Homeric Battle Gear Quiz | Languages

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the generic term for any sort of "gear," be it weapons, armor, or even ship tackle?

Answer: teukhos

Connected, of course, to the verb "teukhO," "make, do." "teikhos" is a wall, "tukhE" is luck or chance, and "tekhnE" is craft or skill.

2. Like any good Homeric hero, you begin by putting on your armor. And also like any Homeric hero, you have a passage devoted to this process, designed to contain enough bizarre new words to strike fear into the reader of sight passages. But anyway. Which of these is NOT a piece of shining armor you would want to don?

Answer: doru

Your "korus" is your helmet, so you "korusseis son koruthon." Your "thOrEx" is your breastplate, so you "thOrEsseis" your "thOrEka" (I just love these verbs.) Your "knEmides" are your greaves, so you can now be one "euknEmis akhaios"!

3. Next you fasten on your beautiful, expensive, and sharp-edged sword, which of course happens to be either a gift from a friend or a piece of booty stripped off the corpse of a slain enemy. What word would Homer use?

Answer: xiphos

Another word would be "phaskanon." In Linear B, a "pa-ka-no" is a real sword, whereas the two "qi-si-pe" seem to be just nice knives. The "kOpE" is the hilt, fastened on to the blade with bands of dark metal called "melandeton." You keep it in a sheath, a "kouleon," and wear the whole assemblage with a "telamOn," a baldric.

This, of course, brings up the question of why Ajax' father's name is the same word. Beats me.

4. Next comes your shield. Whether it offers the full-body protection of Ajax' or Hector's massive shield, or is one of those small, light, two-handled ones, it's the same word. What is it?

Answer: aspis

One of the large, head-to-toe shields would be described as "amphibrotE" or "podEnekEs." It is held over the left shoulder with a strap, a "telamOn," and a metal ring on the inside, a "porpax." One of the smaller shields would be described as "pantos' eisE" (e-isE, where the ei is not a diphthong).

It would have four to seven "rhinoi," layers of oxhide, and a boss, an "omphalos." Some had concentric metal rings, called "dinOtEs." Achilles' famous shield does not seem to fall strictly into either category.

5. Finally comes your weapon of choice, the spear. Which of these words does NOT mean "spear," or is not some metonym for "spear"?

Answer: korus

A spear is properly an "egkhos." The shaft is the "doru," which can also mean a beam. The point is the "akOkE" or the "aikhmE." The "porkEs" holds the spearhead onto the "aulos," the socket at the end of the shaft. The lower end of the spear has a "saurOtEr," or metal point.

The "surigx" is the spear case (among other things.) And lest you forget, the "kaulos" is the upper end of the spear, and the "ouriakhos" is the lower end. Whew. That's a lot of words to describe a spear. Then again, it was a very important piece of equipment.

6. So, you're all suited up and armed to the teeth. You're covered in bronze, and so you feel more unwieldy than Oscar the Grouch in his trash can. Instead of walking to the battlefield, you decide to ride out to the battlefield in your "harma," also known as your "diphros." What would this be?

Answer: Chariot

These chariots are all two-person chariots, one warrior, one charioteer. "harma" and "diphros" seem to be used interchangeably. If you really want to learn all the parts of a chariot, you should consult your friendly neighborhood "harmatatopEgos anEr" (chariot-maker person), or, failing that, your trusty Homeric dictionary!

7. Oh no. You've thrown both your spears, and you've broken your sword trying to smash through Hector's helmet. What do you grab now?

Answer: petron

Ever notice that Homeric heroes love throwing rocks? They throw rocks at each other even if they still have their swords. Witness some of the great victims or would-be victims of rock throwing: Hector, Aeneas, Hector's charioteer...

8. Bows seem to have a mixed reputation. In the Iliad, bows are for wimps. Alexander, Pandarus, and Teucer were master archers, but who ever paid attention to them? In the Odyssey, our hero heroically fires off his bow when it's payback time for the suitors. In either case, what's the word?

Answer: toxon

If you're really special, like Apollo, you can be "argurotoxos," Mr. Silverbow. The bowstring is a "neurE," the curved tip of the bow you hook it over is the "korOnE," and the case is the "gOrutos."

9. Which of these is NOT a word for "arrow"?

Answer: neurE

The plural of "ios" is "ia." You keep your arrows in a "pharetrE," a quiver. It seems a puzzle that there are so many synonyms for "arrow," while only the single word for "bow." In any case, there is an excellent archery scene in Book 1 of the Iliad, as well as the in denouement of the Odyssey.

10. Though not in this instance employed as an actual weapon, the "pelekus" has a very memorable role in one of the most important scenes in the Odyssey. Hence, it features in this quiz. What, pray tell, is a "pelekus"?

Answer: Axe

This would be the word for the line of axes which Odysseus sets up as an archery contest. Like the suitors, many have tried, but none have succeeded in figuring out how the axes were set up, or even the nature of the holes to shoot through. Oh well. Job security for the Homerists, eh?

Source: Author pu2-ke-qi-ri

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Leau before going online.
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Homeric Battle Gear Trivia Quiz

Not sure where to fasten those "knEmides"? Can't decide between your sharp-edged "xiphos" or your trusty "egkhos"? Then work out all your weaponry woes with this quiz!

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