Monday, February 12, 2018

Gods, Spartans, Triremes

Who's who in the pantheon

  • Zeus- Ruler of heaven and earth; father of Athena; god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. Had a temper and was known to hurl thunderbolts.
  • Athena- Goddess of wisdom, skill, warfare (and peace), intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts. She was born from zeus's forehead 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
    • Associated with the sun, his sister with the moon
  • Poseidon- God of the sea, rivers, floods, earthquakes 
    • Zeus's brother
  • Aphrodite- Goddess of love, beauty, desire, sexuality 
    • her lovers include Ares (god of war), Adonis (demigod of desire), and Unionizes(a mortal who fathered a baby)
  • Demeter- Goddess of grain, harvest, agriculture
    • Zeus's sister
The fighting spartans

  • Greeks were certainly a war like people - especially the spartans 
  • Spartans were known for their tough, ruthless infantry 
  • Spartan boys trained from the time they were seven
  • Real spartans were much more fearsome than those oily gym rats in the movie.
Athens - naval power

  • Athens had a great infantry, too, but nothing could compare to their navy.
  • Their most effective weapon was the Trireme
Trireme

  • A technological marvel
  • Fastest ship in the world at the time
  • Rowed up to 170 men on three levels
  • Could be used as a battering ram
  • Agile, fast

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