h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: A Brief History of Greece - A3803447
Author: Gnomon - [ 3 stars - off to Budapest and Greece next week ] - U151503

I think this is finished, although I still need to add links to it. I'll do that in the next few days, hopefully, but I thought it was important to get this into Peer Review as soon as possible.

Seems fairly complete to me, so I'll just nitpick in the bits in know.

"People have been living Greece" - "People have been living in Greece"

In my Classical Civilisation class we always pronounced Mycenae "My see knee" not "My see nigh"

You might add a bit about the dorians building in wood, so that none of their buildings survive.

Greek Urns showed scenes from mythology as well as everyday life! Pots would be more accurate, as well. If you're interested, the timeline goes:
1. Processing animals and floral patterns - the Corinthian style, black figure.
2. Stories from mythology - Athenian style, black figure and red figure.
3. Everday scenes - Athenian style, red figure.
Black figure is where they painted the figures - red figure is where they painted the background. Sorry if you knew this already, but I'm never sure how much to assume.

I think the plays need a bit more of a mention - an Athenian idea performed in honour of the God Dionysus in a 3 day festival. Tragedies and satyr plays were performed, based on traditional mythology. Tragedies took the form of trilogies. Only one playwright could win. The 3 most famous playwrights are Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripidies.

I'd like at least a passing mention to the Greek temples - the Acropolis at Athens, and the Parthenon?

And that's the end of the era I know about! You'll have to get someone else for the rest.

Thanks for that.

How much to assume people know?

With me, assume I know nothing. I know a lot less than most people think. I think that's how I'm good at understanding how little the reader knows, and pitching my Entries accordingly.

I've already written an extensive entry on Greek Temples, so I won't say much about them, but just link to it.

I've added in the details of the urns, as provided by 'Arty Fish Yule In Telly Gents'.

I haven't changed the pronunciation of Mycenae. Where are you from?

Teg Down Meads,
Winchester,
Hampshire,
England,
Europe,
The Northern Hemisphere,
Earth,
The Solar System,
The Orion Arm,
The Milky Way,
The Universe,
SO22 5NP

The 'correct' pronunciation of Mycenae would be the way the locals pronounced it. In the Classical Era it was pronounced Mee-kay-nah-ay. But we're not really interested in that here. What we want is the way it is normally pronounced in British English.

Anybody else got an opinion on the pronunciation of Mycenae?

Well, it's useful for me to know how it is pronounced in English, I don't think I'd have correctly guessed without that. I f ever I should talk about it to an English person, I hope it will spare me the blank look I got at tzhe meet when I mispronounced a name (based on my knowledge of grammar).

Agreed. So now we need to find out how it is pronounced in English, since Artifical In Telly Gents disagrees with me on the pronunciation.

I'd have guessed it was pronounced My see nay

I think when it was mentioned in my Ancient History classes (though it may not have been, I might be imagining it) it was My-see-nee. That's not to say my teacher was right though.

First of all, major, major for taking on something so ambitious and pulling it off so well.

"Most of us will have heard of Zeus, Poseidon and Aphrodite, although we know them by their Roman names of Jupiter, Neptune and Venus."

I disagree. I think plenty of people have heard of both and know that the Romans appropriated the Greek gods. Unless I'm misinterpreting what you said.

"There were three main styles, from earliest to latest: Corinthian style, showing animals and floral patterns in black figure; Athenian style, showing scenes from mythology in both black and red figure; and Athenian style, showing everyday scenes in red figure."

Is that two types of Athenian style, showing different things? In which case, what is meant by Athenian style?

"Unfortunately, Alexander died suddenly"

Unfortunately is an opinion. I'm sure the people he was invading were quite happy about it. I have a half-finished entry on him, must finish it some time.

"Although the Greeks would describe the 400 years of Turksih rule" - Typo.

I'll change it so say "although we may know them by their Roman names".

I unfortunately don't know about the Athenian Style, as that information was provided in Peer Review by 'Arty Fish Ellen Telly Gents'.

I'll remove the "Unfortunately" from Alexander dying suddenly.

I think I've dealt with all those points.

My dictionary gave the pronunciation of Mycenaean as ending in -ee-un, so I'm happy with My-see-nee for the city.

I've reworded the red and black pots slightly to avoid the phrase "Athenian Style".

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant, but was too hamfisted to write correctly. Good work.

And by the way... you can call me Arty Fish

Thanks, Arty!

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very well timed