1. Chapter 5 Section 3 Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age
Golden Age of Athens
477 B.C. – 431 B.C.

2. Pericles’ Plan for Athens
Pericles was a statesman who influenced life in Athens for 32 years.
Pericles had three goals

3. 1. Create a Stronger Democracy
Increased number of public officials and they were paid
Pericles developed a direct democracy.
What is it?
Citizens rule directly, not through representatives

4. 2. Athenian Empire
Pericles took money from the Delian League’s treasury to strengthen the navy
Other members of Delian League were treated as part of the empire
Peloponnesus cities (Sparta) resisted Athens and formed their own alliances

5. 3. Glorifying Athens
Without League’s approval, Pericles used money to beautify Athens

6. Glorious Art and Architecture
Wanted to create magnificent sculptures and buildings like the Parthenon

7. Architecture and Sculpture
Phidias worked on the Parthenon
Works portrayed ideal beauty not realism
These works became known as classical art
Phidias

8. Drama and History
Greeks created drama as an art form and built the first theaters

11. Tragedy and Comedy Tragedy: serious drama about common themes
Hero usually had a flaw such as hubris.
3 tragedy writers
Aeschylus who wrote Oresteia a story based on Agamemnon
Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King and Antigone
Euripides wrote Medea

12. Tragedy and Comedy Cont.d’
Comedies had slapstick and crude humor
Aristophanes wrote The Birds and Lysistrata

13. History Homer’s records are not accurate.
Herodotus accurately reported events
Athenian Thucydides was the greatest historian

14. Athenians and Spartans Go to War
Other Greek city- states looked at Athens in a negative way
431 B.C. Sparta declared war on Athens

15. Peloponnesian War Athens vs. Spartans
Athens had a stronger navy, Sparta had a stronger army
Pericles wanted to avoid land battle and attack on the sea
Spartans marched into Athenian territory and burnt their food supply

16. Peloponnesian War Cont.d’
Pericles brought people into the city walls
Food could be brought by ships that sailed into the ports of Athenian colonies.
2nd year of war a plague swept through Athens killed 1/3 of the population including Pericles.
421 B.C. a truce was signed

18. Sparta Gains Victory Peace didn’t last
415 B.C. Athenians sent a fleet with 20,000 soldiers to Sicily attempting to destroy Syracuse, Sparta's ally
413 Athens was defeated
In 404 B.C. Athenians and allies surrendered

19. Philosophers Search for Truth
2. People can understand these laws through logic and reason.
Athenians questioned Democratic government
Philosophers emerged to seek the truth and based their findings on two assumptions
1. The universe is put together in an orderly way and subject to absolute and unchanging laws.

20. Philosophers Search for Truth
Protagoras, a philosopher in the Sophists group, questioned the existence of traditional Greek gods

21. Socrates Critic of the Sophists
Stated absolute standard did exist for truth and
justice
Either people admired him or thought he was strange
He encouraged students to examine their beliefs
Asked them questions to show that people had contradictory opinions
These question/answer sessions led to the Socratic method

22. Socrates Cont.d’
399 B.C. he was brought to trial for “corrupting the youth of Athens” and “neglecting the city’s gods”
Socrates said his teachings were good
Jury condemned him to death
He drank hemlock and died

24. Plato Student of Socrates Founded a school called the Academy
Wrote his most famous work, The Republic
Described his perfectly governed society
Not a democracy

25. Plato Cont.d’ His ideal, citizens fell into three groups
Farmers and artisans, warriors, and ruling class
His rivals, Socrates and his pupil Aristotle
PLATO
ARISTOTLE

27. Aristotle
Questioned the nature of the world and human belief, thought and knowledge
Invented a method for arguing according to logic.
This provides the basis of the scientific method used today.

28. Aristotle Cont.d’ Opened a school called the Lyceum.
Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedonia, was one of his most famous pupils
Taught him at age 13 until he was called back home at age 16.