february 6

Today in class we took more notes....

direct democracy
- where a state is ruled by its citizens
- ruled based on citizenship
- majority rule decides vote
- in the agora, citizens argued, made speeches, then voted with white stones would be a yes and a black stone would be a no
- it was first practiced in Athens under Cleisthenes around 500 BCE

gods and goddesses 

-What is unique about the Greeks’ relationship with their gods is the interaction with humans
-Poseidon (god of the sea) interfered with Odysseus trying to return home
-Aphrodite (goddess of love) had lovers of both gods and men
-Dionysus (god of wine) was son of Zeus (a god) and of Semele (a human princess)

athena

-Goddess of wisdom, skill,  warfare (and peace), intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts.

-She was born from Zeus' head fully formed and armored.

-A special patron of heroes - such as Odysseus.

-She was the patron of Athens (the city was named after her).

apollo

- god of music, arts, knowledge, healing

-Zeus was his father, Artemis was his twin sister

-he’s associated with the sun, his sister with the moon

poseidon

- god of the sea, rivers, floods, earthquakes

-brother of Zeus, king of the sea and waters

aphrodite

- goddess of love, beauty, desire, sexuality

-her lovers included Ares (god of war), Adonis (demi-god of desire), and Anchises (a mortal who fathered a baby)

demeter

- goddess of grain, harvest, agriculture

-Zeus’s sister

naval work

-Athens had a great infantry, too, but nothing could compare with their navy

their most effective weapon was the trireme

- a technological marvel

-fastest ship in the world at the time

-rowed by up to 170 men on three levels

-could be used as a battering ram

-agile, fast