Everyday life: hunting, armour and weapons, chariots, clothing and trade - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World) Exam Questions

Practise 34 exam-style questions on Everyday life: hunting, armour and weapons, chariots, clothing and trade for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

34 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Figure 1 shows the shape of the Warrior Vase, found at Mycenae and dated to about 1200 BC.

What type of vessel is it?

Line drawing of a Mycenaean pottery vessel. Line drawing of a large, deep bowl with a very wide mouth, two large loop handles at the top on either side and a low foot. A wide, pale band runs round the upper body between painted lines (it is empty), and painted lines decorate the lower body. Nothing is labelled.

Model answer

A krater, a large bowl used for mixing wine with water.

Explanation

The Warrior Vase is a krater from the House of the Warrior Vase, just inside the walls of Mycenae near Grave Circle A. Its painted frieze shows a line of six soldiers marching out, with a woman raising her arm at the left. As a mixing bowl it would have been used at feasts, so its scene of soldiers was meant to be seen by guests.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A krater (a bowl for mixing wine with water)
Accept 'krater', 'crater', 'mixing bowl'. Do not accept 'amphora', 'stirrup jar', 'kylix', 'pithos' or 'vase' alone.

Question 2

2 marks

Give two items of clothing worn by Mycenaean men.

Model answer

Mycenaean men wore kilts and short tunics.

Explanation

Early Mycenaean art, influenced by Minoan art, shows men in short kilts or loincloths; later, longer tunics became more common, and warriors wore corslets and greaves over a short tunic, as on the Warrior Vase. Clothing was made of wool and linen, both recorded in great quantities on the Linear B tablets.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First valid item
Two from: kilt / loincloth; short tunic; (later) longer tunic; belt; corslet / body armour worn over a tunic (warriors); greaves (warriors); cloak; sandals or boots. Max 2. Do not accept items of women's dress such as flounced skirts or open bodices.
1 mark
Second, different valid item
As above; must be a different item from the first.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: the 'Lion Hunt Dagger' from Shaft Grave IV at Mycenae (about 1550 BC). On one side of the bronze blade, a scene is inlaid in gold, silver and black niello. A line of hunters, protected by huge body shields and armed with long spears, advances on a lion; one hunter draws a bow. The lion has turned on the hunters, and one man lies beneath its paws. Beyond it, two other lions run away.

What impressions of hunting do you gain from Source A? Make two points.

Model answer

Hunting seems very dangerous: the lion has turned on the hunters and one man already lies beneath its paws. It also seems to have been like warfare, needing teamwork and full military equipment, because a line of hunters advances together with huge body shields and long spears, supported by an archer.

Explanation

Lion hunting was an activity of kings in the Near East, and the dagger presents its owner's world as heroic and aristocratic. Whether Mycenaean lords really hunted lions in Greece is uncertain, as lions were probably rare, so the scene may be partly symbolic. The precious materials and the find-spot in a royal shaft grave show the status attached to hunting.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of hunting, 1 mark for a relevant reference to the source that supports it. The evidence mark is awarded for a relevant reference even if the point is missing, weak or wrong. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
Two pairs from, e.g.: it was dangerous (1) - one man lies beneath the lion's paws (1); it needed teamwork / organisation (1) - a line of hunters advances together (1); it was like warfare / training for war (1) - huge body shields, long spears, a bow (1); it was prestigious / an elite activity (1) - shown in gold and silver on a precious weapon buried in a royal grave (1); hunters were brave / heroic (1) - they advance on a lion that has turned on them (1); it could be successful (1) - two other lions run away (1). The second pair must make a different point from the first. Points must come from the source.
2 marks
Second, different point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
As above; must be a different impression from the first.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A is a drawing of a Mycenaean chariot (Figure 1).

To what extent were chariots more important to the Mycenaeans as status symbols than as weapons of war? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Line drawing of a Mycenaean chariot (side view, without horses). Side view of a light Mycenaean two-wheeled war chariot, facing right, without its horses: a box (car) made of a light frame with a high front and a curved hand rail, on a floor over the axle, which is at the back of the box; a light wheel with four spokes; and a long draught pole running forward from under the box and curving up to the yoke, which fitted over the necks of a pair of horses. The label "Hand rail" points to the curved bar along the top edge of the car; the label "Box (car)" points to the light frame the riders stood in; the label "Yoke" points to the cross-piece at the front end of the long pole; the label "Pole" points to the long curved bar running forward from under the car; the label "Wheel" points to the large wheel; the label "Four spokes" points to the spokes of the wheel; the label "Axle (at the back)" points to the centre of the wheel, under the back of the car.

Model answer

Source A shows a light two-wheeled chariot with four-spoked wheels, a small box and a pole and yoke for two horses. Such a vehicle was very expensive: it needed trained horses, skilled craftsmen and constant upkeep, so only the elite could own one, and much of the evidence presents chariots as status symbols. The carved stelae over the shaft graves of Grave Circle A show men in chariots, linking the vehicle with the ruling elite even in death. A fresco from Tiryns shows two women riding in a chariot, probably to a hunt, and a gold ring from the shaft graves shows a stag being hunted from a chariot. Chariots were painted on kraters used at feasts, and in Homer they are raced at the funeral games of Patroclus.

On the other hand, the palace records treat chariots as military equipment. Linear B tablets at Knossos list chariots together with horses and corslets, and tablets at Pylos record chariot wheels, which suggests the palaces maintained chariot forces. The Dendra panoply, with its heavy plates and high neck guard, seems designed for a warrior who rode in a chariot rather than fought on foot. The light design in Source A suits speed and manoeuvre in battle.

However, Greece is rocky and mountainous, with few large plains, so massed chariot charges like those of the Egyptians and Hittites were probably impossible. Chariots were more likely used to carry elite warriors to and around the battlefield, as in Homer, where heroes ride to battle and then dismount to fight on foot. Even in war, then, the chariot was partly a mark of rank.

Overall, chariots were both, but for the Mycenaeans they were more important as symbols of status and as transport for the elite than as decisive weapons of war, even though the palaces kept them as part of their military equipment.

Explanation

Strong answers combine art, Linear B, burials and Homer, and consider geography as a reason why chariots may have been less useful in Greek warfare. A judgement that explains how status and military use overlapped earns the top level.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of Mycenaean chariots and the evidence for their use (art, Linear B, burials, Homer), using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on whether chariots mattered more for status or for war, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic; limited range of evidence, some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A: light two-wheeled chariot, four-spoked wheels, small box, pole and yoke for two horses. Evidence: carved stelae from Grave Circle A showing men in chariots; the Tiryns fresco of women riding in a chariot; a gold ring from the shaft graves showing a stag hunted from a chariot; chariots on painted kraters (some exported to Cyprus); Linear B tablets at Knossos listing chariots with horses and corslets, and chariot wheels at Pylos; the Dendra panoply, probably for a chariot warrior; Homer: heroes ride to battle and dismount to fight, chariot race at Patroclus' funeral games. AO2: status - very expensive (horses, craftsmen, upkeep); owned by the elite; shown with the elite dead and at the hunt; used in processions and races. War - palace records list them with armour, so they were military equipment; Dendra armour suits a chariot fighter; light design suits fast movement. Limits - Greek terrain is rocky and hilly, unsuited to massed chariot charges like those of Egypt and the Hittites; chariots may have been used mainly to carry elite warriors to battle, as in Homer; art and Homer may idealise. Judgement: e.g. both, but in Greece chariots were mainly elite transport and display rather than decisive weapons.

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