Gods, Goddesses and Heroes
City-states
Culture
Geography and the first Greek civilizations
Miscellaneous
100
What does polytheistic mean?
Polytheistic means belief in many gods.
100
How was ancient Greece structured?
Ancient Greece was structured by city-states and was not a unified nation. For example, people from Athens thought of themselves as Athenians and people from Sparta thought of themselves as Spartans. The city-states did not trust each other, which caused a disconnect between them and they sometimes went to war against each other.
100
What is the difference between tragedies and comedies?
Tragedies are sad, have tragic events and don't have happy endings. Comedies are funny, light hearted and have happy endings.
100
What were the first 2 civilizations in ancient Greece?
The Minoans and Mycenaeans were the first 2 civilizations in Greece.
100
Who was Homer?
Homer was the greatest Greek poet of all time. He wrote the famous epic poems The Iliad and the Odyssey. Historians don't know when he lived exactly, but they think he lived around 750 BC.
200
Where did the Greek gods live?
The Greek gods lived on Mt. Olympus.
200
Describe Athens. What was its most important characteristic?
Athens was one of the city-states in ancient Greece. They invented democracy. Only citizens could vote however, and women and slaves were excluded. Women were seen as property and didn't receive an education. The most important characteristic of Athens was that it had a democratic government.
200
Describe the ancient Greek Olympics.
The ancient Greek Olympics started in 776 BC and were held in Olympia, Greece near Mt. Olympus. They were held to honor Zeus and included athletic events such as boxing, chariot racing, discus and javelin. Only men could participate and they participated naked. Winners received olive branch wreaths and were treated like local heroes.
200
What are the three seas that border Greece?
The Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea border Greece.
200
What is a primary source?
A primary source is a record from the period of time being studied. They are first-hand accounts of an event by someone who either was part of the event or witnessed it. Examples of primary sources are diaries, autobiographies, objects from the time, and literature from the time.
300
Who were Zeus and Athena?
Zeus was the king of the gods and Athena was the goddess of wisdom.
300
Describe Sparta. What was its most important characteristic?
Sparta was another city-state in ancient Greece. Their entire society was centered on their military. Boys were taken from their families for military training around the age of 7. Spartan woman were more equal and had civil rights (they could own property) and were able to get an education. The most important characteristic of Sparta is that their society was centered on their military.
300
What is philosophy?
Philosophy is the study of existence, knowledge and reality.
300
What do historians think are the possible causes for the fall of the Minoans and Mycenaeans?
Historians think the Minoans collapsed because the Mycenaeans invaded and/or because of a tidal wave caused by a volcanic eruption.
Historians think the Mycenaeans collapsed because they invaded by foreign nations (the Dorians or Sea People) and/or because of a natural disaster like an earthquake or drought.
300
What was the Peloponnesian War?
The Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta and their allies from 431-404 BC (27 years). Each city-state was winning during different periods of the war, until the Athenians surrendered in 404 BC. Even though the Spartans won, the war took a big toll on them and they were never as powerful as they were before the war.
400
What is the story of Achilles?
As a child, Achilles’ mother dipped him into the waters of the River Styx, which made him indestructible. He became a great warrior and one of the greatest fighters in the Trojan War. But one part of his body was not protected by the waters of the Styx: his heel. That is where his mother had been holding him as a baby, so it was not protected by the waters of the River Styx. Eventually, Achilles was killed when an arrow shot through his heel. What we can learn from this story is that we all have weaknesses.
400
What is a polis?
A polis is a city-state and was how ancient Greece was structured. Polis were also centers were people could meet for political, social and religious activities. Polis can also be a close-knit society and body of citizens.
400
Who were Socrates and Plato? What are they famous for?
Socrates and Plato were philosophers from ancient Greek. Socrates was a teacher and used the Socratic method, where he had discussion based on asking questions. Plato wrote about reality and real versus imaginary.
400
What were the Dark Ages in ancient Greece?
The Dark Ages happened after the collapse of the Mycenaeans. Economy and society fell apart and there was famine and depopulation. Many Greeks left the mainland for the islands. People stopped writing and making art, so historians don't really know what happened. This is why they are called the Dark Ages- because historians are "in the dark" about what happened.
400
What is the story of Pandora's box? What lesson can we learn from this story?
Zeus created an incredibly beautiful and nearly perfect woman named Pandora. Her one flaw was that she was very curious and suspicious. Hermes, Zeus’s messenger, gave Pandora a golden box. He warned her never to open it because terrible things would happen if she did. But Pandora could not handle the suspense. She eventually opened the special box. Out from the box flew all the evil spirits that plague humanity: famine, greed, pain, sorrow. Only one thing remained in the box, hope, which humans managed to hold on to. This myth explains the beginnings of human troubles. At the same time, it teaches us a moral lesson by warning of the dangers of disobedience and curiosity.
500
What is the story of Hercules?
Hercules was the world’s strongest man. Hercules was the illegitimate son of a mortal woman and Zeus. Zeus tricked the woman by disguising himself as her husband. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was very angry about Zeus’s affair, so she punished Hercules. Hera tricked Hercules into believing his entire family were dangerous beasts, so Hercules killed them. When Hercules realized he had killed his entire family, he agreed to complete 12 tasks to make up for his terrible actions.
500
How were the Athenians forward thinking and how were they less advanced? How were the Spartans forward thinking and how were they less advanced?
Athenians were forward thinking in their democratic government, which allowed citizens to vote for their leaders and make decisions about their city-state. They were less advanced because they thought women were property. Spartans were forward thinking in that men and women were more equal. They were less advanced because they treated their slaves horribly and because their entire society was focused on their military so other parts of society weren't developed.
500
What parts of ancient Greek society affect our society today? Give as many examples as you can.
Our government is part democracy and our Founding Fathers based our democracy on the Athenian democracy.
About 150,000 words from the English language come from Greek. Our theatre, movies and TV shows come from ancient Greek theatre. The modern day Olympics we compete in are based on the ancient Greek Olympics. The stories of their gods and heroes influence our own stories.
500
Describe the geographic location of Greece.
Greece was located north of the Mediterranean Sea, east of the Ionian Sea and west of the Aegean Sea. To the south of mainland Greece was a peninsula called Peloponnesus. Greece also has thousands of islands that surround it. It is in the south eastern part of modern-day Europe.
500
Who were these 10 gods/goddesses? Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, Ares, Apollo, Demeter, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Hermes and Hestia.
Hera- wife of Zeus
Aphrodite- goddess of love
Artemis- goddess of the hunters
Ares- god of war
Apollo- god of the sun
Demeter- goddess of agriculture
Hephaestus- god of fire
Poseidon- god of the seas
Hermes- messenger god
Hestia- goddess of the home