Classics 100 Exam #2

Front 1

GREEK POTTERY:

What are some of the different ways in which pottery has been classified?

Back 1

- Shape
- Function
- Surface treatment/decoration
- Fabric

Front 2

GREEK POTTERY:

In what kinds of contexts were ceramic vessels used in ancient Greece? (6)

Back 2

- Water-carrying vessels
- Mixing
- Pouring
- Drinking
- Perfume
- Ritual

Front 3

GREEK POTTERY:

Briefly describe the difference in function between open and closed mouthed vessels.

Back 3

OPEN = 50% or more than the maximum diameter of the vessel

CLOSED = less than 50% of the maximum diameter of the vessel

Front 4

GREEK POTTERY:

What was the Dipylon vase used for?

Describe its surface decoration and explain how it serves as an example of the Geometric style of pottery.

Back 4

- Function: Greek funerary vase
- Decoration: funeral rites and burial procession
- Example: geometrically patterned background, stick figures, and two-dimensional depiction of space.

Front 5

GREEK POTTERY:

What is the black-figure technique and when was it developed?

Back 5

- 7th - 6th century BC (650 – 530 BC)
- Figures painted in black (silhouette-like) against red-clay background
- Details incised into black paint, creating illusion of multiple planes

Front 6

GREEK POTTERY:

How do black-figure vases differ from vases of the Geometric period in terms of painting technique, the representation of space, and the narratives/ themes that they depict?

Back 6

- Painting technique: details are carved vs. painted.
- Representation of space: 3D vs. 2D
- Narratives/themes: mythological vs. patterns, shapes, and funeral art.

Front 7

GREEK POTTERY:

What does red-figure refer to?

When was the red-figure technique developed?

Back 7

- 530 BC
- Entire pot painted black except for figures in red-clay (from unpainted ceramic)
- Details drawn onto ceramic rather than carved

Front 8

GREEK POTTERY:

Explain in what way red-figure is a reversal of the black-figure technique.

Back 8

BLACK-FIGURE = black figures on red background

RED-FIGURE = red figures on black background

Front 9

GREEK POTTERY:

In which style (red-figure or black-figure) did Exekias paint his Ajax and Achilles amphora?

What are Ajax and Achilles represented as doing on this vase?

Back 9

- Black-figure
- Ajax and Achilles are playing dice

Front 10

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

Define the term kouros.

What are the definitive characteristics of kouroi statues?

Back 10

- KOUROS = “young men”
- Functions: grave marker or dedicatory offering to a god.
- Characteristics: life-size statue, free-standing, naked, no attributes that mark it as an individual.

Front 11

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

How do Greek kouroi differ from the Egyptian monumental statues on which they were modeled?

Back 11

- Lack of individuality
- Animate quality (vitality, youth, lifted leg, and nakedness)

Front 12

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

What differentiates the korai from the kouroi?

Describe two different functions of kouroi and korai.

Back 12

Differences:
- KORAI = female; clothed; one arm down, one held forward with an offering.
- KOUROI = male; naked; left foot forward, arms rigid by side.

FUNCTIONS:
1) Dedications to gods in sanctuaries
2) Markers of tombs

Front 13

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

How does lyric poetry differ from epic?

What are some of the performance contexts for Greek lyric?

Back 13

- EPIC = long, narrative; serious subjects, heroic deeds, culturally significant events.
- LYRIC = expresses feelings and may be a song that could be performed to an audience.
- Weddings, funerals, religious celebrations, symposiums.

Front 14

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

Who was Semonides?

How is his poetry similar to that of Hesiod?

Briefly describe the content of the Semonides poem that you read.

Back 14

- Poet from the mid-seventh century BC
- Similar to Hesiod: theogeny about how woman came to be; negative image of women.
- Content: sings about the 10 different species of women (only of whom is good) and Pandora; shows again Greek view of women
ideal vs. not ideal
(know some examples)
???

Front 15

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

Why does Sappho seek Aphrodite’s help in poem 1?

What kind of consolation does Aphrodite offer Sappho?

Back 15

- Asks for help because her lover doesn't lover her back.
- Says that lover will someday feel same agony.

Front 16

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

Of what is Helen an exemplum in Sappho 4?

How is Helen represented differently in Sappho than in the epic tradition (i.e. Homer)?

Back 16

- Exemplum for someone who sees that love is more important than anything else.
- Willingly leaving husband for love vs. abduction and rape.

Front 17

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

What are the dates of the Archaic Period?

To what historical events do these dates correspond?

Back 17

ARCHAIC PERIOD (776 - 500 BC)

- Rise of the polis ("city state")
- Colonization to the east and west
- Hoplite warfare (650 - 640 BC)
- Lyric poetry

Front 18

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

What form of government prevailed in the Greek poleis of the Archaic period?

Back 18

OLIGARCHY

Front 19

ARCHAIC SCULPTURE + POETRY:

What were statues used for in ancient Greece and where could they be found?

Back 19

Originally not just art:
- Cult statues of gods
- Dedications to gods
- Grave markers

**Found in temples.

Front 20

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Where and when was Herodotus born?

How might Herodotus’ birthplace have impacted his writing of the Histories?

Back 20

- Halicarnassus
- 485 BC
- Born into an intellectual environment in which ideas of earliest philosophers were readily accessible and fresh.

Front 21

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

What is an agora?

How and why does Cyrus mention it in his response to the Lacedaemonian embassy?

Back 21

- AGORA = city center/marketplace
- Cyrus dismisses Greek poleis with their agora and "open" lifestyle

???

Front 22

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

What happened during the Ionian Revolt?

How were the Athenians involved?

What was Darius’ reaction to it?

Back 22

- Ionian cities revolted against tyrants imposed by Persian government.
- First major conflict between Greece and Persian Empire.
- Athenians contributed a small fleet to the Ionian cause.
- Vowed to seek vengeance on the Athenians destroying Sardis.

Front 23

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Explain two ways in which the Ionian city of Miletus features in the buildup to the Persian Wars.

Back 23

1) Ionian Revolt (sack of Miletus)
2) ???

Front 24

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Why did Darius lead an expedition against Greece in 490BC?

What was the outcome of the Battle of Marathon?

Back 24

- Darius plans to reinstate Hippias as tyrant, punish Athenians for helping Ionian Greeks, and expand his empire westward.
- Greeks win unexpectedly due to their superior hoplite warfare technology, despite that fact that they were completely outnumbered.

Front 25

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

What are Xerxes’ plans ca.480BC?

Briefly describe the outcomes of the battles of Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea.

In which conflicts were the Greeks victorious?

Back 25

- Xerxes plans to finish his father's (Darius') war.
- THERMOPYLAE (480 BC): storm ruined some Persian vessels, so Persian fleet was not as numerically superior as they were before; the Spartans lost battle to the Persians but fought and died heroically.
- SALAMIS (480 BC): Greeks won because Persians couldn't take advantage of their numerical superiority in the narrow channel.
- PLATAEA (479 BC): final battle; Greeks won, thereby ending the Persian invasion.
- Greeks won = Salamis and Plataea

Front 26

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Who was Themistocles, and why was he important for the Greek victory at Salamis?

Was Salamis a battle on land or at sea?

Back 26

- Commander of the Athenian navy.
- Manipulated situation so as to force the fight into the WATERS off Salamis, which resulted in Greek victory.

Front 27

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

What does historia mean and in what contexts did the term appear before Herodotus used it to describe his own “history” of the Persian Wars?

Back 27

- HISTORIA: investigations into natural phenomena
- Previously referred to "research"

Front 28

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

How does Herodotus differ from Homer as a narrator?

Compare the beginning of the Histories with the beginning of the Odyssey.

Back 28

- Prose (rather than poetry)
- Empirical (rather than mythical) accounts
- Beginning of ODYSSEY: authorless; directly inspired by muses.
- Beginning of HISTORIES: Herodotus identifies himself; takes credit for research/story; doesn't address muses.

Front 29

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Give a few examples of ways in which Herodotus conspicuously marks his difference from Homer.

In what sense is Herodotus’ project similar to Homer’s?

Back 29

DIFFERENCES
- 64% longer
- Beginning (doesn't call on muses, identifies himself, takes credit, looking of immediate and underlying causes)

SIMILAR
- Part of Homeric epic literary tradition
- Recounts war between European and Asiatic forces.

Front 30

PERSIAN WARS AND HERODOTUS' HISTORIES

Does Herodotus resolve the conflicting accounts of the Persians and Phoenicians regarding the theft of women (e.g., Io, Europa, and Medea)?

Why do you think he begins his Histories by recounting these abductions?

Back 30

- Does not resolve conflict; presents both versions but purposely does not pass judgment because he lacks enough evidence to confidently do so.
- Represents two fundamental themes: desire and retribution; one injustice prompts an attempt at revenge/justice.

Front 31

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

Who is Croesus?

Why does Herodotus begin his Histories with Croesus?

Back 31

- King of Lydia (who started conflict with Greece)
- Background for Lydian empire
- Croesus used to show pattern of empires rising and falling.

Front 32

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

Who is Gyges?

How is Croesus related to Gyges?

How does the Gyges episode in Book 1 relate to the rise and fall of Croesus?

Back 32

- Gyges was Candaules (King of Lydia)'s bodyguard who killed Canduales when queen caught him watching her naked.
- 5 generational descendant of Gyges.
- Prophecy that there will be vengeance on a future relative of his; Croesus is eventually punished for Gyges killing Candaules.

Front 33

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

Who are Tellus, Cleobis and Biton, and why, according to Solon, are they happier than Croesus?

Back 33

- TELLUS: died gloriously in battle; had sons to carry on his name.
- CLEOBIS and BITON: dead; death was a reward for being such virtuous sons.

Front 34

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

What does Solon mean when he tells Croesus to “Look to the end…” (I.32)?

Back 34

- Can't call someone happy/blessed until their life ends.
- Must be able to see their lives as a whole.

Front 35

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

When and how does Croesus first begin to experience a reversal of fortune?

When does Croesus fully recognize the truth of Solon’s words?

Back 35

- Right after Solon leaves, Croesus' son is killed (fulfilling Croesus' dream.)
- Fully recognizes the truth when he is sitting on the pyre, about to be burned by Cyrus.

Front 36

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

Explore Solon’s role in Book 1 of the Histories. Why do you think Herodotus stages this encounter between Croesus and Solon even though it very likely never
happened?

Back 36

Herodotus' use of Solon is as a mouthpiece of himself, warning the audience of the dangers of empire (natural rise and fall of civilizations/cultures.)

Front 37

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

How has Croesus’ downfall been overdetermined?

What are the factors involved?

Back 37

- Overdetermined = more than one cause
- Misinterpretation of prophecy from Delphi (overconfidence)
- Punishment for Gyges (family curse working its way out)
- Natural rise and fall of civilizations/cultures

Front 38

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

In what sense was Thermopylae a victory for Greeks/ Spartans despite the military defeat?

Back 38

- KLEOS
- Fought courageously against overwhelming odds.
- 2 people survived which was incredibly disgraceful (return with your shield or on it)

Front 39

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

According to Herodotus, how do the Spartans and their allies prevail (both tactically and culturally) over the Persians at Thermopylae?

Back 39

- Better warriors (cultural importance in Sparta)
- A lot at stake because they're free people fighting for themselves
- Persians are all slaves (doesn't really matter to them whether they win or lose)
- Tactically: used geography to their advantage.

Front 40

CROESUS, SOLON, AND BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

How is Xerxes represented in the film 300? Is there any basis in Herodotus for depicting him in such a fashion?

Back 40

- God-like
- Superhuman in size (represents divine aspect)
- Monstrous
- Tyrant (treats subjects as slaves)

Front 41

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

What is depicted on the Eurymedon vase and what does this tell us about Greek cultural attitudes toward the Persians in the aftermath of the Persian Wars?

Back 41

- Passive Persian (bent over in submission) and Greek aggressor (holding erection)
- Symbolizes Greek victory over Persians, as well as general attitudes of Persians as weak, slaves to their country, etc.

???

Front 42

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

When and for what purpose was the Delian League originally formed?

Explain the significance of the treasury’s move from Delos to Athens. When did this happen?

Back 42

- Formed in 478 BC.
- Defensive alliance of Athens and allies aimed at preparing for future attacks.
- Moved from Delos to Athens in 454 BC.
- Move represented that the alliance was now an empire, assuming a king-like role, and demanding tributes/taxes.
- Athenian empire replaces Lydian and Persian empires.

Front 43

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

What did the Persians do to the Acropolis in 480/479 BC?

Why did the Athenians wait thirty years before starting to rebuild?

Back 43

- Persians destroyed Athenian Acropolis in 480/479 BC.
- OATH OF PLATAEA: swore not to rebuild any sanctuaries destroyed by barbarians so that the remains could serve as a memorial and a reminder of what the Persians had done.

Front 44

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Who initiated the rebuilding project?

Where did the funds come from?

Back 44

- Pericles overturned the oath and initiated the Periclean Building Project to beautify the Acropolis.
- Funded by tax money paid to Delian League.

Front 45

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Which buildings were constructed as part of the project to rebuild the Acropolis?

Back 45

1) Parthenon
2) Propylaea
3) Erechtheum
4) Temple of Athena Nike

Front 46

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Briefly describe the difference between the Doric and Ionic orders and give one example of each (from the Athenian Acropolis).

Back 46

DORIC (ex. Parthenon)
- Simplest.
- Capital consists of a circle topped by a square.
- No base.
- Frieze has simple patterns.
- Metopes and trygliphs.

IONIC (ex. Erechteum)
- Stands on a base.
- Shaft/column taller and narrower than DORIC, has lines carved into it, and a little bulge to make it look straight.
- Capital consists of decorative scrolls.
- Frieze is plain.
- No metopes or triglyphs.

Front 47

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Where is the Parthenon located?

What is its function?

Back 47

- Athens
- Treasury and temple; not used for worship; houses cult statues and dedications to the gods.

Front 48

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Describe where in/on a temple each of the following may be found:
- PEDIMENT
- FRIEZE
- METOPE

Back 48

PEDIMENT: triangular section above structure, typically supported by the columns.

FRIEZE: horizontal band that runs above doorways and windows (molding.)

METOPE: rectangular section that fills the space between 2 triglyphs in a frieze.

Front 49

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Who was Pheidias?

What was his relationship to the Parthenon?

Back 49

- Greek artist/architect
- Designed the Athena Parthenos which is a massive sculpture of Athena made out of ivory and gold located in the center of the Parthenon.

Front 50

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

In what sense is the Parthenon a monument to the Greek (Athenian) victory in the Persian Wars?

(Hint: what was depicted on the metopes?)

Back 50

Each of the four metopes depicts a mythical battle of civilized vs. monstrous.

Greeks = civilized
Persians = monstrous

Front 51

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

What are the Elgin marbles and where can they be found today?

Where do you think they should be?

Back 51

- Figures from east and west pediments in the Parthenon (centaurs vs. humans.)
- In British Museum but maybe should be in Greece?
- Saved by Lord Elgin and brought back to Britain, but technically belong to Greece (controversy)
???

Front 52

REBUILDING ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Which U.S. city has its own Parthenon with full-scale reproduction of the Athena
Parthenos statue?

Back 52

Nashville, Tennesse

Front 53

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

What kinds of information can coins from another period of history provide us with? (6)

Back 53

1) Material culture
2) Ancient economy
3) Archaeology
4) History
5) Art history
6) Numismatics

Front 54

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

What is a blank?

Describe how the ancient Greeks made their coins, from mining the metal to striking the die.

Back 54

BLANK = blank coin before it has markings.

PROCESS
1) Mine material.
2) Design for the OBVERSE ("what faces you") side of coin is carved into a block of iron called the DIE.
3) Design for the REVERSE ("turned back from you") side of coin is carved into a similar die called a PUNCH.
4) Melt material into BLANK (most difficult part.)
5) Blank placed between obverse and reverse and the punch is struck hard with a hammer, "punching" the design onto both sides of the coin.

**Only one side of coin is struck.

Front 55

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

What is the value of the drachma relative to the obol?

Is a tetradrachm worth more or less than a drachma?

Back 55

1 DRACHMA = 6 OBOLS

1 TETRADRACHM = 4 DRACHMAS

Front 56

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

From whom did Greeks adopt the practice of minting coins?

Back 56

Adopted practice from the LYDIANS in Asia Minor.

Front 57

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

How can we tell if a coin has traveled far from its original place of production?

What historical insights does such information yield?

Back 57

- Figure out where coin was struck.
- Info on ancient commerce and travel patterns.

Front 58

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

Which two Greek city-states produced coins that traveled far and wide?

Which Greek polis did not mint its own coins?

Back 58

- Most traveled coins from: ATHENS and CORINTH.
- SPARTA did not mint its own coins.

Front 59

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

Why would a die-maker have included his signature on the die he cast?

Back 59

Made die casting an art form.

Front 60

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

Why do you think Athenians were conservative with, or reluctant to change, their dies?

Back 60

?

Front 61

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

What does “numismatics” mean and why would historians be interested in it?

Back 61

- NUMISMATICS = study of coins in their historical context.
- Coins tell us a lot about history...

Front 62

ANCIENT GREEK COINS

What is a hoard?

Why is it often archaeologists who discover them and what value do they hold for the archaeologist of ancient Greece?

Back 62

- HOARD = collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground.
- Provide useful method of dating artifacts through association as they can usually be assumed to be contemporary and therefore used in creating chronologies.

???

Front 63

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

How “democratic” was Athenian democracy?

What groups of people participated in the democracy?

Who was excluded?

Back 63

- Much more democratic than Sparta.
- All citizens had opportunity to participate in government (though division of political power was in accordance with wealth.)
- Only people excluded were slaves.

Front 64

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

Compare and contrast the Spartan and Athenian systems of government during the classical period.

Back 64

Spartan OLIGARCHY
- 2 hereditary kings (more military leaders than monarchs)
- Gerousia (council of elders)
- Ephors (government officials with that all citizens, regardless of family background, were eligible to become)
- Assembly of citizens (only made up tiny percent of the population; the rest were deemed "helots" or slaves owned by state)

Athenian DEMOCRACY
- Citizen population divided into four categories based on quantity of produce their land yielded.
- Ownership of land was not a requirement of citizenship, but was basis for participation in government.
- Possibility of upward mobility was built into system.
- All citizens, except slaves, had opportunity to participate in government (though division of political power was in accordance with wealth.)
- Slaves owned by individual citizens.

Front 65

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

How did Solon contribute to the development of Athenian democracy?

Back 65

- Appointed to solve crisis that stemmed from an uneven distribution of wealth.
- Restructured political power in Athens by dividing citizen population into four categories.

Front 66

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

Briefly describe Cleisthenes’ reforms of 508BC.

How did these reforms lessen the influence of aristocratic families within Athens and prevent future episodes of tyranny?

Back 66

- Divided population into 10 tribes; membership was then hereditary.
- Council of 500 (50 people from each tribe)
- Reduced the influence and importance of traditional family connections.
- Ostracism (vote to expel a person from the state for 10 years; way of neutralizing someone thought to be a threat to the state, or exiling a potential tyrant.)

Front 67

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

What other mechanisms did the Athenians have to prevent tyrants from coming to power?

Back 67

?

Front 68

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

What is a liturgy?

Give an example.

Back 68

LITURGY = public service wealthy citizens were required to undertake and finance.

Example: the festival at City Dionysia was one of the liturgies demanded of the wealthy.

Front 69

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

In honor of which god was the City Dionysia celebrated every year?

Where did the performances of tragedies take place?

Back 69

- In honor of Dionysus.
- Took place in theater built next to sanctuary of Dionysus.

Front 70

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

Why is Dionysus referred to as the “twice-born” god?

Back 70

- Zeus had an affair with mortal woman named Semele.
- She dies by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb (birth #1)
- Zeus takes baby and sews him into his thigh; couple months later Dionysus is born (birth #2)

Front 71

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

What does tragoidia mean?

Back 71

TRAGOIDIA = tragedy (literally, "goat song")

A dramatic poem or play in formal or stately language and action having an unhappy resolution.

Front 72

DEMOCRACY AND ATTIC DRAMA

What Greek word is “theater” derived from and what does it mean?

Back 72

"THEATRON": "viewing area" or wooden spectator stands.

Front 73

INTRO TO GREEK TRAGEDY

How does our experience of going to the theater today differ from that of the ancient Greeks who attended the Great Dionysia/ City Dionysia? How is it similar?

Back 73

DIFFERENT
- No longer for religious reasons
- Used to sit thousands and thousands of people
- Everyone goes at specific times (festivals) with no choice of which play they're watching.
- All actors male

Front 74

INTRO TO GREEK TRAGEDY

What can we learn about a culture from studying its forms of popular culture/entertainment?

Back 74

- Values and morals
- Government forms
- Separation of myth and reality

Front 75

INTRO TO GREEK TRAGEDY

What are the three plays comprising the Oresteia?

Who wrote them?

Back 75

"ORESTEIA" by Aeschylus

I. Agamemnon
II. The Libation Bearers
III. The Furies

Front 76

AGAMEMNON

Who speaks the prologue of Agamemnon?

Where is this character positioned on the stage as he delivers the prologue speech?

Back 76

WATCHMAN appears on the roof of the house.

(Perhaps the first time the roof of a scene building was used for the entrance of a character on the Athenian stage.)

Front 77

AGAMEMNON

Who were Atreus and Thyestes?

How are they related to the characters of Agamemnon and how do their (mis)fortunes impact the action of the play?

Back 77

ATREUS
- Agamemnon's father
- Brother of Thyestes

THYESTES
- Aegisthus' father
- Brother of Atreus

MISFORTUNE
Atreus invited his estranged brother to meal of reconciliation. But Atreus killed Thyestes' children and served them in a stew to their unsuspecting father.

Front 78

AGAMEMNON

According to the Chorus of Argive Elders, why did the Greeks go to war against Troy?

What was Paris’ crime against Menelaus?

Back 78

- Fight for Helen
- Stealing his wife

Front 79

AGAMEMNON

According to the Chorus, why was Agamemnon forced to sacrifice his daughter?

What are the short-term and long-term consequences of this sacrifice?

Back 79

- Because of a prophecy that if he sacrificed his daughter, the storm would die out and his fleets would safely make it to Troy.
- Short term: caught between military and parental obligations.
- Long term: perpetuates family curse and ultimately leads to death because Clytemnestra avenges daughter...

???

Front 80

AGAMEMNON

Discuss the dangers facing Agamemnon upon his return to Argos.

How does the Chorus regard him?

Back 80

- Murder plot by Clytemnestra ans Aegisthus.
- Chorus are envious (?) and resentful that so many men needlessly died for a war fought for a man's wife.

???

Front 81

AGAMEMNON

Why does Agamemnon hesitate to tread on the red carpet that Clytemnestra spreads before him?

Explain the significance of his concession.

Back 81

- Sees this as an act of outrageous arrogance, destructive of the household property, and likely to enrage the ever-watchful and jealous gods.
- Concession significant because he's acting like a tyrant.
- Carpet red like blood, walking to his death (symbolizes)

Front 82

AGAMEMNON

Why does Clytemnestra ask Agamemnon what Priam would have done, as she is
coaxing him out of the chariot?

Back 82

Trying to persuade him to act the way she wants him to.

Front 83

AGAMEMNON

Who is Cassandra and what is her relationship to Apollo?

Why does no one believe Cassandra's prophecies?

Back 83

- Daughter of Priam (King of Troy)
- Made a deal with Apollo that she'd sleep with him if he gave her the power of prophecy.
- Changes her mind after Apollo gives her power; he lets he keep her new ability but makes it so no one will ever believe her.

Front 84

AGAMEMNON

Why does Cassandra resist entering the house?

What does she see/ perceive that the chorus does not?

Back 84

- Vision of what's about to occur: cow kills bull (Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon.)
- Knows what's going to happen but has no power to prevent it.

Front 85

AGAMEMNON

What is depicted on the Boston Oresteia krater by the Dokimasia painter?

Do you think the vase was produced before or after Aeschylus’ Oresteia? Why?

Back 85

- Depicts Aegisthus killing Agamemnon on one side, and Orestes killing Aegisthus on the other side.

- Date to about same time but we don't know if it's before or after.

Front 86

AGAMEMNON

What does Clytemnestra mean when she says, “I have repaid the debt of Atreus”?

What debt is this and how has it been repaid?

Back 86

- Blood debt

???

Front 87

LIBATION BEARERS

By what sign(s) does Electra recognize that Orestes has been at the tomb of their father at the beginning of the Libation Bearers?

Back 87

She sees a lock of her brothers hair (as well as his footprints.)

Front 88

LIBATION BEARERS

Why has Clytemnestra sent Electra and the chorus to bring libations to the tomb of Agamemnon?

Back 88

- Guilt
- She's been having nightmares that she gives birth to a snake representing that her son is coming back to kill her.

Front 89

LIBATION BEARERS

To whom do Electra, Orestes, and the Chorus address their song of lamentation to and what is its purpose?

Back 89

- Lamentation to Agamemnon.
- Asking for him to "rise up out of the ground" and support their plot for revenge.
- Seeking his approval.

Front 90

LIBATION BEARERS

Agamemnon is frequently addressed during the extended song of mourning: what help can be expected to come from below?

Back 90

Support

Front 91

LIBATION BEARERS

Why do his children think it have been better if Agamemnon had died at Troy?

Back 91

Because at least them he would have gotten kleos and he wouldn't have destroyed his and his family's reputation.

Front 92

LIBATION BEARERS

How do the mythological exempla of Althaea, Skylla, and the Lemnian women relate to the action and themes of this play?

Back 92

- Examples of monstrous women and men-killers.
- Chorus' psychological boost to help Orestes kill his mother.

Front 93

FURIES

What is the Pythia’s relationship to Apollo at Delphi?

How has Apollo come into possession of the oracle?

Back 93

- Prophetess at Apollo's oracle in Delphi.
- Bequeathed to him by previous oracle, Phoebe.

Front 94

FURIES

Why does Apollo call the Furies “wizened ancient children”?

How would you characterize Apollo’s attitude to the Furies?

Back 94

- Never married or bore children.
- Don't fit into normal social order; freaks of nature.
- He hates them.

Front 95

FURIES

What do the Furies mean when they describe Apollo as a thief?

Back 95

- Stole Orestes away from them to protect him.
- Olympians took control of oracle which used to be controlled by an older order of gods.

Front 96

FURIES

Explain the differences in how Apollo and the Furies understand “justice” as operating.

Back 96

- FURIES: murders that involve death of kin.
- APOLLO: crimes that involve the breaking of cultural bonds (marriage.)

Front 97

FURIES

Why does Orestes leave Delphi? To where in Athens does he go?

Back 97

Leaves Delphi to escape the Furies and goes to Athena's temple.

Front 98

FURIES

Why does Athena set up a human jury?

Why doesn’t she simply decide the case (free Orestes) on her own?

Is Athena an impartial magistrate at Orestes’ trial?

Back 98

- Because it is a big deal and she can't do it on her own.
- Not impartial.

Front 99

FURIES

What are the main points in Orestes’ defense?

In the Furies’ defense?

Back 99

ORESTES: mom isn't actually a parent, she's more like a nurse, so he hasn't really killed his mother. Also, avenging death of his father.

FURIES: he killed his mother and must be punished.

Front 100

FURIES

How does Athena appease the Furies?

Are women in a position of greater strength at the beginning of the trilogy, or at the end?

Support your answer with specific examples from all three plays.

Back 100

- Transforms them into Eumenides (benign spirits) who preserve the prosperity of Athens.
- ???

Front 101

What is depicted and what is it's relevance?

Back 101

- Battle involving hoplite warfare.
- ?

Front 102

What does it depict and what is its significance?

Back 102

?

Front 103

?

Back 103

?