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Spring 2024 > Star Lore - Midterm 2 IDST > Flashcards

Star Lore - Midterm 2 IDST Flashcards

1
Q

In his account of the farmer’s year in Works and Days (lines 381-617), which of the following celestial phenomena does Hesiod NOT mention?

A

The rising of Venus.

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2
Q

In his account of the farmer’s year in Works and Days (lines 381-617), what celestial phenomena DOES Hesiod mention?

A

Winter solstice, rising/setting of Orion, rising/setting of the Pleiades, rising/setting of Arcturus, Orion and sirius in the middle of the sky, setting of Hyades

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3
Q

Etymological meaning of equinox

A

equal night

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4
Q

Eymological meaning of constellation

A

collection of stars

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5
Q

etymological meaning of planet

A

wandering star

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6
Q

etymological meaning of solstice

A

sun at standstill

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7
Q

What evidence is there to suggest an awareness of the solstices dates back much earlier than the time of Hesiod? Provide examples.

A

Ancient monuments that date 2000 years or more before Hesiod in Neolithic period. Ex: Stonehenge in England (stones perfectly align to frame the sunset on the winter solstice) and Newgrange in Ireland (tomb, sunlight penetrates central chamber on mornings of winter solstice).

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8
Q

Winter solstice date, _____ day of the year

A

December 21/22 in northern hemisphere (shortest day of year)

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9
Q

Summer solstice date, ______ day of the year

A

Northern hemisphere June 20/21, longest

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10
Q

Vernal equinox date

A

Northern hemisphere March 20, Spring!

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11
Q

Autumnal equinox date

A

Northern Hemisphere September 22/23

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12
Q

What are the phases of the moon?

A

New Moon
Waxing Crescent (sliver)
First Quarter (half)
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter (half)
Waning Crescent (crescent)
New Moon

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13
Q

____ defines the month.

A

Cycle of lunar phases

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14
Q

What marks the beginning of the month in Greek and Roman tradition?

A

The new moon. We do not see the moon because (earth, moon, sun). Sun illuminates side of moon facing sun not side of moon facing earth.

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15
Q

The moon rises in the ___ and sets in the ____.

A

east, west

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16
Q

How are systems of time-keeping across different human cultures diff/similar?

A

Based on changes in the sun and moon (virtually universal)

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17
Q

What changes in position in the sky do the sun, moon, and stars show?

A

Sun: daily and annual
Moon: daily and monthly
Stars: daily and annual

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18
Q

Why are constellations useful?

A

A way to locate stars within larger patterns and track their location.

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19
Q

Define annual rising

A

the first time in the year a star appears above the horizon right before sunrise OR right after sunset

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20
Q

Define heliacal rising.

A

First time in the year a star becomes visible above the horizon at dawn just before sunrise

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21
Q

Define acronychal rising

A

First time in the year a star appears above the horizon right after sunset

22
Q

What does the Greek akronychos mean?

A

at nightfall - acronychal

23
Q

Define annual setting.

A

the last time a star appears above the horizon right before sunrise or right after sunset

24
Q

Define heliacal setting and acronychal setting.

A

Heliacal setting: last time star appears above horizon right before sunrise
Acronychal setting: last time star appears above horizon right after sunset

25
Q

When someone refers to rising and setting without specification, what type of rising/setting are they usually referring to?

A

heliacal rising/setting - right before sunrise

26
Q

What do observers from earth see between the annual setting and rising of a star?

A

nothing. star remains invisible.

27
Q

Compare modern and ancient categories of heavenly bodies?

A

Modern categories:
- stars (including sun)
- planets and asteroids (orbit stars)
- moons (orbit planets)
Ancient categories:
- Sun
- Moon
- Fixed stars
- Wandering stars

28
Q

What is the Greek word for sun?

A

helios

29
Q

What is the Greek word for moon?

A

selene

30
Q

what is the greek word for fixed stars?

A

asteres

31
Q

Where does the English word “Planet” come from?

A

Greek: planetes asteres (wandering stars)

32
Q

When was literacy introduced in Archaic Greece?

A

~700 BCE

33
Q

Who was the Greek alphabet adapted from?

A

Phoenicians (ppl in modern day Lebanon)

34
Q

What are the earliest surviving literary works?

A

The epics of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey) and the poems of Hesiod.

35
Q

Who is Hesiod, when was he alive, what are his major contributions?

A

Hesiod was a poet in 700 BCE who wrote Theogony and Works and Days

36
Q

What is the basic gist of Theogony?

A

A mythic account of the origins of the gods, the world, and how the cosmic order came about

37
Q

What is the basic gist of Works and Days?

A

An account of human condition and how it came to be, practical advice for a successful life, addressed to his brother Perses

38
Q

What are the lines between 381-617 in Works and Days called?

A

Farmer’s Almanac

39
Q

What is the role of star-lore in Hesiod’s Works and Days? What sorts of celestial phenomena does Hesiod mention and why?

A

Celestial phenomena mark different seasons, the times appropriate for diff. tasks in a farmer’s year.

40
Q

What does Hesiod mean when he says Pleiades are Atlas born?

A

He identifies stars of the constellation with figurse in myth. 7 daughters of Atlas - god whom Zeus condemned to support sky on his shoulders

41
Q

Identify Orion, Sirius, and Pleiades.

A

Pleiades: 7 star cluster
Orion: 3 star belt
Sirius: brightest star in the sky

42
Q

What is the etymology of Mesopotamia?

A

“between two rivers”

43
Q

What two rivers is Mesopotamia between?

A

Euphrates and Tigris, region of modern Iraq

44
Q

What language was spoken in Mesopotamia?

A

Akkadian (modern Hebrew/Arabic)

45
Q

What was the writing system in Mesopotamia?

A

Cuneiform, inscribed in stone/clay tablets

46
Q

What city was the major center of culture and learning in Mesopotamia? When did it become a major power?

A

Babylon! In early 2nd millennium.

47
Q

What was the political structure of Mesopotamia?

A

City-states with centralized organization w/ king, temples with priests

48
Q

Why/how did Babylonians make careful observations of celestial phenomena?

A

They believed celestial phenomena provided omens, signs of welfare for king/city. Recorded observations of planets and all celestial phenomena from early date. Political system allowed for organization.

49
Q

By ____ BCE, the Greeks established a tradition of noting celestial phenomena as a way to ______, ______, and _________.

A

700 BCE, mark time, farm, seafaring

50
Q

What is the epistemology of “astronomy”?

A

asteres: ‘stars’ + nomos: ‘law’

51
Q
A

Spring 2024 (11 decks)

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