Greek sources

Question 1

when did tyrtaeus write and where was he from?

Answer 1

700-650 BC, from sparta

Question 2

when did herodotus write and where was he from?

Answer 2

450-425 BC, from harlicarnassus but travelled round and resided in Athens

Question 3

when did thucydides write and where was he from?

Answer 3

424-400 BC, from athens

Question 4

when did aristophanes write and where was he from?

Answer 4

411 BC, from athens

Question 5

when did xenophon write and where was he from?

Answer 5

371 BC (post leuctra), from athens but lived in sparta

Question 6

when did plutarch write and where was he from?

Answer 6

50-120 AD, from delphi in boeotia

Question 7

when did diodorus siculus write and where was he from?

Answer 7

around 30 BC, from sicily

Question 8

what was tyrtaeus craft?

Answer 8

spartan martial poet

Question 9

What did Hdt. do throughout his life?

Answer 9

part of the old aristocracy, he served as a hoplite soldier in his youth then went on to be the first historian

Question 10

What was thucydides’ job?

Answer 10

athenian statesman and general (strategos) commanded against brasidas in his thracian campaign

Question 11

what did aristophanes do?

Answer 11

he was a land owner turned comic writer

Question 12

what were xens various livelihoods?

Answer 12

adventurer, soldier, philosopher and writer of histories and constitutions

Question 13

What was plutarch known for?

Answer 13

being a delphic priest and biographer - basically a celebrity throughout the roman empire in his day

Question 14

What was diodorus siculus profession?

Answer 14

historian, but notoriously bad with dates

Question 15

who was alkman?

Answer 15

spartan choral, lyrical poet - speculation he came from lydia but cartledge debunks this writes during the 600s BC

Question 16

who was Aelian?

Answer 16

3rd century AD roman author, writer of varia historia - talks about gyllipus, lysander and calicratidas being mothakes

Question 17

who was kritias?

Answer 17

member of the 30 tyrants, lived from 460-403 BC and was an athenian poet, writer and statesman

Question 18

who was myron of priene?

Answer 18

3rd century author of account of first messenian war, deemed unreliable ny pausanias.
in athenaios, banquets he is fragmented as part of a fantasy ancient dinner party

Question 19

who is pausanias?
(description of greece)

Answer 19

greek geographer in 2nd century ad, writes about spartan kids fighting on bridges
Also wrote about lost painting of marathon

Question 20

who is phylarchus?

Answer 20

greek historian in 3rd century BC, work is mostly lost except for some fragments in polybius

Question 21

who was plato?

Answer 21

early 4th century philosopher from athens known for his laws, republic and being the teacher of aristotle

Question 22

who is strabo?

Answer 22

asiatic greek geographer and writer writing in the late first century BC to early 1st century AD

Question 23

who is aristotle?

Answer 23

athenian philosopher from mid to late 4th century bc, student of plato and teacher of alexander the great

Question 24

who is andokides?

Answer 24

athenian speechwriter and statesman during latter ionian/decelean war.
possibly one of the perpetrators responsible for desecration of the hermeae

Question 25

who was harpokration?

Answer 25

greek grammarian of alexandria in 2nd century AD - debunked peace of callias because it was written in an alphabet not used until later by the athenian state

Question 26

why is Tyrtaeus useful?

Answer 26

early spartan martial poet who was sung for centuries after his death within the agoge - epitomises spartan values "it's fine to die in the front line"

Question 27

what is a potential drawback of hdt. ?

Answer 27

- could be influenced by anti sptn. athenian sources - sometimes called 'father of lies' because of fantastical stories - really religious - likes an omen

Question 28

Positives of thucydides?

Answer 28

meticulous, detailed, renowned for being atheist and bon biased his only focus was the peloponnesian war which he was a participant in

Question 29

style of Aristophanes?

Answer 29

comedic satirist writing for stage performance - elements of truth but sometimes we may miss the joke/obvious piss take

Question 30

positives of aristophanes?

Answer 30

contemporary to the peloponnesian war, shows the athenian perspectives of sparta oligarchic/aristocratic background so has a weirdly pro spartan outlook that lets him slag off both sides

Question 31

what makes xen a great source for sparta?

Answer 31

laconophile who lived there, best bros with agesilaos, fought for sparta against athens, travelled all over the med, as an athenian aristocrat, has an already pro spartan view also put two sons through the agoge

Question 32

drawback of xen?

Answer 32

defends sparta (usually toward athenian audience) sometimes involves clandestine truths - 'helots' become 'friends' sometimes involves outright lies like pederasty doesn't exist in sparta

Question 33

generic good and bad of plutarch?

Answer 33

not contemporary but has wide access to contemporary sources and great awareness of greek culture also 'morallist and dramatic artist' - like hdt. likes a good omen very religious

Question 34

who is ephorus?

Answer 34

now lost and fragmented historian who used oxyrinchus historian as a source - brings new credence to diodorus' works

Question 35

useful bits about diodorus?

Answer 35

writes most extensive (although slightly fragmented) greek history - focusses on 480 to 302 BC born in sicily but travelled through egypt and settled in rome relies on ephorus - because we know little of him, we assume he's reliable

Question 36

pitfalls of diodorus?

Answer 36

weirdly pro athenian? (work of ehporus?) awful with dates because tries to write annalistically many books of his universal history have been lost

Question 37

advantages of tyrtaeus?

Answer 37

behind closed doors look at spartan writing about spartans for spartans nothing to hide, references only spartans would understand

Question 38

disadvantages of tyrtaeus?

Answer 38

difficult to date, as an aristocrat, much of his work i propaganda to make sparta more successful at the peril of the lower classes - possibly just indoctrination (part of poorly hidden agenda)

Question 39

advantages to hdt?

Answer 39

half persian - gives a good name, understands culture interested in all cultures and peoples very well travelled received ancestral first hand accounts; so although not definitely accurate, shows how greeks wanted to be seen

Question 40

problems with hdt.?

Answer 40

too trusting of sources - bound to record but not to believe overshoots greatly with no.s takes creative licence with speeches and private meetings - although great reading it cannot be considered accurate

Question 41

advantage of thuc.?

Answer 41

thoroughly checks and vets his sources trying to get them corroborated where possible

Question 42

downfalls of thuc.?

Answer 42

creative with speeches cannot control the reliability of sources - only selects which to ignore sometimes has either pro athenian/pro spartan bias depending on his mood although he checks sources he does not name them which isn't great for us

Question 43

summary of reliability of aristophanes?

Answer 43

he's an entertainer so its like trying to analyse spitting image; you will get there but theres a lot to pick off and the result probably isn't worth it still entertaining though

Question 44

advantages of xen?

Answer 44

last eyewitness of sparta in heyday before leuctra reports an eyewitness' account

Question 45

disadvantages of xen?

Answer 45

over defensive of spt. at times sometimes too religious very trusting of what the spartans tell him - too positive to be completely trusted

Question 46

downfall of diodorus?

Answer 46

sometimes mixes up his sources and dates so some episodes are repeated, some omitted and others are frankensteined with other similar events

Question 47

negatives of plutarch?

Answer 47

brazenly copies other people's work (think xen and the 10 minai fig.) moralistic and judgy - sees world in black and white so condems certain actions and portrays as worse than they actually were most of his omens were prob. made up.

Question 48

What is problem when studying Persian wars

Answer 48

Persians don’t write histories like the Greeks so we don’t have an equivalent source - only have monuments