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Medea
Medea is an enchantress and the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis (a city on the coast of the Black Sea). In Greek mythology, she is best known for her relationship with the Greek hero Jason, which is famously told in Greek tragedy playwright...
Definition
Megara (Wife of Hercules)
Megara was the first wife of the Greek hero Herakles (better known as Hercules). She was the daughter of King Creon of Thebes who gave her in marriage to Hercules in gratitude for his help in winning back Creon's kingdom from the Minyans...
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Orestes & Electra
A marble representation of Orestes and Electra, the children of Agamemnon from Greek mythology. They stand before the tomb of their father and are in mourning as indicated by the postures and short hair of Electra. A stele behind Orestes...
Article
The Value of Family in Ancient Greek Literature
When looking at Ancient Greek literature, one can see the importance family plays in Greek culture. We see this displayed in the Greek works Medea by Euripides and Antigone by Sophocles. Throughout these literary works we see that family...
Article
Hercules and Alcestis: Personal Excellence & Social Duty
For the ancient Greeks, the quality of arete (personal excellence) and the concept of eusebia (social duty) were most important. Aristotle discusses both of these at length in his Nichomachean Ethics and relates arete to eudaimonia - translated...
Definition
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy (sometimes called Helen of Sparta) is a figure from Greek mythology whose elopement with (or abduction by) the Trojan prince Paris sparked off the Trojan War. Helen was the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and considered...
Quiz
Arts and Culture in Ancient Greece
Aesychlus Aristophanes Base Capital Chorus Comedy Corinthian column Dionysus Doric column Drama Entablature Entasis Euripides Frieze Ionic column Metope Pediment Philosophy Satyr play Shaft Skene Sophocles Tragedy Triglyph Socrates Plato...
Video
Ancient Greek Tragedy: History, Playwrights and Performances
Not just the origins of Ancient Greek tragedy, but the origins of theatre itself traces back to classical Athens in the 6th century BCE. Greek theatre was performed in an open-aired venue called a theatron, the most famous being the Theatre...
Definition
Agamemnon (Person)
Agamemnon was the legendary king of Mycenae and leader of the Greek army in the Trojan War of Homer's Illiad. Agamemnon is a great warrior but also a selfish ruler who famously upset his invincible champion Achilles, a feud that prolonged...
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Theatre of Dionysos Eleuthereus, Athens
The 4th century stone version of the Theatre of Dionysos Eleuthereus, on the slopes of the acropolis of Athens. The theatre was orginally constructed in the 6th century BCE.