Ancient Greece Lesson 3 Athens’ Age of Glory

Vocabulary Assembly Jury Philosophy Peloponnesian War Pericles Socrates Plato Acropolis Parthenon

Read Aloud If Athenians living in 500 BC could somehow have traveled 65 years into the future, they would ha ve been amazed by what they saw. In the city’s harbor many ships would be tied t a long dock leading straight to a huge trading area. People could buy a wide range of goods, from Egyptian papyrus to Italian cheese, with coins from Athens or Persia. Walking up the road to the city---now surrounded by walls—they would have seen grand stone temples where for simple one had once stood. Athens, clearly, was flourishing.

The Big Picture Sea power and unity with other Greek states brought victory in the Persian War. Other city-states paid Athens to protect them from Persia Money used to build a navy Navy made Athens powerful Other money used to improve life in the city 460 – 430 BC- Athens Golden Age

Golden Age of Athens Same lifestyle A walk Through Athens Life still revolved around the acropolis and the agora Citizens voted on events Festivals were the same as earlier A walk Through Athens Acropolis was religious center of Athens Reflected the city’s wealth Parthenon – temple to Athena Population now 100,000 people

Activity in the Agora At the foot of the Acropolis in the agora Shopkeepers Lawyers students Bulletin Board – people would leave messages read posters Goods sold Perfume Vegetables Clothing Haircuts Vases

Athenian Government Assembly – made government decisions Representative government 10 demes

A Great Statesman Pericles Made sure all people, rich and poor, participated in government Sat on juries Served on assembly Paid participants so they could afford to miss work.

Philosophy in Athens Philosophy – search for wisdom Best government Socrates – the right way to live Began questioning religion of polytheism Corrupting the minds of the youth 399 BC – sentenced to death Plato – S’s student Aristotle – P’s student

Greek Architecture Doric Ionic Corinthian No base Square capital Bore great weight Ionic Round base Fluted Scroll capital Corinthian Cantus leaves capital

Floor plan of temples 8 columns wide 16 columns long Colonnade or peristyle stylobate Antis Porch Opistheodamos Celia

Pediment Colonnade Entablature tri

War and Conflict Peloponnesian League – Sparta and others Athenian League – Athens and allies Result was Peloponnesian Wars in 431 BC Sparta’s army burns Athenian farmland to starve them out Ships controlled Aegean Sea Sparta won land battles Athenians won sea battles and brought food War deadlocked Athenians die from disease- 1/3 of population including Pericles Spartans cut off grain supply Athenians starved and surrendered Thucydides – “War is a violent teacher.”

End of a Golden Age For 50 years the power shifted from Sparta to Athens. Greece weaken Threats now come from outside Greece

Why It Matters 500-400 BC – Alexander the Great the new threat Improved democracy Built temples Search for knowledge Created drama Alexander the Great the new threat