Humanities Greek Troy Quiz Flashcards
At the start of Black Ships Before Troy, Peleus, King of the Myrmidons, marries Thetis. Why was this wedding important?
Who is Eris?
Eris is the Goddess of Discord. She was not invited to the wedding of Peleus, King of the Myrmidons, and Thetis because she always caused trouble.
What did Eris do at the wedding feast of Peleus, King of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, so cause discord?
She threw down a golden apple and then breathed on the all the wedding guests. The apple had an inscription that read “to the fairest,” and this caused a competition among three Goddesses for who was the fairest.
Who were the three Godesses who ended competing for Who is the Fairest written on the golden apple Eris threw down at the wedding of Peleus, King of the Myrmidons and Thetis?
–Hera claimed it as the wife of Zeus
–Athena claimed it for the beauty of her wisdom
–Aphrodite claimed it as the Goddess of Beauty
Who was Priam?
Priam was the King of Troy when the Gods first started fighting about who was the fairest. His wife was Queen Hecuba. They had a son, Paris, that the soothsayer said would burn down Troy. They sent Paris away when he was born with a servant and told the servant to leave him to die. But a herdsman found him and saved him.
What did Paris do to incur the wrath of the Godesses and set the chain of events that led to the Trojan War in motion?
He chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena when asked who was fairest. Aphrodite said she’d give Paris a woman as beautiful as she.
King Menelaus of Sparta married who?
Princess Helen “of the fair cheeks,” known all over Greece for her great beauty.
Why did Paris end up meeting Helen?
He wanted to see her legendary beauty for himself. “If Paris wanted a thing, then he must have it,” says the text.
Who is Agamemnon?
Menelaus’s brother. Agamemnon is described as “black-bearded.”
Who is Achilles?
He is a son of Thetis of the Silver Feet and King Peleus. He was dipped in the River Styx which made him immortal in battle except for his heel. When he was born, the king sent him to Thessaly where he became close with Patroclus. But when the war call went out, his mother sent him to the Isle of Scyros where he pretended to be a maiden.
How did Odysseus find Achilles?
He pretended to be a trader and unloaded a pack of stuff including a sword, that Achilles liked. Ooops, not a maiden after all!
When the Greeks arrived at Troy with their “black ships,” what did they do?
They basically made a small port town and lived there for nine years. This was because “they knew little of siege warfare.” These were not experienced fighers.
Who is Hector?
The “war-leader [of Troy] and foremost among the King’s sons.” King being King Prium (and Hecuba).
Once Achilles was part of the Greek war party, he refused to fight at first. Why?
Because Agamemnon took away Briseis, Achilles’s lover/slave, after having to send his lover/slave Chryseis away. (He send Chryseis away because he thought he was cursed because of her and this caused sickness in the camp.)
Athena was for the Greeks or the Trojans?
The Greeks! (Because Aphrodite was for the Trojans.)
Aphrodite was for the Greeks or the Trojans?
The Trojans! (Obv since Paris is the OG Trojan.)
Who said: “It is small part you play in the fighting, but you take other men’s prizes from them when fighting is over, robbing them of the reward and the honor that is rightfully theirs.”
Achilles (of Agamemnon).
Who says “What bitter grief is this? Tell me the darkness that is in your heart.”
Thetis of the Silver feet to Achilles, her son, who is upset that Briseis has been taken away.
Why did Zeus help the Trojans?
Because Thetis, mom of Achilles, asked him to because Achilles wanted Agamemnon to basically beg to have him to into the battle.
How did Zeus help the Trojans?
He planted a false dream in Agamemnon’s head that he should go and attack Troy the next day. Agamemnon then asked all the leaders if the siege should instead end and all but Odysseus said yes and tried to leave the war. (Poor morale.) But they ended up going into battle and the Trojans “poured out.” The Trojans meanwhile had good morale because they knew Achilles had refused to fight.
Paris challenged the Greeks to a one-on-one fight. What happened?
Menelaus wanted to fight him. There was a sacrifice at an altar. Paris got first try, threw his sword and missed. Menelaus got a try and his spear hit but didn’t hurt Paris. Menelaus really went after Paris, but Paris was protected by Aphrodite, who put a cloak of invisibility around him.
