CL 201 Midterm 2

Ionic

Tall columns are identified by the scroll-shaped ornaments at the capital, which resemble a ram's horns called volutes. The column rests on a rounded base.

penthalon

A competition that involved five sports: discus, jumping, javelin, running, wrestling; all in one afternoon. The ideal pentathlete is heavy and tall.

Modular construction

A construction technique in which a set of prefabricated modules are transported to and assembled at a construction site, creating a building

Telestrion

A large, roofed hall situated in the town of Eleusis, a few miles west of Athens. The building was allegedly used as a secret enclosure where the Eleusinian mysteries were acted out.

Tyranny

A ruler who seized power unconstitutionally or inherited such power.

strigil

A scraper, used by ancient Greek athletes to scrape oil from their bodies after exercising. Commonly used in gymnasiums and palestraes.

Metope

A small relief sculpture on the facade of a Greek temple, usually located between triglyphs.

Caryatid

A stone carving of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building.

omphalos

A stone which zeus placed at the center of the earth in greek mythology. Delphi considered as the navel of the earth.

Triglyph

A tablet in a Doric frieze with three vertical grooves, used to separate metopes in Greek temples.

dromena

A term used in mystery cults that refers obliquely to the rituals performed; it literally translates as "things done." It was a dramatic reenactment of the Demeter/Persephone myth. It was one of the three rites that occurred inside of the Telestrion.

legomena

A term used in mystery cults that refers obliquely to the words that are uttered; it literally translates as "things said." Commentaries that accompanied the deiknumena.

delphinios

Apollo Delphinios ("Apollo of the womb") also known as "Delphic Apollo" or "Pythian Apollo", the principal god of Delphi, who was regarded as the protector of ports and ships.

Kouros

Greek word for "male youth." An Archaic Greek statue of a standing, nude youth.

Zeus

The most powerful of all, god of the sky and the king of Olympus. His temper affected the weather, and he threw thunderbolts when he was unhappy. He was married to Hera but had many other lovers. His symbols include the oak and the thunderbolt.

Gorgon

The term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Sthenoand Euryale, their sister Medusa was not and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus.

enthousiasmos

enthusiasm; "being filled with the god". In Greek religion enthusiasm refers to being taken by a higher power, usually personified by the gods. The individual leaves an ordinary state and enters one that is determined from without and strange, to being no longer 'him- or herself'.

Q. Why is Delphi an oracular site? Think geographically.

ethylene and geoseismic activity: Methane and Ethylene. Intersection of the Delphi fault and the Kerna Fault, producing springs of possible hallucinogenic substances into the Temple of Apollo.

deiknumena

("things shown"). It was the display of sacred objects inside the Telestrion. It is believed that the hierophant played an important role.

Pronaos

A vestibule at the front of a classical temple, enclosed by a portico and projecting sidewalls.

epopteia

Also known as Greater Mysteries. Only participants of the Lesser Mysteries from a year earlier were admitted to participate in the epopteia. They were supposed to learn greatest secrets and mysteries of Demeter.

Corinthian

An order of ancient Greek architecture similar to the Ionic, except that the capitals are carved in tiers of leaves

Athena

Goddess of wisdom. She was also skilled in the art of war, and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, and became his favorite child. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.

Q. Be able to recognize and/or describe a Greek gymnasium and palaestra.

Both the gymnasiums and the palaestras were facilities in which males were allowed to either train or socialize. Gymnasiums were bigger, with a large rectangular open area in the middle were people would congregate. Gymnasiums didn't have a lot of rooms. On the other hand, palaestras were, more specifically, facilities were males used to train for wrestling. Its size was smaller, and was surrounded by more rooms (mostly storage and oil rooms). It is believed that they were eventually combined. Fun fact: palestra is the Italian word for gym.

Siphnian Treasury

Built by wealthy (gold mines) isle of Siphnos at Delphi before 525 (when Siphnos overrun by pirates), making it crucial fixed point in Delphi's chronology. Small marble ionic temple with caryatids (korai for columns) two different sculptors of friezes one set (simpler) shows battle of Achilles and Memnon, and gods weighing their souls the North (most important) shows gigantomachy, with different levels, foreshortening, etc. illustrate continuing stress between nobility (epic ideals) and commonality

Q. Who was Cylon, and what did he have to do with the mass grave of young Athenian men found in 2016?

Cylon was an Athenian associated with the first reliably dated event in Athenian history, the Cylonian Affair. Cylon was one of the Athenian nobles, and a previous victor of the Olympic Games. He had the desire to take over Athens. After visiting the oracle at Delphi, he had advised to seize Athens during a festival of Zeus, which Cylon understood to mean the Olympics. To do so, Cylon convinced a group of males of around the same age to support him. However, the attempt failed, and Cylon and his supporters took refuge in Athena's temple on the Acropolis. Cylon and his brother escaped, but his followers were cornered. Afterwards, the cornered supporters were persuaded to leave the temple and stand trial after being assured that their lives would be spared. So, they did, but they were killed. It is believed that the mass grave found in 2016 contains the skeletons of such men.

Iambe

Daughter of Echo and Pan. She was the goddess of verse and humor. She lifted Demeter's spirits when Demeter was mourning the loss of her daughter Persephone. The extravagant hilarity displayed at the festivals of Demeter in Attica was traced to her

Q. You're on your way to Olympia to compete! Describe how you'll get there, where you'll stay, and what your plan for victory is. Remember to take gender into account.

Due to a three month truce between the competing states, I would be pretty certain that I can use any route that is convenient for me to get to Olympia without the risk of being attacked. Once there, I would probably visit the Temple of Zeus and make an oath. Then, if I was a guy, I would probably keep training in the gymnasium or palestrae. I could also go to socialize there. However, if I was a woman, there are two different things that I could do. First, if I was from Elis I would be able to compete in the Heraian Games, and thus would do something similar to the guys (with the exception that I wouldn't be allowed to train in the gymnasium and thus would probably train in the stadium or somewhere else). If I was not from Elis, then the only form of participation that I could have is to train/sponsor horses and chariots in the competitions involving them.

Chryselephantine

Fashioned of gold and ivory. The statue of Zeus located inside his temple at Olympia was made of gold and imported ivory. This was a representation of Zeus Horkios.

Q. How do you get a prophecy from Apollo and what would you need it for?

Fee: for a state $733, for an individual $66, offers a 7 drachma cake, sacrifices a sheep or goat at the eternal flame. No women should be present. You must think pure thoughts: speak well-omened words. You are not allowed to ask any questions, just clarifications. Politics: do I go to war?

Potnia Theron

Female mother of all animals. Widespread motif in ancient mythology, artemis

Cylonian Affair

First securely dated major event in Athenian history. An Olympian victor (Cylon) tried to sieze the acropolis with the aid of other men of his age. The attempt failed however, and almost all of the men (with the exception of Cylon and one of his brothers) were killed.

Q. Name two reasons why we say the Eleusinian mysteries was one of the longest active cults in antiquity.

First, the Eleusinian Mysteries were panhellenic, which means that it was of great importance to not only a small group of Greek cities, but for all of those who identified as Greeks. The participants were from all over Ancient Greece. Second, there is evidence that the Eleusinian Mysteries were celebrated for several centuries, and even when the Roman Empire came, they preserved and respected the Sacred Way.

Poseidon

He was god of the sea. He was the most powerful god except for his brother, Zeus. He lived in a beautiful palace under the sea and caused earthquakes when he was in a temper.

Phythia

High priestess of the temple of Apollo who is said to have delivered prophecies while Apollo filled her body and mind

Sphinx

Human head, lion body, wings of an eagle, it guards treasures and is usually not a nice creature.

miasma

In Greek mythology, a miasma is a "contagious" power that has an independent life of its own. Until purged by the sacrificial death of the wrongdoer, society would be chronically infected by catastrophe. Ex: Atreus and Thyestes.

Stoa

In ancient Greek architecture, an open building with a roof supported by a row of columns parallel to the back wall. It is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use and found in gymnasiums.

Halteres

In ancient Greek sports, halteres were used as lifting weights, and also as weights in their version of the long jump. In the long jump, halteres were held in both hands to allow an athlete to jump a greater distance; they may have been dropped after the first or second jump.

promanteia

It was the privilege, bestowed upon cities or individuals by the Oracle of Delphi, to ask the Pythia in priority. offered initially to cities which had offered aided the sanctuary financially.

Q. Recount the tale of one famous Olympian athlete (either from the lecture or from your textbook)

Kyniska of Sparta. She was a princess of Sparta that was apparently convinced by her brother to compete in the Olympics. Therefore, she hired a group of men that used a chariot that she owned and horses that she had bred and trained to compete multiple times in such competitions, where she was able to win in two of those occasions. This made her the first woman to ever win the the Ancient Olympic Games. As it was common, she was honored by a statue of her chariot, horses and herself in the temple of Zeus at Olympia.

Lithobolos

Litho means rock and bolos means throw. Used to refer to the practice of heavy rock throwing.

Q. Compare and contrast one sport from the Ancient Olympics with a modern equivalent (e.g. boxing).

Long Jump. It is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point. Long jump existed Ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympic event since the first Olympics. However, there are some differences. After investigating the surviving depictions of the ancient event it is believed that unlike the modern event, athletes were only allowed a short running start. Moreover, the athletes carried a weight in each hand (halters), which were swung forward as the athlete jumped in order to increase momentum. Another difference is the landing zone. In the modern version, competitors land in an area filled with sand, whereas in the original version it was just an area that had been dug but that didn't have any sort of fill.

Eleusis: Big Ideas

Mystery cults for social cohesion and the benefits thereof. Religion as a social event. Hades isn't hell, but just all around awful - Eleusinian mysteries to help expiate that. Eleusis as panhellenic, then broader during the Hellenistic and Roman period.

gymnos

Naked. The gymnasiums in Ancient Greece were facilities were only adult males were allowed. In there, adult males would either train or just socialize, and all that were involved were naked. The structure itself was relatively simple, with a wide open area at the center were people would congregate.

Kyniska of Sparta

Princess of Sparta that owned a chariot and trained horses that competed in the Olympics twice. She was honored by a statue of her chariot, horses and herself in the temple of Zeus at Olympia.

Q. Name and describe two steps in the initiation ritual that are associated with specific places in or around Eleusis.

Ritual cleansing in the sea at Phaleron Bay: Initiates would submerge themselves under the water. This may have been seen as a physical and spiritual cleansing ceremony for the initiates. Signaling Demeter: at the border between Athens and Eleusis, descendants of Krokos, the first settler of Eleusis, would meet the procession and tied yellow strands to the right wrists and left ankles of the initiates to signal Demeter.

Castalian Spring

Spring at Delphi, which was said to run under the temple of Apollo, sending up vapors that aided the Pythia in her prophecy.

Q. What do Demeter and Persephone have to do with the mythic origins of the mystery cult?

The Eleusinian Mysteries were inspired by the myth of Persephone. In the myth, Demeter's daughter (Kore) is kidnapped and taken to the underworld, where she marries Hades (and she becomes Persephone). Due to her daughter's disappearance, Demeter goes around Greece looking for her. She then stops in Eleusis to rest. There, disguised as an old woman, she cared for the queen's son, baptizing him nightly in fire so that he would be immortal. When she was discovered, she revealed her true identity and taught the queen's son the art of agriculture in exchange for a temple in Eleusis.

Heraia

The Heraian Games were non-panhellenic sports events (similar to the olympic games) where women from Elis had the opportunity to compete. It was held at Olympia every four years in non-Olympic years.

Q: Describe the route initiates would take to get from Athens to Eleusis.

The Sacred Way. It was a road from Athens to Eleusis. The procession began at the Sacred Gate. The trip to Eleusis was not continuous, and involved multiple stops along the way. The first of these was at the shrine of the Sacred Son outside Athens, who would come and join the lead of the parade. They would then stop at the Cephissus River where kids in the procession would offer a lock of hair before moving on to the temple precinct at Daphni and the sanctuary of Aphrodite nearby. Finally, at the border between Athens and Eleusis, descendants of Krokos, the first settler of Eleusis, would meet the procession and tied yellow strands to the right wrists and left ankles of the initiates to signal Demeter.

Kykeon

The drink with which Demeter broke her fast at Eleusis, as reenacted in the rituals at Eleusis; it is a mixture of barley and water. A kykeon was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast.

aporrheta

The holy things in the Ancient Mysteries which were known only to the initiates (dromena, deiknumena, legomena), and were not to be disclosed to the profane. The penalty for divulging them was death.

Q. What does Herakles have to do with the Olympics? Name two things.

The origins of the Olympics: The myth of the creation of the Olympics says that there was a man, King Augeas, made bad remarks about the god Zeus. This angered Herakles so much that he challenged Augeas to a wrestling match. After several hours of intense wrestling, Herakles won the match and said that a temple dedicated to Zeus had to be constructed there, and that every four years the finest athletes should congregate there to compete and to honor his father. Statues for winners: In the myth, Herakles also states that a statue of himself had to be built and displayed in the Altis, as a recognition of his victory. The winners of the Olympics also had statues of themselves displayed in the Altis.

Q. What was the point of the Eleusinian cult?

The rituals were based on a symbolic reading of the story of Demeter and Persephone and provided initiates with a vision of the afterlife so powerful that it changed the way they saw the world and their place in it. Participants were freed from a fear of death through the recognition that they were immortal souls temporarily in mortal bodies. In the same way that Persephone went down to the land of the dead and returned to that of the living each year, so would every human being die only to live again on another plane of existence or in another body. The myth itself was important because it explained seasons, and overall was a common unifying celebration between the Greeks. Even the Romans kept it.

Panhellenic

The sense of cultural identity that all Greeks felt in common with each other.

Archaic smile

The smile that appears on all Archaic Greek statues from about 570 to 480 BCE. The smile is the Archaic sculptor's way of indicating that the person portrayed is alive.

Palestrae

They were the wresting schools. In there, males would train for combat and jumping sports. The structure itself was made of a courtyard with four colonnades, ringed by rooms changing and oil rooms.

Q. How is the sanctuary of Olympia panhellenic?

This sanctuary was where the ancient Olympic Games were held, which involved the participation of athletes from all over Ancient Greece. The athletes that won had the privilege of having statues of themselves near the Temple of Zeus, and thus, the sanctuary also displayed competitors from all the different competing cities. Moreover, the site was primarily dedicated to Zeus, with the statue of Zeus (located inside his temple at Olympia, and that was made of gold ivory) being considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. All of this combined drew visitors from all over the Greek world as one of a group of such "Panhellenic" centres which helped to build the identity of the ancient Greeks as a nation.

Doric

This style of column features simple, heavy columns without bases. A dull column with simple circular capital.

apotropaic

Type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune. The Greeks made offerings to certain gods, deities and heroes that "granted" safety and protection.

Diaulos

Was a double-stadion race, c. 400 metres, introduced in the 14th Olympiad of the ancient Olympic Games.

Hera

Was goddess of marriage and the queen of Olympus. She was Zeus's wife and sister; many myths tell of how she sought revenge when Zeus betrayed her with his lovers.

Hades

Was king of the dead. He lived in the underworld, the heavily guarded land where he ruled over the dead. He was the brother of Zeus and the husband of Persephone, Demeter's daughter, whom he kidnapped.

Persephone/Kore

Was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. After being abducted, she married Hades and became the queen of the underworld, where she carries into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead. She is the personification of vegetation, and was a central figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Haphestus

Was the god of fire and the forge (a furnace in which metal is heated). Although he made armor and weapons for the gods, he loved peace. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married Aphrodite. His symbols include the anvil and the forge.

Apollo

Was the god of music and healing. He was also an archer, and hunted with a silver bow. Apollo was the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and the twin of Artemis. His symbols include the laurel tree, the crow, and the dolphin. Bad temper.

Ares

Was the god of war. He was both cruel and a coward. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, but neither of his parents liked him. His symbols include the vulture and the dog, and he often carried a bloody spear.

Dionysus

Was the god of wine, which he invented. In ancient Greece Dionysus was honored with springtime festivals that centered on theater. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal. His symbols include ivy, the snake, and grapes.

Aphrodite

Was the goddess of love and beauty, and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell.

Demeter

Was the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over grains and the fertility of the earth. Along with her daughter Persephone, Demeter was one of the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries. She was also celebrated in the religious festival known as Thesmophoria. Fun fact: She was known as Ceres by the Romans. Nowadays, the largest dwarf planet in the Solar System is called Ceres.

Artemis

Was the goddess of the hunt and the protector of women in childbirth. She hunted with silver arrows and loved all wild animals. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo.

Hermes

Was the messenger god, a trickster, and a friend to thieves. He was said to have invented boxing and gymnastics. He was the son of Zeus and the constellation Maia. The speediest of all, he wore winged sandals and a winged hat and carried a magic wand.

Zeus Horkios

Zeus as keeper of oaths. Exposed liars were made to dedicate a votive statue to Zeus, often at the sanctuary at Olympia. We don't often think of oaths as forces of nature but the Greeks certainly did. An oath had cosmic power, and a broken or false oath demanded cosmic retribution.

Centaur

a monster that had the head, arms, and chest of a man, and the body and legs of a horse

kore

an archaic Greek statue of a young woman, standing and clothed in long loose robes.

cella/naos

the principal interior room at the center of a Greek temple within which the cult statue was usually housed.