Sculptures Admired for realism, natural look, and details. Sculptors tried to make them look perfect to show how beautiful people could be. Carefully studied the human body, especially how it looked in motion, and then replicated it Paintings Again, admired for realism and detail. Often painted on vases, pots, and other vessels Often showed scenes from myths or athletic competitions Usually created using only black and red (fading over time often makes it appear orange)

Greeks took great care in designing buildings, especially temples. Rows of tall columns surrounded temples to make them look stately and inspiring. Columns in a row create an optical illusion of curving in the middle, so Greek columns bulge in the middle to make them look perfectly straight. Structures and carvings were not just white, but were often brightly painted.

Most famous and impressive of all ancient Greek buildings Located on the acropolis in the middle of Athens. Temple to Athena built in the 400s BC 46 Doric columns Elaborate carvings on the west side show a contest between Athena and the god Poseidon to decide who would be honored in the city. Inside the Parthenon was a magnificent statue of Athena by the sculptor Phidias. Many of the carvings are found in the British National Museum, which is a great source of controversy. Severely damaged in 1687 during a war between the Ottomans and Turks. It was being used to store gunpowder and got blown up. Restoration began in 1975 and is still going on today. Rick Steves From Drone

History Greeks were amongst the first people to write about history. They were interested in the lessons history could teach. Thucydides – one of the greatest Greek historians. He wrote a history of the Peloponnesian War based in part on his experiences as an Athenian soldier. Tried to be neutral in his writing. He studied the war and tried to figure out what had caused it. Later historians modeled their works after his.

Drama Greeks created drama, or plays, as part of their religious ceremonies. Actors and singers performed scenes in honor of the gods and heroes. Actors wore distinct masks. Women’s roles were played by boys or men with high voices. These plays became a popular form of entertainment, especially in Athens. Huge amphitheaters were built where plays could be performed, usually into a hillside which naturally created good acoustics (ability for people to hear even though there were no microphones and the theaters were huge). Epidaurus

Tragedies – described the hardships faced by Greek heroes. Sophocles was the most famous playwright. His play Oedipus Rex tells about a Greek hero who unknowingly kills his own father and marries his own mother. When he later learns that they were his parents, he shoved a pin in his eyes and blinded himself. Comedies – made fun of people and ideas. One famous comedy writer was Aristophanes. He used his comedy to make serious points about war, courts of law, and famous people.

Although the ancient Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses whose actions explained many mysteries of the world, by 500 BC, a few people had begun to think about other explanations. We call these people philosophers. They believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain, and understand life. Greece’s most famous philosophers were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, though there were many others. HH Diogenes

Was a teacher as well as a thinker. Taught by asking questions. Today this type of teaching is called the Socratic method. His questions were about human qualities such as love and courage. He would ask, “What is courage?” When the people answered, he challenged their answers with more questions. Believed that people must never stop looking for knowledge and wanted to make people think and question their own beliefs. He made many people angry and even frightened. They accused him of questioning the authority of the gods.

For these reasons, he was arrested and charged with corrupting the young people of Athens and ignoring religious traditions. He was sentenced to die by drinking poison. He spent his last hours surrounded by his students. One of them, Plato, later described the event in detail: “Then raising the cup to his lips, quite readily and cheerfully he drank off the poison. And hitherto most of us had been able to control our sorrow; but now when we saw him drinking... My own tears were flowing fast; so that I covered my face and wept... Socrates alone retained his calmness: What is this strange outcry; he said... I have been told that a man should die in peace. Be quiet then, and have patience.”

Student of Socrates Teacher and philosopher Created the Academy, a school to which students, philosophers, and scientists could come to discuss ideas. Wrote many works, the most famous of which was called The Republic, which described his idea of an ideal society based on justice and fairness to everyone. To ensure this fairness, Plato argued that society should be run by philosophers as he thought that only they could understand what was best for everyone.

Perhaps the greatest of the Greek thinkers Student of Plato Teacher of Alexander the Great Taught that people should live lives of moderation, or balance. For example, people should not be greedy, but also shouldn’t give away everything they own. Aristotle believed that moderation was based on reason, or clear and ordered thinking. Believed people should think about their actions and how they will affect others. Made great advances in the field of logic, which is the process of making inferences. He argued that you could use facts you knew to figure out new facts. For example, if you know that Socrates lives in Athens and that Athens is in Greece, you can conclude that Socrates lives in Greece. While this is a very simplified example, this idea about logic helped inspire many later Greek scientists. Wrote about logic, physics, biology, politics, ethics, and many other subjects. Aristotle

One of the world’s greatest mathematicians. Lived and taught in Alexandria, Egypt. Wrote about the relationship between math and other fields like astronomy and music. Best known for work with geometry, the study of lines, angles, and shapes. Much of what you will learn in geometry today comes straight from his writings.

Pythagoras Pythagorean theorem HH Pythagoras Stupid Death HH Pythagoras Stupid Death Archimedes Famous Greek mathematician and inventor

Perhaps the most famous Greek mathematician/scientist and inventor. Discovered the relation between surface and volume of a sphere, and its cylinder. Invented the water screw which brings water from a lower level to a higher one. Still used today. Well-known for running through the streets naked, yelling, “Eureka!” after he solved a particularly difficult problem regarding a gold crown. Eureka Story/Archimedes' Principle Real Eureka Story

“Father of Western Medicine” Credited with being the first person to believe that diseases were caused naturally and were not due to superstitions or the gods Made diagnoses and prescribed treatments such as diet, hygiene, and sleep. Hippocratic Oath Founder of Hippocratic School of Medicine