Questions tagged [ancient-greece]
Ancient Greece was a civilization centred around the Greek peninsula, that lasted from the 8th century BC to the end of the classical antiquity era (ca. 600 AD).
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What influence did the Ancient Greeks believe the stars held upon everyday lives?
Spin-off of this question.
What sort of influence did the stars have on everyday life in the beliefs of the ancient Greeks (5th BCE to 2nd CE, approximately), and how is this influence excercised? ...
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What did the Ancient Greeks think the stars were?
I've managed to find quite a bit of information around the internet about how the Greeks (5th BCE to 2nd CE, approximately) conceived of the motions of stars and planets (Almagesta, etc), but I'm ...
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Who was Dionysodorus of Melos?
I am trying to find information about Dionysodorus of Melos. Although he is mentioned by ancient writers, Wikipedia seems to ignore his existence, because it mentions three men by the name ...
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Did ancient Greco-Roman people think their thoughts/feelings came from spirits or gods?
So I know this question probably sounds a bit odd. But I was told by someone that ancient people believed their thoughts, feelings, and even some of their actions were prompted by spirits or gods, ...
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Were ancient Greece tridents different designs from other historical examples?
For a tattoo, I'm researching the trident as a spearfishing tool and a weapon. The one I'd like to depict should be one from ancient Greece, preferably around 400 BC (the time when Plato lived).
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Are these depictions of ancient Greek and Roman libraries "scroll-shelves" historically accurate?
In some modern depictions of ancient Greek and Roman libraries or studies, I sometimes see shelving units specifically designed for scrolls.
These feature cubby-hole style compartments of squarish ...
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Was it known in ancient Rome and Greece that boiling water made it safe to drink and if so, what was the theory behind this?
I believe wine was mixed with water because it tasted better than plain water -- it had the positive side effect of killing bacteria.
But if no wine was available, was plain water drunk? Did people ...
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How big were the armies of the Mycenaean Civilization during the Late Helladic Period and during the Late Bronze Age Collapse?
Just about how many soldiers could you expect to encounter during the Late Helladic Period and the Late Bronze Age Collapse in Mycenaean Greece? Did they have a significant number of camp followers ...
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Alexandria by Islam Issa--Did Artistotle know Latin or Hebrew?
I started reading the book Alexandria by Islam Issa, which is a history of the City of Alexandria, Egypt. However, early on, there was one detail that seemed really off, and I wanted to get feedback ...
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Which Greek word was used in the text "Charmides" which was translated as "science" in some translations, or as "knowledge" in others?
I wanted to know which Greek word was used in the text Charmides which was translated as "science" in some translations and as "knowledge" in others.
For example,
“Isn’t medicine ...
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Did Romans collect notes/minutes/protocols of Senate meetings? Ditto Greeks?
Did Romans have official note-takers of important meetings, such as Senate debates? If so, did any of them survive?
Similarly for Greeks. Plato's "Apology" is the closest thing to minutes ...
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How do we know the Alexander Mosaic actually depicts Alexander the Great in the Battle of Issus?
This overlaps slightly with this question; That question is more general about statues and can naturally be applied more generally to other historical depictions of important figures. In this question ...
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When/where did men with families get less "disposable"? [closed]
Herodotus tells us that when Leonidas selected three hundred Spartans to face the Persian army he chose "all fathers of families, who had left sons at home to succeed them". My ...
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How were streets lit at night, before street lights were invented? [closed]
For example, how were the streets of ancient Greek cities and of ancient Rome lit at night? I suspect that street lights as we know today didn't exist in ancient Greece and Rome, so there were other ...
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Where was the theater in Byzantium?
As a Hellenistic city, there must have been a theater or maybe even an amphitheater in Byzantium, which would have also been present during the Constantinople era, but never have I seen or heard any ...
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Which text asserts that "An assembly with no minority/opposition should be dissolved"?
This 19th century Jewish work, section 20 of Benjamin Aryeh Hakohen Weiss's "Even Yekarah”, refers to an ancient gentile text (this usually means Ancient Greece, but not necessarily) which ...
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What is the work Academicorum Philosophorum Index Herculanensis, and how reliable is it?
I've been reading some text1 from a weird Turkish author, who writes about politics and philosophy in a deliberately obscure fashion. In one of his texts, he says that he read a quote from Plato "...
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Why were male oracles replaced by female oracles?
Joeseph Fontenrose, a renown classicist, writes on Didyma:
It is now certain that after 334 BC, a prophetess spoke the responses
of Apollo Didymeus, as at Delphi a woman received Apollo's inspiration
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Was Pythagoras against traditional/contemporary Greek education?
There were, however, among the wise men some who despised the knowledge of the orators, lexicographers and schoolmasters, and cavilled at those who devoted themselves to these professions. To these ...
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What happened to the rowers during boarding actions in ancient Greece?
My research thus far has led me to the following conclusions: The main methods of dispatching enemy ships during naval combat in ancient Greece was by ramming and by boarding, with ramming being the ...
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Could skirmishers pass through friendly formations in ancient/medieval warfare? [closed]
I'm trying to get a visualization of how skirmishers were used in historical battles, especially during ancient Greek warfare. Could skirmisher formations pass through friendly formations? As in was ...
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When did Athenian archers pepper Spartan hoplites with arrows for days on an island?
The heading is basically all I remember from school. The hoplites lacked mobility and were thus harassed for day by the lightly armored Athenian archers. Athenian victory.
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What were the Oriental influences on Heraclitus?
I'm reading Karl Popper's The Open Society and its Enemies. In chapter two, he mentions in passing that Greek philosophers such as Heraclitus were influenced by oriental ideas.
Is he referring to ...
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Why is a piece missing in an English translation of Herodotus Histories?
Original text from Herodotus "Histories" (Book One, chapter 203):
ἡ δὲ Κασπίη θάλασσα ἐστὶ ἐπ᾽ ἑωυτῆς, οὐ συμμίσγουσα τῇ ἑτέρῃ θαλάσσῃ. τὴν μὲν γὰρ Ἕλληνὲς ναυτίλλονται πᾶσα καὶ ἡ ἔξω ...
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How did the Ancient Greeks forge and shape metal gears?
The closest to answer I've gotten is this video:
Wikipedia: Making gears by hand without machines
However, I don't really know if Archimedes and his contemporaries would have the above tools or not. I'...
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Did Democritus of Abdera, Thrace accuse the Jews of sacrificing Greeks in their religious rituals?
I was on Wikipedia reading about Blood Libel when I came across the following sentence:
The earliest known antecedent is from a man named Democritus (not the philosopher) mentioned in the Suda,[15]......
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What were the names of these two Ancient Greek boxing/pankration legends?
Does anyone know the name of — and hopefully references — the two following ancient Greek boxing legends, mentioned in this video by MMA coach Ramsey Dewey?
A boxer who, in sudden-death overtime, ...
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Why is syncretism mostly described through an "interpretatio graeca", rather than any other polytheism? [closed]
Ancient Greeks such as Herodotus thought other culture's gods (e.g. Egyptian) are actually same deities as theirs, just having different names.
For example, Plutarch said
Not different gods for ...
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What would a simple Carthaginian bronze coin have bought?
I possess a Carthegian Zeugitania bronze coin which was reportedly minted around 220 BC between the First and Second Punic War. It is 16mm wide and features Tanit on the reverse. My query is what ...
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Did the polytheist Greeks or Romans call their priests “father”?
I assume not, but perhaps it has just escaped me, because I am so used to this form of address from the Greek Orthodox Church. There might be texts showing that some of them did, or texts commenting ...
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How did ancient Greek city-states secure mines to mint coins?
I have a basic question about mines and coinage.
I have read that different cities minted their own coins. The Athenians were lucky with the Laurion mines which contained silver. But what did cities ...
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Were there political parties in ancient Greece?
So I'm reading a Spanish translation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War and he frequently mentions a "popular party". For example:
That is why the Athenians made many other ...
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Are there historic references to sorcerers and their scrolls?
According to 'Acts 19:19' (of the Christian bible):
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the ...
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What was this king/ warrior's exact name (AGATHOFLIS)
I'm reading some books (in Arabic) about north African history, and exactly the Igilgili (modern day Jijel ) region and I found a story about a warrior / king who tried to conquer the region (4th ...
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Where did Theophrastus write about a "a common chest" into which funds are placed in case of a member's hardship?
Theophrastus was a pupil of Aristotle in Greek circa 371-287 B.C. The claim is that, in some unnamed writing by Theophrastus, he makes a mention of how some people in Ancient Greece would pool their ...
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Have any cultures had a four-element system different from fire, earth, air (or wind), and water?
Ancient Greek culture (Empedocles, Aristotle) had fire, earth, air, and water. Such a system is also known in Buddhism and alchemy. Sometimes the third of these elements is conceived as wind.
Hinduism ...
user46904
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How did Athenian citizens living standards compare to that of other Greek city-states?
Athenian democracy
Athenian democracy is described as having been a direct democracy whereby the citizens directly controlled all parts of the political process.
World History Encycopedia
In Athenian ...
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Ancient Greek term rendered incorrectly as numbers and Latin letters, "01KCDÇ". What is it?
In a book I am reading, I've spotted an error and would like to know how to correct it:
In the Athenian 01KCDÇ, for example, the family was based on a system of individual members which moved out, ...
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Did Rome annex Byzantium, the Greek city state, around 47AD?
This well-received YouTube video claims that Rome annexed Thrace in 45AD and then the Greek City State of Byzantium in 47 AD. Byzantium is also the last surviving Greek City State after the Rome ...
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How did Greeks view tall people, and was there a social premium placed on height?
Today, being more tall as a man is viewed as a positive attribute, but I wonder how it was viewed by the ancient Greeks. Was it better for a man to be short or tall.
The only instance I have is that ...
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Why do the bases of these pillars have grooves in them?
While exploring the ruins of the city of Perga we saw many things that looked like this:
It looks like the base of a column (though maybe it is a capital?). I am curious why there is a radial groove ...
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What is the correct publication date for Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War?
At Archive.org: Thucydides - The Peloponnesian War I found a digital edition of the subject work as translated by Rex Warner (9 March 1905 – 24 June 1986) with a purported publication date of 1916.
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As far as Themistocles's journey after his exile is concerned why do modern historians conclude that Plutarch meant Thasos instead of Naxos?
I am referring to the flight of Themistocles after his ostracism. When he finally reached Macedon and to Pydna he tried to reach Asia via a merchant ship. Thucydides says that a storm forced him to ...
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Where does Herodotus discuss judging the wisdom of decisions by the evidence at hand vs. the consequences?
Physicist/statistician Edwin T. Jaynes, in a broad overview of the history of ideas about reasoning amidst uncertainty (precursors to Bayesian inference), attributes an early articulation of an ...
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Would an Athenian citizen, reduced elsewhere into slavery, remain a slave if brought back to Athens?
I understand that it was common at one time for debt defaulters in Athens to be driven into a form of slavery, or bonded servitude, and that Solon abolished this practice and freed all such bondsmen. ...
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Did Plato practice pankration?
At what level, if at all did Plato practice the martial art of pankration and what direct evidence do we have for believing so?
Pankration is a Greek martial art; a sort of bare knuckles MMA in that ...
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Did Empedocles think that plants have sexes?
I was reading the book Flora Unveiled: The Discovery and Denial of Sex in Plants by Lee Taiz and Lincoln Taiz published by Oxford. In Chapter 8, "Plant sex from Empedocles to Theophrastus", ...
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Where were there fractal structures in ancient Rome?
I am looking for some examples of fractal or fractal-like structures and patterns in ancient Rome. I did some research but did not find much. On this topic I only found this article Scipedia.com where ...
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How did the Ptolemaics inherit the tradition of royal incest?
Cleopatra (VII), the last queen of Egypt, was forced to marry her younger brother to keep the royal blood in the family. This, of course was a form of royal incest.
From what I understand, the ...
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What were the demographics of the ancient Crete (any population estimates from 500BCE to 1BCE will do)?
I am looking for any estimates on the population of ancient Crete in the time period 500BCE to 1BCE.
I have searched for such estimates on google but I haven't found anything relevant.
(Note: The ...
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