Greek Achievements Art, Philosophy, & Science

Statues and Paintings ✦ People were portrayed in their ideal form, paying close attention to details. ✦ Marble and stone were realistically carved, showing muscle and detail of fabric. ✦ Painting on pottery were usually only done in two colors (red and black)

Orders of Architecture ✦ Greek architecture had three orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian. ✦ Each of these orders is clear when you look at the building’s columns. Dori c Ionic Corinthia n (simple ) (scrolls ) (acanthu s leaves)

Temples ✦ Were designed using columns on the exterior ✦ The Parthenon is the most impressive of temples still standing. ✦ The exterior and interior were decorated with carvings. ✦ Phidias created a large statue of Athena on the inside.

Writing ✦ Greeks created new forms of writing (drama and history) ✦ Drama was part of religious ceremonies. ✦ Scenes were performed by actors and singers to honor the gods. ✦ Attending these plays became one of the most popular form of entertainment

Writers of Tragedies ✦ Described hardships faced by Greek heroes ✦ Famous writers of tragedy: ✦ Aeschylus - the father of tragedy ✦ Sophocles - wrote the famous play “Oedipus the King,” about a man who unknowingly kills is his father.

Comedies ✦ Made fun of people and ideas ✦ Aristophanes - used comedy to make serious points about war, courts of law, and famous people

History ✦ Thucydides was an Athenian who wrote about the Peloponesian War. ✦ He tried to keep his account neutral. ✦ Other historians after Thucydides wrote in a similar style.

Philosophy ✦ A group of people who began to question the explanations about life that Greek mythology gave. ✦ Believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain, and understand life.

Socrates ✦ The greatest philosopher ✦ Socratic method - would teach by presenting a question and then challenging the answer. ✦ He encouraged students to question their own beliefs. ✦ This made leaders angry and he was tried and found guilty of corrupting the youth. ✦ His friends and students watched on as Socrates was given hemlock, drank it, and died.

Plato ✦ Was a student of Socrates ✦ Started a school - The Academy ✦ His most famous writing was The Republic ✦ The Republic talked about Plato’s idea for an ideal society based on justice and fairness, and run by philosophers.

Aristotle ✦ A student of Plato ✦ Believed everything should be done in moderation (not too greedy nor too giving) ✦ Believed moderation was based on reason (clear and ordered thinking) ✦ Made great advances in logic. He argued that you could use facts to figure out new facts. ✦ Aristotle inspired Greek scientists to look closely at the world we live in.

Mathematics ✦ Euclid - was a mathematician who focused on geometry ✦ Many of the geometry rules you study in math comes from him. ✦ Hypatia - female who taught mathematics and astronomy

Medicine ✦ Doctors studied the human body to understand how it worked. ✦ Hippocrates - wanted to find ways to cure disease. ✦ Best known for the Hippocratic Oath - how doctors should behave.

Engineering ✦ Made discoveries that we still use today. (especially the methods in which we build large structures) ✦ Archimedes - a scientist who invented the water drill still used by farmers to bring water from a lower level to a higher one to water crops. ✦ Some inventors even came up with mechanical toys.

Review ✦ What were the two main types of art? (Describe) ✦ What were the three orders of architecture? ✦ Who were the three main philosophers? ✦ Who were Euclid and Hypatia? ✦ What discoveries were made in engineering?