CLAS 104 EXAM REVISION QUESTIONS
AND 100% CORRECT ANSWERS!!
Where is Hippodamia from?
Elis (in the Peloponnese)
Who is Hippodamia's father?
King Oenomaus
How does Pelops win the hand of Hippodamia?
All her suitors must have a chariot race with her father and the loser is killed. Pelops wins by
bribing the kings charioteer to take linchpins from the kings chariot so he crashes and dies during
the race (in some versions Pelops wins with help from Poseidon)
Who is King Oenomaus' charioteer?
Myrtilus
Why does Myrtilus curse Pelops and his descendants?
Myrtilus thought that he would be given Hippodamia to sleep with as a reward for helping
Pelops win the race, when this doesn't happen he tries to rape her. Pelops discovers him and
throws him off a cliff and Myrtilus curses him as he falls to his death
Who are Pelops and Hippodamia's sons?
Atreus and Thyestes
What are Atreus and Thyestes fighting over?
Who will be king of Mycenae, which an oracle stated to be for a son of Pelops
What must Atreus and Thyestes obtain to win the city?
A ram with a golden fleece
Who brings the fleece to Atreus?
Pan
,How does Thyestes get the fleece from Atreus?
He sleeps with Atreus' wife (Aerope) who gives him the fleece
How does Atreus get revenge on Thyestes?
After dethroning and banishing Thyestus, Atreus pretends to be reconciled with him and invites
his back to Mycenae for a banquet. Atreus kills all Thyestes sons except one and feeds them to
him. Thyestes does not notice until he has eaten them and curses Atreus
Which son of Thyestes does Atreus not kill?
Aegisthus
Who is Agamemnon?
Son of Atreus, becomes next king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war
Who is Agamemnon's wife?
Clytemnestra
Agamemnon's children
2 daughters: Iphigenia and Electra
1 son: Orestes
Who is Agamemnon's brother?
Menelaus, husband of Helen
Where do Agamemnon's troops gather before going to war?
bay at Aulis
What delays Agamemnon's troops from setting sail?
The winds are too strong. A seer informs Agamemnon that they are caused by Artemis because
two of his hawks attacked a pregnant hare
What does Agamemnon do to appease Artemis?
He sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia
, Who does Clytemnestra have an affair with?
Aegisthus, son of Thyestes
How do Clytemnestra and Aegisthus kill Agamemnon?
She welcomes him home kindly at first and then they kill him in the bath by throwing a net over
him and stabbing him (stabbed at a banquet in some versions)
Who is Cassandra?
Prophetess whose curse is that no one will believe her, brought home as a concubine by
Agamemnon, murdered by Clytemnestra
What does Orestes do when he learns of his fathers murder?
He kills Aegisthus and Clytemnestra with the help of Electra
How is Orestes guilt decided after he commits matricide?
He is pursued by the furies who avenge patricide (only he can see them). The question of guilt is
brought to the court because he was avenging his father. He seeks purification at the temple of
Apollo at Delphi. Eventually Athena grants him absolution when the mortal jury is deadlocked
What is the riddle of the Arcadian fisherman?
All that we caught we left behind, all that we missed we carry (A: lice)
Said that Homer died when he couldn't solve the riddle
What is Homer's connection with Ionia (in Northern Asia Minor)?
Both of his great epics (Odyssey and Iliad) are written in Greek Ionic dialect
Historical inconsistencies in Homer's epics
- the time of the Trojan war is not the 8th or 7th centuries BC, but the earlier Mycenaean bronze
age (believed to be 12th century BC)
- Site of Troy believed to be in the Troad (northern asia minor) not Mycenae
AND 100% CORRECT ANSWERS!!
Where is Hippodamia from?
Elis (in the Peloponnese)
Who is Hippodamia's father?
King Oenomaus
How does Pelops win the hand of Hippodamia?
All her suitors must have a chariot race with her father and the loser is killed. Pelops wins by
bribing the kings charioteer to take linchpins from the kings chariot so he crashes and dies during
the race (in some versions Pelops wins with help from Poseidon)
Who is King Oenomaus' charioteer?
Myrtilus
Why does Myrtilus curse Pelops and his descendants?
Myrtilus thought that he would be given Hippodamia to sleep with as a reward for helping
Pelops win the race, when this doesn't happen he tries to rape her. Pelops discovers him and
throws him off a cliff and Myrtilus curses him as he falls to his death
Who are Pelops and Hippodamia's sons?
Atreus and Thyestes
What are Atreus and Thyestes fighting over?
Who will be king of Mycenae, which an oracle stated to be for a son of Pelops
What must Atreus and Thyestes obtain to win the city?
A ram with a golden fleece
Who brings the fleece to Atreus?
Pan
,How does Thyestes get the fleece from Atreus?
He sleeps with Atreus' wife (Aerope) who gives him the fleece
How does Atreus get revenge on Thyestes?
After dethroning and banishing Thyestus, Atreus pretends to be reconciled with him and invites
his back to Mycenae for a banquet. Atreus kills all Thyestes sons except one and feeds them to
him. Thyestes does not notice until he has eaten them and curses Atreus
Which son of Thyestes does Atreus not kill?
Aegisthus
Who is Agamemnon?
Son of Atreus, becomes next king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war
Who is Agamemnon's wife?
Clytemnestra
Agamemnon's children
2 daughters: Iphigenia and Electra
1 son: Orestes
Who is Agamemnon's brother?
Menelaus, husband of Helen
Where do Agamemnon's troops gather before going to war?
bay at Aulis
What delays Agamemnon's troops from setting sail?
The winds are too strong. A seer informs Agamemnon that they are caused by Artemis because
two of his hawks attacked a pregnant hare
What does Agamemnon do to appease Artemis?
He sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia
, Who does Clytemnestra have an affair with?
Aegisthus, son of Thyestes
How do Clytemnestra and Aegisthus kill Agamemnon?
She welcomes him home kindly at first and then they kill him in the bath by throwing a net over
him and stabbing him (stabbed at a banquet in some versions)
Who is Cassandra?
Prophetess whose curse is that no one will believe her, brought home as a concubine by
Agamemnon, murdered by Clytemnestra
What does Orestes do when he learns of his fathers murder?
He kills Aegisthus and Clytemnestra with the help of Electra
How is Orestes guilt decided after he commits matricide?
He is pursued by the furies who avenge patricide (only he can see them). The question of guilt is
brought to the court because he was avenging his father. He seeks purification at the temple of
Apollo at Delphi. Eventually Athena grants him absolution when the mortal jury is deadlocked
What is the riddle of the Arcadian fisherman?
All that we caught we left behind, all that we missed we carry (A: lice)
Said that Homer died when he couldn't solve the riddle
What is Homer's connection with Ionia (in Northern Asia Minor)?
Both of his great epics (Odyssey and Iliad) are written in Greek Ionic dialect
Historical inconsistencies in Homer's epics
- the time of the Trojan war is not the 8th or 7th centuries BC, but the earlier Mycenaean bronze
age (believed to be 12th century BC)
- Site of Troy believed to be in the Troad (northern asia minor) not Mycenae
