Mesopotamia
This is the first form of writing
What is cuneiform?
The mythical monster the Ancient Greeks believed lived in Minoa
What is the minotaur?
This is the 200 year long period of peace in Rome, which starts with the age of Augustus
What is Pax Romana?
These are the male and female poets, often of noble birth, who performed poems for the French nobility.
A cultural movement rather than a philosophical one. This is the revival of classical Greek and Roman art and philosophy during the Renaissance.
What is humanism?
This is considered to be the first epic poem
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
The rule of the people is called
What is democracy?
This refers to the practice of sending and writing letters.
What are epistles?
This poem literally means "song of deeds". The Song of Roland is an example of one of these
What is a chanson de geste?
This city is known as the "heart of the Renaissance"
What is Florence?
This is a long poem, typically derived from oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
What is an epic poem?
These two poems are considered the "national" poems of Ancient Greece
What are the Iliad and the Odyssey?
The stoics strove to control their emotions and achieve tranquility so they could understand the universal __________.
What is logos (or logic or reason)?
This term refers to a story that can be interpreted as having a hidden meaning, often one that is often moral, spiritual, or political
What is an allegory?
Known for writing The Prince, he thought it was better to be feared than loved (if one can't be both).
Who is Machiavelli?
The belief in one almighty creator god that forms the basis of several modern religions.
What is monotheism?
Made popular by the Sophists, this philosophy refers to the idea that all truths are relative. According to this philosophy, all points of view and arguments are equally valid
What is relativism?
The name of Virgil's Roman epic (similar to the Iliad or the Odyssey)
What is the Aeneid?
This is the government and economic system during much of the middle ages. Lords and nobles loaned out land to vassals for military service, and serfs farmed this land in exchange for paying taxes.
What is feudalism?
This type of 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter, was first made famous by Francesco Petrarch. A slightly modified version was later made famous by William Shakespeare
What is the sonnet?
Also known as the monomyth, this is a story in which a character leaves home to go on an adventure, experiences trials, and returns home transformed
What is the hero's journey?
From Plato's The Republic, this story compares humankind's understanding of reality to shadows on a cave wall
What is the allegory of the cave?
From Horace's Ars Poetica this phrase refers to how stories should both entertain and instruct their readers.
What is dulce et utile?
These are the three books of the divine comedy (must name all three) (can answer in either Italian or English)
What are Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise/Heaven)?
Of the two types of tragedy discussed in this class, this kind featured Christian morality and had more psychologically complex characters.
What is Elizabethan tragedy?