Gorgon's head on a silver coin of Naples permission to use image granted

F11: CLA227, Greek Civilization: Review for Exam II

The god Apollo on a gold coin of Syracuse image courtesy of Edgar L. Owen, #3803

Archaic Age (~750 to ~500 BC):

• Orientalizing Period
• What are the various aspects of Greek civilization that this contact with the East changed and how did these aspects change:
•  social customs, food, religion, writing
  
• Ways/areas literacy changed Greek civilization:
• literature, philosophy, historiography, medicine, law
  
• Warfare
• What were the changes in military equipment?
  
• What were the changes in military tactics?
• Terms: phalanx, hoplos, hoplite, Argive shield
  
• How did these changes affect other topics listed here?
• The Polis
• What are the key elements in the definition of the polis?
• What is synoikism and why is it important to the formation of the polis?
• How was the polis afftected by the other topics listed here?
• Colonization
• What areas were colonized? Why did it cease?
• Steps involved in colonization:
  
• What are the factors which influenced the choice of a site?
  
• Describe the leader-who was he and what was his role?
  
• 1st Colonists—who were they and what did they gain?
  
• How did some relate to the ‘natives?’
  
• Women?
  
• Later colonists?
• How did colonization affect life on the mainland?
• Tyranny
• Defn. of tyranny, how long did a tyranny last in an individual polis, who typically became tyrants, how did they rule, and why did tyranny arise?
• How did tyranny affect the polis and Greek religion?
• Archaic Age Literature
• What do the poems of Archilochus and the poem of Tyrtaeus tell us about how the "Heroic/Homeric" Code has been transformed, adapted, abandoned in the Archaic Age and why?
• What does the poetry of Archilochus, Alcaeus, Mimnermus, Ibycus, Anacreon, and Sappho tell us about women in the Archaic Age?
• What can we learn from the examples of greek humor provided in Kebric, Ch. 1?
• Who are Hesiod, Thales, Xenophanes, and what did they do?
• Pan-hellenic institutions
• Sanctuary sites (e.g. Delphi) what were they and why were they important?
• The "big four:"  Names, how often held, prizes at games, prizes when victor's got home? What did the sponsors of chariot and horse races gain? What happened to cheaters? Deities associated with the "major" major games?
• The Olympic games: Program for the 5 days? How religious? What is an agon & how does it relate to the heroic code? what was the origin of many of the contests? Competitors: who originally,  amateur? professional? Spectators--who, conditions, who not?
• Minor Games: an example, prizes, eventual number?
• The Gymnasium-defn, funding, importance
• Sexuality
• Male/male relationship:
  
• what were the restrictions placed on citizen to citizen relationships?
  
• citizen to slave relations?
  
• what function did it serve for the polis?
  
•  how was it affirmed in Greek myth?
• Female/female?
  
•  Male/female--marriage ages?, "love"?

• Sparta (Eunomia)
• What is eunomia?
  
• Spartan government look like before the First Messenian War:
• kingship, gerousia, apella, ephors
• When/why did Sparta conquer Messenia? What effect did the conquest have on Sparta?
  
• Effect of the defeat at Hysiai in 669 BC on
• their view of themselves and the Heroic Code
  
• their military
• their politeia
  
• What does a Greek politeia refer to? What is the key underlying fact of the Spartan politeia?
  
• What are the Agoge and the Syssition?
  
• Stages involved in the Agoge?
  
• Spartan citizens' training? Relations between individuals?
  
• Women: their position in Spartan society? Their training? Marriage?
  
• Relations with other states:
• Peloponessian League (what, why)
  
• Treatment of Persian envoys
  
• Foreign policy changes
  

• Athens (Isonomia)
• Prior to Solon: What was the Athenian state like before Solon? Colonization?
  
• Key terms: Archons, Council of Areopagus, Assembly, Tribes, Phratries.
  
• What was the significance of Cylon's attempt at tyranny?
  
• What was lawgiver Draco known for? Significant changes that Draco made?
• Solon: 
• What was the aim of Solons reforms? How different from that of Sparta's?
  
• What were his reforms? Especially in regard to:
  
• the abolition of debt;
  
• the four property classes;
  
• the change in the eligibility for the offices;
  
• judicial & economic reform, 
  
• 3 key reforms leading to democracy according to Aristotle
• The Pisistratids:
  
• Why did the tyranny arise?
  
• How did Pisistratus seize power?
  
• What were the important changes Pisistratus made in
  
• the Political arena?
  
• The religious sphere?
  
• The artistic sphere?
• Cleisthenes: 
• What is isonomia? 
  
• The tribes: How did he reform the tribes? Why was the change important? 
  
• The demes: What was the key power of the demes? What did they replace and why was this important? 
  
• The Boule: What was it? Who was in it? How did citizens become part of the Boule? What was its function? 
  
• The Assembly: What function did it serve? (see e-mail)
  
• After Cleisthenes (save for exam 3):
  
• Generals: What was the new system like?
• Ostracism: what is it? how was it used between 490 and 480?
  
• Silver mines: what is the importance of the find of new silver at the mines? how was the silver used? who persuaded the Athenians?

1. Individuals. We have looked at, or read about, several distinctive individuals in this unit--Archilochus, Polycrates, Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleisthenes. Which of these is most like President Obama and which is least like?  Or which is most like and which least like former President Bush? Make sure your answer give good concrete examples. At some point, indicate which modern sources you have used (you don’t need to identify what information comes from what source, but simply what sources you used overall). FYI: Sources to consider for use for President Obama and former President Bush would be reputable web sources, e.g. the BBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Economist, etc.

2. Olympic Games & Religion: After having examined prior to class these two video clips of the opening ceremonies of both the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games (click here)  or (click here if the first link isn't working properly and scroll down the web page) and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games (click here) or (click here and in the videos section towards the bottom, scroll right till almost at the end), discuss how both the religious aspects and the processional aspects of the ancient Greek Olympic games have been transformed for a modern audience.

3.  Political Structure & Heroic Code: We looked at the roles of the commoners and nobles in Homeric society, how have things changed but also stayed the same by the end of the Archaic Age? A good essay will use good examples from a variety of the source materials and textbook chapters read this unit.  Make sure you cover the Archaic Age in general; cover either Athens or Sparta -- but not both -- when discussing the political structure.