Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Literature Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Literature Deck (43)
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1
Q

Why is “oral literature” a contradiction in terms?

A

because literature is by definition written language

2
Q

Why do people without literacy tend to love stock phrases, traditional sayings, and proverbs?

A

they are an essential to preserving cultural memory

3
Q

Before riding there was no such thing as an……..

A

Author

4
Q

Why would all storytelling be lost?

A

There is no writing or record to preserve the stories

5
Q

If writing was not originally intended to preserve literature , what was its purpose?

A

to preserve economic, political and legal information

6
Q

Where was writing first developed and when?

A

Mesopotamia in around 3300 to 2990 B.C.E.

7
Q

What is “wedge-shaped” writing called?

A

Cuneiform

8
Q

Why was cuneiform a script that could only be deciphered by experts?

A

you had to be familiar with a large number of signs. Also one sign could represent many sounds and a sound could be represented by many signs.

9
Q

What does the word “hieroglyphic” mean?

A

Sacred Carving

10
Q

Who improved upon cuneiform and hieroglyphic writing?

A

The Phoenicians

11
Q

Who added the needed vowels to the Phoenician script?

A

Greeks

12
Q

Who adapted the Greek alphabet for their own language and carved their inscriptions on stone in the same capital letters that we use today?

A

the romans

13
Q

What institution “should remind us not to idealize ancient cultures”?

A

Slavery

14
Q

What two regions of the Mediterranean basin were “particularly receptive to agriculture and animal husbandry”?

A

The valley of the Nile River, and the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

15
Q

Hence, supported by the surplus the land produced, they became centers also for ______, _______, _____

A

government religion and culture

16
Q

Why does it make sense to consider the ancient Mediterranean and Near East as a single, albeit complex, unit?

A

It makes sense to consider them as one unit because there were large-scale cultural exchanges between the Mediterranean and near east as a result of trade, colonization and imperialism

17
Q

The Egyptian Hymn to Aten and the Hebrew Bible appear as exceptions to the polytheism of most ancient cultures. Which of these two, the Egyptian or the Hebrew, suggested that “other gods do not exist”?

A

Neither

18
Q

Which of these two was more important, orthopraxy or orthodoxy?

A

Orthopraxy was more important than orthodoxy.

19
Q

For the ancient cultures under discussion, the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, composing alternative stories about the gods was deemed heretical? True or False. Justify your answer:

A

False, composing alternative stories about the gods was not deemed heretical because cult practices were highly localized and there was no written record of the myths or creed.

20
Q

The Greeks of historic times were presumably a blend of ________ and ________

A

Native Tribes and Indo-European Invaders

21
Q

When did the ‘dark ages” of Greece end?

A

8th Century BCE

22
Q

Were the Greek city-states ruled by a centralized government?

A

No they were independent from eachother

23
Q

What major empire dominated the Near East and Mediterranean in the sixth century?

A

The Persian Empire

24
Q

Sparta was an oligarchy or a democracy?

A

Oligarchy

25
Q

Was Persia able to defeat the Greeks?

A

No, Greece won decisive battles at Marathon and Salamis and kept them free from invasion.

26
Q

Athens (Attica) was an oligarchy or a democracy?

A

Democracy

27
Q

Athens was a direct or a representational democracy?

A

A direct democracy

28
Q

After defeating the Persians, Athens and Sparta became friends or enemies?

A

Enemies

29
Q

Who was the first anthropological historian?

A

Herodotus

30
Q

Who was the first political historian?

A

Thucydides

31
Q

Besides history, what other genres of literature developed in 5th century Athens?

A

Medicine and philosophy also developed in the 5th century.

32
Q

Who was the most famous of the Sophists?

A

Socrates

33
Q

What is dialectics?

A

Dialectics is formal system of reasoning which uses questions and answers to investigate the truth of theories and opinions.

34
Q

Athens underwent an oligarchic revolution from 411-404 BCE only to return to its democracy. True or False

A

True, shortly after Athens was overtaken by Sparta it returned to a democracy.

35
Q

Who was executed as one of the first actions of the new democratic government

A

Socrates

36
Q

Who inherited a powerful army and the political control of all Greece and then went on to defeat the Persian empire?

A

Alexander, King Philip’s son

37
Q

The simple vernacular Greek is known as:

A

koine (“the common language”)

38
Q

Rome emerged as a world power in 201 BCE after its defeat of

A

Carthage

39
Q

Was Rome ever a democracy

A

No, from 509 B.C.E it was a republic.

40
Q

The Roman republic lasted until:

A

The Roman civil wars in the first century B.C.E

41
Q

Whereas Athenians prided themselves on adaptability, versatility, and grace, the Roman idea of personal and civic virtue was based on a sense of:

A

tradition, a myth of old Roman virtue and integrity

42
Q

List here the names of any Roman authors mentioned on this pages;

A

Cataullus, Virgil, Ovid, Marcus Aurelius

43
Q

List here the names of any Greek authors that these Roman authors may have borrowed from:

A

Sappho, Homer