Theophrastus
lived from c 371-287, he was a pupil of Aristotle and succeeded him as head of the Peripatetic school
192
On Style
One of Theophrastus works on plants, the other is a treatise on metaphysics
193
Characters
what Theophrastus is most famous for, a series of character sketches with each character humorously illustrating a different fault.
