1. Chapter 6-Greece, Golden and Hellenistic Ages

2. “Golden Age of Greece” Lasted from about 480BC-430BC, only 50 years
Period between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
Athens was the center of Greek culture at this time

3. Greek Architecture Temples had the finest architecture
Surrounded by a colonnade
3 types of columns: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

5. Temples
Triangle shaped pediment with sculpture on top, which were painted with bright colors
Had a shrine inside with a statue to honor one of the Gods

6. Acropolis of Athens-Parthenon
After the Persian Wars, Athens rebuilt the Temple of Athena Parthenos (virgin) –the Parthenon-on its acropolis
One of the most beautiful buildings in the world
Built of white marble
Perfectly balanced proportions 4:9
Used counter-optical illusions, called optical refinements, to make it look perfect to the human eye

7. Optical refinements
A “perfect” building will not look perfect, due to natural optical illusions.
So the Greeks deliberately compensated for the natural optical illusions with “counter” optical illusions.

8. Optical refinements

9. Acropolis of Athens-Parthenon
Had a 38 ft. ivory & gold statue of Athena inside
Heavily damaged in 1687 when it was used as for ammunition storage during a war, and blew up!

10. Vase Painting Best preserved examples of Greek painting are on vases.
Scenes from mythology or everyday life, which tell us a lot about life in Greece
Either black on red, or red on black; red being the natural color of the clay

11. SCULPTURE
Original Greek statues are rare; we mostly know them from Roman copies
Early Greek sculpture was stiff and straight, like Egyptian painting
By 400’s BC, figures were graceful, rounded, lifelike, but more beautiful and physically fit than any real person . Often nude & male
The Discus Thrower Poseidon

12. SCULPTURE
Funeral Stele of Hegeso

13. Greek Art-General Characteristics
Glorified the human individual and showed the individual at his best, physically and mentally.
Was displayed in public for public enjoyment and the honor of the polis
Showed harmony, balance, order, moderation

14. Greek Philosophy Literally-”love of wisdom”
Study of the basic questions of reality and human existence
Earliest Greek philosophers were interested in what the universe was made of, like theoretical physicists; often called cosmologists
For example: Democritus theorized that everything is made of tiny indivisible particles he called “atoms”.

15. Greek Philosophy-3 greatest
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle

16. Greek Philosophers-Socrates
I’m Socrates. I wander around Athens asking people questions and driving them crazy.
Roamed around the Athenian agora, talking to people
Asked questions to force people to test their own ideas.
Socratic method-teaching through asking questions

17. Greek Philosophers-Socrates
I’m Socrates. The Athenians put me on trial and executed me!
Falsely accused of denying the existence of the Gods and corrupting the youth
Put on trial and found guilty.
Refused to escape; was executed by being forced to drink poison.

18. Greek Philosophers-Plato
I’m Plato, student of Socrates. I believe in the “forms”.
Student of Socrates, who wrote his own philosophy in the form of dialogues between Socrates & other people in Athens
Founded the Academy-a school of philosophy in Athens
Theory of “Forms”-all material things are imperfect expressions of perfect, universal ideas, which he called “Forms” .

19. Greek Philosophers-Plato
Allegory of the Cave-We are like prisoners in a cave; the material things we see are like shadows on the wall of the cave ; the “real” things, the “Forms”, are outside the cave
Identified God with the “Form of Goodness”, the highest “Form”

20. Allegory of the cave:Ted-Talks

21. Allegory of the cave:Ted-Talks

22. Allegory of the cave:clay-mation

23. Allegory of the cave-funny version

24. Video-Plato

25. Greek Philosophers-Aristotle
I’m Aristotle. I classify and categorize.
Student of Plato
Unlike Plato, believed that material
things are real
Believed every field of knowledge should be studied logically;
Wrote scientific works, & classified many things, including plants and animals, into systems
Also studied & wrote:
Ethics-what is good;
Poetics-analyzed drama;
Politics-analyzed different forms of government
He was the tutor of Alexander the Great

26. Video-Aristotle

27. Greek Approach to Science
Scientists of earlier civilizations explained natural events as the work of the Gods
Greek scientists explained the natural world in terms of natural laws, that could be discovered through reason

28. Greek Mathematics-Pythagoras
Pythagoras believed that everything could be explained in terms of mathematics & that mathematics was the ultimate reality
Developed the Pythagorean Theorem
Established a special community of mathematicians, who lived by strict rules and ate no meat (or beans!), which combined math with mystical religious teachings

30. Greek Science- Hippocrates
Regarded as the founder of medical science
Wrote medical studies, based on observation, experiment and experience
Believed that disease comes from natural causes, not punishment from the Gods
Believed in rest, fresh air, proper diet.
Doctors still take the “Hippocratic Oath”, a pledge to follow a code of ethics
From the Hippocratic Oath: “Use treatment to help the sick. . . never with a view to injury “
I’m Hippocrates. 1st rule of medicine: Do no harm!

31. HISTORIANS-Herodotus
“Father of history-First historian of the western world
Traveled to Babylonia, Phoenicia & Egypt and included descriptions of these countries in his writings
Wrote the History of the Persian Wars
Probably exaggerated at times, and “fictionalized” conversations
However, he usually noted whether he had seen something himself or heard about it from others.

32. HISTORIANS-Thucydides
2nd great Greek historian
Wrote: History of the Peloponnesian War
Tried to be accurate and fair to both sides; far less biased than Herodotus
Tried to analyze the deeper causes of the war and of events during the war
Believed that studying the past helps us understand human nature.

33. Greeks were the first to write “drama”-plays with dialogue and conflict
1, 2 or 3 actors; also a chorus, a groups of performers, who spoke together and spoke or sang the lines

34. They performed wearing oversized masks of wood, cloth or leather.
Plays were often performed in honor of the god Dionysus.

35. Greek Theaters
The theaters were usually semi-circular and built into a hillside.
In Athens, there was an annual dramatic competition

36. Main types of plays Tragedies Comedies
Often the main character was punished for hubris-the sin of pride.’
Comedies
Hilarious. Made fun of real people and institutions.

37. Tragedy Most famous writers of tragedy
Aeschylus-wrote about religion and the nature of justice
Sophocles-wrote about the deeper Greek values
“What do you do when God’s law says do x, but man’s law says to do y?
Euripides-questioned accepted beliefs.
“The Trojan Women”-Tragedy written to protest the cruelty of the Peloponnesian War

38. Aristophanes-most famous writer of comedy
Absolutely hilarious.
“Clouds”-made fun of Socrates for his theories about education.
“Lysistrata”-comedy written to protest the Peloponnesian War

40. Ted Ed – Greek drama