1.2 Personal experience of the divine

Question 1

define epopteia

Answer 1

the revelation of the secret at the end of the Eleusinian Mysteries

Question 2

what were the Elysian fields?

Answer 2

a mythical place in the afterlife, initially reserved for gods, heroes and mortals related to them

Question 3

what was the secret revealed at the end of the initiation ceremony for the Eleusinian Mysteries?

Answer 3

eternal life in the Elysian Fields after the initiate’s death

Question 4

when were the Eleusinian Mysteries incorporated into Athenian civic religion as part of the sacred calendar?

Answer 4

late 6th century onwards

Question 5

who could become an initiate of the Eleusinian Mysteries?

Answer 5

anyone - men, women, old, young, Greek, non-greek - as long as they could speak Greek, had not committed serious crimes, and could pay the initiation fee

Question 6

who was sent to court and convicted of mocking the Eleusinian Mysteries?

Answer 6

Athenian leader Alcibiades, after mocking the mysteries in his home with friends and uninitiated people

Question 7

where is Eleusis located?

Answer 7

15 miles west of Athens on the coast overlooking the bay and the island of Salamis

Question 8

when did Eleusis become part of Athens?

Answer 8

7th century BC

Question 9

where did Demeter rest after searching for Persephone?

Answer 9

Eleusis

Question 10

what disguise did Demeter take on when resting in the mortal world after searching for Perseohone?

Answer 10

a mortal queen

Question 11

who did Demeter stay with when resting after searching for Persephone?

Answer 11

Keleus and Metaneira, the king and queen of Eleusis

Question 12

how long was the world in drought for before the Olympians asked Demeter to return to her duties as goddess of fertility and harvest?

Answer 12

a year

Question 13

who did Demeter convince to tell her the truth about the whereabouts of Persephone?

Answer 13

Helios

Question 14

when does the telesterion at the sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis first date to?

Answer 14

900-850BC, the geometric period

Question 15

when does the renovated telesterion at the sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis date to?

Answer 15

second half of the 5th century BC, built at the bidding of Pericles

Question 16

describe the telesterion at the sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis

Answer 16

• hall with dimensions of 50x50 meters
• rock-cut stands for spectators and prospective initiates
• rooftop

Question 17

when is the Ninnion tablet dated to?

Answer 17

400-300 BC

Question 18

what style is the Ninnion tablet made in?

Answer 18

Red-figure plaque

Question 19

where was the Ninnion tablet found?

Answer 19

within the sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone

Question 20

two ceremonies for the Eleusinian Mysteries took place each year from which century onwards?

Answer 20

6th century onwards

Question 21

at what time of year were the ‘lesser mysteries’ celebrated?

Answer 21

spring

Question 22

at what time of year were the ‘great mysteries’ celebrated?

Answer 22

autumn

Question 23

over how many days were the ‘greater mysteries’ celebrated?

Answer 23

a period of nine days

Question 24

define mystagogue

Answer 24

an initiated person who is able to initiate others

Question 25

define myst

Answer 25

someone wishing to be initiated or is in the process of being initiated

Question 26

define archon basileus

Answer 26

the person in charge of and responsible for all religious and sacred matters in Athens

Question 27

how many people gathered on the first day of the celebrations of the Eleusinian Mysteries? (both initiated and uninitiated)

Answer 27

around 3000 people

Question 28

what took place on the second day of the Eleusinian Mysteries?

Answer 28

participants and sacrificial animals went to the seaside to bathe together as a purification ritual

Question 29

define hierophant

Answer 29

leading priest at the Eleusinian Mysteries, always from the Eumolpidae family

Question 30

from which family was the hierophant always from?

Answer 30

the Eumolpidae family

Question 31

define kykeon

Answer 31

a psychotropic brew made from barley and pennyroyal drunk at the Eleusinian Mysteries

Question 31

what took place on day three of the Eleusinian Mysteries?

Answer 31

pannychis (all night revelry and feast)

Question 32

define pannychis

Answer 32

all night revelry and feast

Question 33

Name the two most famous sanctuaries dedicated to the worship of Asclepius

Answer 33

Asclepieion at Epidaurus Sanctuary if Asclepius on the island of Cos

Question 33

In what year did the Athenians erect a new temple to Asclepius after a plague had devastated the city?

Answer 33

420 BC

Question 34

When does the Asclepieion at Epidaurus date to?

Answer 34

5th century BC

Question 35

When does the sanctuary of Asclepius on the island of Cos date to?

Answer 35

5th century BC

Question 36

What was the Asclepieion at Epidaurus used as?

Answer 36

A centre for pilgrims from all over Greece seeking cures for a wide range of illnesses

Question 37

What was the sanctuary of Asclepius on the island of Cos used as?

Answer 37

A famous school for physicians from all over Greece

Question 38

What would a typical visit to a sanctuary of Asclepius include?

Answer 38

- preparatory bathing - sacrifices - sleeping in the stoa or under the open sky

Question 39

Define incubation

Answer 39

Sleeping in the shrines of Asclepius

Question 40

How could individuals be cured after visiting a sanctuary of Asclepius?

Answer 40

- cured instantly by the god in their sleep - through surgery instructed by the god and exercised by the temple staff - through the prescription of medicine or a specific diet and exercise received in dreams during incubation - cured by the poison of the sacred snakes

Question 41

When is the anatomical votive relief dated to?

Answer 41

1st century AD

Question 42

What material is the anatomical votive relief made of?

Answer 42

Expensive marble

Question 43

Where was the anatomical votive relief found?

Answer 43

Found at the shrine of Asclepius on the island of Melos

Question 44

Who was the anatomical votive relief offered by?

Answer 44

Tyche

Question 45

Who was the anatomical votive relief offered to?

Answer 45

Asclepius and his daughter Hygeia

Question 46

What is the significance of the anatomical votive relief?

Answer 46

It is an important example of a votive offering to Asclepius after a cure was received in one of his sanctuaries

Question 47

What does the inscription on the anatomical votive relief say?

Answer 47

Tyche gives an offering to Asclepius and Hygeia

Question 48

To which local god/hero was the healing sanctuary at Oporos dedicated to?

Answer 48

Amphiareios

Question 49

What was the healing sanctuary at Oropos called?

Answer 49

the Amphiareion

Question 50

According to Pausanias, what were worshippers and prospective incubants required to sleep on at the Amphiareion?

Answer 50

the skin of a sacrificial lamb

Question 51

What does archaeological and epigraphic evidence tell us about what was at the Amphiareion?

Answer 51

- a temple - an altar inscribed with the names of fourteen different gods and heroes - a koimētērion used for incubation - a theatre building - separate bath buildings for men and women - a fountain house

Question 52

Give an example of someone who experienced a miracle after carrying out an incubation procedure at the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus

Answer 52

Cleo was pregnant for five years, so came as a suppliant to Asclepius and slept in the sanctuary. as soon as she left the temple the next day she gave birth to a son, who immediately washed himself in the spring and walked around with his mother. After this experience she put a votive offering in the sanctuary.

Question 53

Where was the oracle of Zeus at Dodona located?

Answer 53

Epirus, northern Greece

Question 54

Who visited the oracle of Zeus at Dodona?

Answer 54

Private individuals (rather than states) from all over Greece and even Italy

Question 55

How were oracular responses given at the oracle at Dodona, and who provided us with this information?

Answer 55

Homer and Hesiod tell us that oracular responses emanated from the rustling leaves of the sacred oak trees or from doves sitting in trees

Question 56

Which of Homer's characters visit the oracle at Dodona, and how is the experience described?

Answer 56

In book 14 of the Odyssey, Odysseus visits the oracle at Dodona to 'hear Zeus' will from the lofty oak' In book 16 of the Iliad, Achilles prays to Zeus at Dodona, whose male prophets 'sleep on the ground with unwashed feet'

Question 57

How did people enquire at the oracle at Dodona from the 5th century onwards?

Answer 57

By scratching their question on a lead tablet that was then answered by the oracle

Question 58

What were the most common questions asked at the oracle at Dodona?

Answer 58

Which god should i pray to? Should i do x or y?

Question 59

What answers were given by the oracle at Dodona?

Answer 59

yes or no, or gave the name of the correct deity to worship

Question 60

What did the largest category of questions from the oracle at Dodona concern?

Answer 60

Travel and moving places

Question 61

What question did Ariston ask the oracle at Dodona, and when did they ask?

Answer 61

Ariston asked 'whether it is better and preferable for me and if i will be able to sail to Syracuse to the colony at a later point in time?' in the early 3rd century

Question 62

What question did Kitton ask the oracle at Dodona, and when did they ask?

Answer 62

The slave Kitton asked 'whether he will get the freedom from Dionysios that Dionysios promised him?' in 350BC

Question 63

Give 8 examples of questions asked at the oracle at Dodona

Answer 63

- which god to pray to - should i do x or y - travel concerns - marriage choices - female fertility and offspring - trade and business choices - slaves asking about freedom - health issues