1. Aim: What was the greatest achievement of the Athenian Golden Age?
Do Now: Does truth exist?
NY State Standards 2, 3
Common Core RS 7, 9

2. I The Greek Philosophers
Philosophers are lovers of wisdom. They ask questions and try to answer these questions with logic and reason.
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were the most influential Greek philosophers.
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle

3. Greek Philosophers Continued…
Socrates 470 – 399 BCE
He lead open discussions in the Agora with his students, including Plato who wrote down Socrates’ dialogues.
UNLIKE the Sophists who charged money for their teachings, and believed you can argue anything, Socrates never charged money, and believed that TRUTH does exist.
Developed the Socratic Method; you teach by asking questions, and have the students find the answer themselves.

4. 399 BCE Socrates was arrested for “corrupting” the youth
399 BCE Socrates was arrested for “corrupting” the youth. At his trial he refused to defend himself, and was found guilty. He died by drinking poison hemlock.

5. Greek Philosophers Continued…
Plato 427 – 347 BCE
Believed in a higher reality than the world in which we live in. He believed that ideas are more ideal than the physical world.
Wrote The Republic; he described his ideal society, ruled by philosopher-kings.
Founded The Academy, the world’s first university!
One of Plato’s most important dialogues was the Allegory of the Cave
An allegory is a story that reveals a deeper meaning.

6. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
A group of people have lived in a cave since birth, never seeing the light of day. These people are tied up so that they can only straight ahead. Behind them is a fire, and behind the fire is a partial wall. On top of the wall are statues, which are being manipulated by another group of people, lying out of sight behind the partial wall. Because of the fire, the statues cast shadows across the wall that the prisoners are facing. The prisoners watch these shadows, and because these shadows are all they ever get to see, they believe them to be the most real things in the world. A prisoner is freed from his bonds and ventures outside of the cave for the first time. He sees the sun, trees, flowers and other people. He realizes that what he had though was real were only shadows of reality. The prisoner returns to the cave and excitedly tells the prisoners what he had seen. They laugh at him, thinking it ridiculous that anything more “real” lies beyond their cave.

8. Greek Philosophers Continued…
3. Aristotle 384 – 322 BCE
Used Socrates’ methods of questioning to understand how the world works. This is why Aristotle is often called the father of the scientific method.
It is moral is to follow the Golden Mean in between extremes.
Tutored Alexander the Great.

9. III Greek Architecture
The Egyptians invented columns, but they were not freestanding. The Greeks created 3 types of freestanding columns.

10. The Parthenon is a temple on top of the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena
The Parthenon is a temple on top of the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena. The columns are not all the same size; it is an optical illusion! The architects wanted to show order and symmetry, as they believed the universe to be ordered.

11. Parthenon Reconstruction

12. Parthenon Interior Reconstruction

13. IV Greek Art A) Greek Sculpture EGYPTIAN ARCHAIC GREEK
Early Greek sculpture (800 – 500 BCE) is known as archaic, similar to Egyptian.
EGYPTIAN
ARCHAIC GREEK

14. By 460 BCE Greek sculpture became more detailed and realistic
By 460 BCE Greek sculpture became more detailed and realistic. (Classical Period) Due to the belief that the human body is beautiful. *Unlike later Rome, Classical Greek sculptures were idealized (no imperfections).

15. Greeks decorated vases and amophorae (vase with 2 handles).
Greek Art Continued…
Greeks decorated vases and amophorae (vase with 2 handles).

16. Actors would wear masks to convey their emotions.
V Greek Theatre
Ancient Greek theatre began as festivals to honor the gods.
Different genres (types) of theatre developed.
Tragedies: A hero suffers misfortune due to his own actions.
Comedies: A mockery or satire of society.
Actors would wear masks to convey their emotions.

18. VI The Olympics
The Olympics began in Athens in 776 BCE. The games were dedicated to the Gods, and held every 4 years until 393 CE.

19. What is Sophocles telling us about human beings?
VII Greek Literature
Excerpt from Antigone by Sophocles:
“There are many wonders, and none is more wonderful than man... He turns the dirt with mules, as the plows go back and forth through the fields... And the birds, and the gangs of savage beasts, and the salty sea creatures, he catches them all in nets he weaves… And he figured out how to flee the frost-arrows, when it's too cold to stay outside under the clear sky, and how to get out of the rushing rain; yes, he can do anything.”
What is Sophocles telling us about human beings?

20. VIII Origin of Written History
In the 5th century BCE Herodotus “the father of history” wrote about the history of Greece, Egypt, and other civilizations.
“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”

21. Do not forget… Athens was the birthplace of democracy!
IX Government
Do not forget… Athens was the birthplace of democracy!

22. HW Questions
Draw a chart showing the 3 main Greek philosophers (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) and their main beliefs/achievements.
Do you agree more with Socrates or the Sophists? Explain your position.
If you were Socrates, would you have drank the poison? Why or why not?
What is the main idea behind Plato’s Allegory of the Cave? How do you know? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Describe any two other achievements of the Athenian Golden Age (not philosophers) and why they are important.

23. Key Vocabulary Allegory of the Cave Olympics Amphorae Parthenon
Archaic Greek Sculpture
Philosophy
Plato
Aristotle
Socrates
Classical Greek Sculpture
Socratic Method
Sophists
Comedies
The Academy
Democracy
The Republic
Golden Mean
Tragedies
Herodotus