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Section 3: Greek Mythology and Literature
Chapter 9: Ancient
Greece
Key Terms & Ideas
mythology
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Homer
Sappho
Aesop
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fables
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Myths Explain the
World
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Ancient Greek
Literature
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Notes
A body of stories about gods and heroes that try
to explain how the world works
Poet who wrote “Iliad” and “Odyssey”
Most famous lyric poet, a women, wrote about love
Wrote fables, that taught lessons, using animals
that talk and act like humans
Short stories that teach the reader lessons about
life or give advice on how to live
Greek Gods
o The Greeks believed their gods caused
events to happen, like volcanoes, seasons,
earthquakes, rain, etc…
o They created these myths to explain the
world events around them
Gods and Mythology
o The work of the gods was in events all
around them
o To keep the gods happy the Greeks built
temples to them
Heroes and Mythology
o Some myths were about heroes, actual
people
o Hercules and Theseus
Homer and Epic Poetry
o Describes the deeds of great heroes
o Central to the Greek education
o The poet, Homer, had two great epic
poems, Iliad and Odyssey, great tales of
adventure
o Influenced later writers
Lyric Poetry
o Poems set to music using an instrument
called the lyre
o This is where we get the word lyrics
o Sappho-woman poet
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Greek Literature
Lives
Summary
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Fables
o Gave advice about life taught a lesson
o Tortoise and the Hare
o The Boy who Cried Wolf
Language
Literature an the Arts