Warrior women in Greece: Penthesilea and the Amazons - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World) Exam Questions

Practise 27 exam-style questions on Warrior women in Greece: Penthesilea and the Amazons for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient 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.

27 questions
1–8 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

The Bassae frieze, now in the British Museum, comes from a temple high in the mountains of Arcadia, in the Peloponnese. To which god was this temple dedicated?

Model answer

Apollo (Apollo Epikourios, 'the Helper').

Explanation

Pausanias says the temple was built for Apollo Epikourios because he had saved the people of Phigalia from a plague, and that its architect was Iktinos, who also designed the Parthenon. Its frieze of Greeks fighting Amazons and Lapiths fighting Centaurs ran round the inside of the cella.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Apollo / Apollo Epikourios (Apollo the Helper)
Accept Apollo Epicurius. Do not accept Athena, Zeus or Artemis.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: an Athenian black-figure amphora by Exekias, about 530-525 BC (British Museum)

Achilles, in full armour, with a crested helmet that hides his face, strides forward and stabs his spear into the throat of the Amazon queen Penthesilea. She has sunk to one knee in front of him; her body twists back and she looks up into his face. She wears a helmet that leaves her face uncovered, a short tunic and a leopard skin.

Give two ways in which Exekias shows in Source A that Penthesilea is being defeated.

Model answer

Penthesilea has fallen to one knee so that Achilles towers over her, and his spear is already stabbing into her throat. She is also less protected: her face is uncovered, while Achilles is in full armour with his face hidden by his helmet.

Explanation

Exekias uses the composition to show the result of the fight: the diagonal of Achilles' body and spear drives down on to the kneeling queen. Many viewers also see the meeting of their eyes as the moment Achilles falls in love with her, which makes her defeat tragic as well as triumphant.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Any one way, from Source A: she has sunk to one knee / she is lower than Achilles; his spear is stabbing into her throat; he strides forward and towers over her / dominates the scene; she has to look up at him, helpless; her face is exposed while his is protected / she is less well protected (a tunic and leopard skin against his full armour).
Each way must come from the source.
1 mark
A second, different way from Source A (as above).

Question 3

3 marks

Figure 1 shows where the sculpture was placed on the Parthenon in Athens (447-432 BC). The plan shows what was carved on the metopes of each side; the subject of the west metopes is marked A.

What was shown on the west metopes, marked A? Explain why this subject was suitable for the Parthenon.

Two views of a Greek temple. The heading reads "Figure 1". Two views of a Greek temple; a key under the left view says that dotted areas are carved sculpture. Left, headed "East end": the front of the temple, with 8 columns on three steps, a band of dotted square panels alternating with grooved blocks above the columns, and a dotted triangular gable with an ornament on the top and each corner. Right, headed "Cross-section": a section across the building. From the outside in on each side: an outer column, with the beams above it cut through and a dotted block on their outside face; a covered walkway with a panelled ceiling; an inner wall with a dotted band high up on its outside face, just under the walkway ceiling; then, inside, a stack of two small columns, and in the middle a tall figure on a wide base with a round shield beside it. A pitched roof covers everything. Below is a plan of the building labelled "Plan" (a compass shows north up and east on the right): a row of small squares runs round the outer edge, a dotted band runs round the inner building, a black diamond sits in the middle of the east end of the dotted band, and a dotted triangle is folded out flat at each end. The label "Metopes" points to a dotted square panel in the band above the columns of the end view; the label "Frieze" points to the dotted band high on the outside face of the right-hand inner wall, under the walkway ceiling, in the cross-section; the label "Pediment sculpture" points to the dotted triangular area in the gable of the end view; label A points to the row of small squares along the west (left) end of the plan; the label "Metopes: Gigantomachy" points to the row of small squares along the east (right) end of the plan; the label "Metopes: Trojan War" points to the row of small squares along the north (top) edge of the plan; the label "Metopes: Centauromachy" points to the row of small squares along the south (bottom) edge of the plan.

Model answer

A shows the Amazonomachy, the battle between the Athenians led by Theseus and the invading Amazons. It suited the Parthenon because the Amazons had attacked Athens itself and camped opposite the Acropolis, just as the Persians did when they burned the temples there in 480 BC, so showing the Amazons defeated celebrated the Athenian victory over Persia. Like the Centaurs and Giants on the other sides, the Amazons also stood for chaos and barbarism defeated by civilised Greeks.

Explanation

The four sets of metopes all show civilisation against barbarism, and the Amazonomachy was the one battle fought in Athens itself. The theme was repeated on the outside of the shield of Pheidias' great statue of Athena Parthenos inside the temple.

Mark scheme

1 mark
The Amazonomachy / Greeks (Athenians, Theseus) fighting the Amazons.
Do not accept Centauromachy, Gigantomachy or the Trojan War (shown on the other sides).
2 marks
Explanation: 1 mark for each valid reason why the subject suited the Parthenon, or 1 for a reason and 1 for its development.
E.g.: the Amazons invaded Athens and were defeated by Theseus, Athens' own hero, defending the city; the Parthenon was built after the Persians had sacked the Acropolis in 480 BC, so the Amazons (eastern invaders, shown in Persian-style dress) stood for the Persians defeated by the Athenians; like the other metopes (gods v Giants, Lapiths v Centaurs, Greeks v Trojans) it shows order and civilisation defeating chaos and barbarians; the Amazons were women who broke the natural order, so their defeat showed Greek male order restored; Athena, goddess of the temple, was a warrior goddess who protected Athens; the same subject was on the shield of the Athena Parthenos statue inside.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: an Athenian black-figure amphora by Exekias, about 530-525 BC (British Museum)

Achilles, in full armour, his face hidden by a crested helmet, lunges forward and drives his spear into the throat of the Amazon queen Penthesilea. She has sunk to one knee in front of him. She wears a helmet that leaves her face uncovered, a short tunic and a leopard skin, and her skin is painted white. Her head is turned up towards him and their eyes meet. Their names are painted beside them.

To what extent do Greek sources present Penthesilea as an admirable heroine rather than simply a defeated enemy? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Greek sources do present Penthesilea as admirable, but her admirable qualities are always shown in the moment of her defeat. Exekias treats her with great respect. She is armed like a warrior, with a helmet and leopard skin, and her name is written beside her, as Achilles' is, as if she were a hero of equal rank. While Achilles' face is hidden behind his helmet, hers is uncovered, so the viewer's sympathy is drawn to her, and the meeting of their eyes suggests the tradition that Achilles fell in love with her as she died. Literary sources also honour her: in the Aethiopis, as Proclus summarises it, she is a daughter of Ares who comes as an ally of the Trojans and is killed while performing great deeds, an aristeia like that of a male hero. Only Achilles, the greatest Greek, can kill her, and the Trojans give her burial; Apollodorus adds that she killed many Greeks, including Machaon.

On the other hand, she is always the defeated party. In Source A she has sunk to her knee, the spear is already in her throat and Achilles towers over her, so the scene celebrates his victory. Achilles' love comes only when she is helpless or dead, which suggests that Greeks could admire her as a beautiful woman only once she was no longer a warrior; Thersites even mocks Achilles for it. Her story also exists to show off Achilles' strength.

Overall, Penthesilea is presented as an admirable, even tragic, heroine, but never on equal terms: Greek sources admire her courage and beauty precisely because her defeat by a Greek man is certain, which reinforces the idea that women, however brave, must give way to men.

Explanation

The best answers analyse how Exekias directs sympathy (faces, eyes, names) and use literary knowledge (the Aethiopis, Achilles' love, Thersites) to judge whether admiration outweighs the message of defeat. A conclusion that admiration and defeat go together, rather than simply choosing one, is a strong substantiated judgement.

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 the Penthesilea myth and its presentation, 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 how far Penthesilea is presented as an admirable heroine, 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 of Penthesilea or the Amazons, with a limited range of evidence and 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 answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - she is armed and dressed as a warrior (helmet, leopard skin); her face is visible and their eyes meet while Achilles' face is hidden; she is on one knee with his spear in her throat; her name is written beside her. Own knowledge - Penthesilea, daughter of Ares, came from the Amazons to help Priam and the Trojans after Hector's death (Aethiopis, summarised by Proclus); she performed great deeds (an aristeia) before Achilles killed her; the Trojans buried her; Achilles killed Thersites, who mocked him for loving her; Apollodorus says she killed many Greeks, including Machaon, and that Achilles fell in love with her after her death; in later versions he removes her helmet and is struck by her beauty; a red-figure cup by the Penthesilea Painter (about 460 BC) also shows the moment of her death. AO2: Admirable - daughter of the war god, she fights like an epic hero; only the greatest Greek can kill her; she is honoured with burial; her beauty and Achilles' love make her a tragic figure who wins sympathy; Exekias makes her face the emotional centre. Simply a defeated enemy - every version ends with her death; Exekias shows Achilles dominant and her kneeling; her worth is measured by a man's love only when she is dying or dead, so she is admired as a beautiful woman rather than as a warrior; the Thersites episode shows such love could be mocked; the story glorifies Achilles more than her. Judgement: e.g. she is presented with real admiration, but always within a story whose purpose is her defeat.

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