G R E E C E
The colors that make up the Greek flag.
What are blue and white?
Though he didn't live long, this brilliant Greek leader made Julius Caesar and William the Conqueror look like slackers.
Who was Alexander the Great?
From 500 B.C. until 2002, the Greeks used this monetary unit.
What is the drachma?
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Greece joined the Euro zone, along with 10 other countries of the European Union, on January 1st 2002.
On New Year's Day, Greeks eat this round cake with a penny baked inside.
What is "vasilopita?"
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The person with penny in their piece will have good luck that year.
This is known as a person's weak spot.
What is your "Achilles heel?"
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"As a baby, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, dunked him in the River Styx, said to have the magical power of making people invulnerable, by holding him upside down by his heel. Consequently, Achilles’ heel was the only part of his body to be kept dry, and, as it turns out, vulnerable, it was at this spot, according to Homer, in his work, The Iliad, a poison arrow, launched by Paris, one of the Trojans, hit Achilles, killing him instantly."
Αγαπητή Λόρι,
Dear Lori,
What is Crete?
Though without site, he wrote two epic poems with a vision resulting in what many consider the greatest pieces of literature ever written.
Who was Homer?
To protect against bribes, Ancient Greek juries were made up of at least this number of people.
BONUS:
Name 2 requirements these jurors had to meet.
What is 500?
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- Male
- Over the age of 30
- Drawn from a lottery
Currents are named for this Greek city.
What is Corinth?
This is a phrase for doing something that is almost impossible.
What is a Herculean task?
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"Owing to the near impossible 12 strenuous labours bestowed on Hercules, of Greek mythology fame, any task deemed difficult, needing strength, time, or extra brain power, may be referred to as a Herculean task."
Σκέφτομαι εσύ
I am thinking of you
What are the Pindos Mountains?
In spite of being considered the founder of all Western Philosophy, he was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Greece.
Who was Socrates?
Before Covid-19, this universal modern day custom is thought to have started in Greece.
What is the handshake?
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The custom of greeting someone by shaking hands dates as far back as the ancient Greeks. One section of the Acropolis depicts the Greek goddess of marriage, Hera, shaking hands with the Greek goddess of intelligence, Athena.
Greeks believed that the goddess Athena gave one of these trees to Athens before it eventually spread to the rest of Greece.
What is an olive tree?
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Perhaps the most important food to the ancient (and modern) Greeks was the olive. It was not simply a food. It was also a big part of Greek history. Greeks believed that the goddess Athena gave the first olive tree to Athens before it eventually spread to the rest of Greece. Olives were used in many recipes. Olives were also crushed and their oil was used for lamps. Olive oil could also be used as a beauty product. Women rubbed into their skin to make it soft and shiny.
This phrase is used when a person badmouths another person for getting or doing something he or she wanted.
What are "sour grapes?"
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"Sour grapes originates from Aesop’s fable, the ‘Fox and the Grapes’, in which a fox spies a juicy bunch of grapes hanging from a tree, try as he might though, he can’t reach those grapes, gives up and walks off declaring, ‘never mind, just as well, they would have been sour anyway’."
και στέλνοντας εσάς και την οικογένειά σας αγάπη
and sending you and your family love.
The percent of Greece's terrain that is mountainous or hilly.
What is 80%?
In the Greek community, this superstar is known as La Divina.
Who was Maria Callas?
At the Ancient Olympic games, winners were given this as a prize (representing a true symbol of champions).
What is a laurel wreath (bay leaves)?
What is honey?
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Honey was another important Greek food. It was used much like we use sugar, as a sweetener in many different foods. It could also be used as a medicine. Greeks were fond of honey because they believed that Zeus was fed milk and honey as a baby. For them, honey was almost magical. Many families kept beehives and took good care of their bees!
This is the phrase to describe the dilemma when a person has to choose between 2 very difficult situations/things.
What is "between a rock and a hard place."
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"
In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus, must pass between two sea monsters, Charybdis, a treacherous whirlpool, and Scylla, a six-headed monster, who reside on opposite sides of the strait of Messina.
Odysseus chose to pass by Scylla, the lesser of the two evils, thinking he would lose fewer men, than passing through Charybdis, the whirlpool."
περισσότερη αγάπη, Κάρολιν
more love, Carolyn
The largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece is in this city/country.
OPTIONS:
Chicago, Illinois
Melbourne, Australia
London, England
What is Melbourne, Australia?
This young gentleman went west and left his blue & white land of olives & honey for his new green & cream land of beer & cheese.
Who is Giannis Antetokounmpo?
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The Athenian politician who codified the laws of Athens (c. 621).
Who was Draco?
This is known as the piece de resistance in Greece (the Greek national dish).
What is "moussaka?"
This is the phrase to describe accidentally telling a secret.
What is "to spill the beans?"
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"In ancient Greece, the voting system was for people to cast secret votes by putting either a white bean (positive vote), or a black bean (negative vote), into a jar.
If the jar was knocked over, by accident, or other deceitful means, the secret was revealed, the beans were spilled."
Gymnásio Rock Island - Táxi tou 1971
Rock Island High School
Class of 1971