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Greece’s Cultural Contributions
Mythology, Olympics, Culture, and Philosophy Greece’s Cultural Contributions
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Objectives: Essential Questions:
How did mythology help the early Greek civilization explain the natural world and the human condition? What impact did Greek mythology have on later civilizations and the contemporary world? What were some important contributions of Greek culture to Western civilization? Student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of ancient Greece in terms of its impact on Western civilization by: Describing Greek Mythology and religion Citing contributions in drama, poetry, history, sculpture, architecture, science and mathematics
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What is Mythology? A term that shows emphasis on exciting stories rather than precise moral laws Morals come from philosophies Greek Mythology is polytheistic
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Greek Gods Zeus: Chief ruler of the gods Hera Athena Apollo Aphrodite
God of the sky, lightening and thunder Hera wife of Zeus and protector of marriage Athena goddess of wisdom and crafts Apollo God of the sun and poetry Aphrodite Goddess of love Poseidon God of the Seas Hades God of the Underworld Artemis Goddess of the Hunt, Apollo’s twin sister
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Part of life Each city-state had a special guardian
Guardian was celebrated with special prayers , gifts, rituals, and festivals. Helpful to keep Gods in good moods No moral guidance or hope of happy afterlife Oracles: Locations where you could ask the Gods questions Answers were interpreted by Priests
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A different religion Greek mythology differed from other religions in that it was more an attempt to understand human qualities than divine ones. The gods and goddesses represented human strengths and weaknesses Moral issues were left for the humans to solve themselves. No single source of written scripture such as the Qur’an or the Bible
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Mythology Myths gave the Greeks explanations to questions they couldn’t answer Greek mythology still continues to influence the Western world in literature, art, architecture, and politics
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A way to honor to Gods: The Olympics
Athletic contests Several games: Isthmos games held every two years at the Gulf of Corinth Pythian games held every four years at Delphi Most Famous: held at Olympia, took place every four years The Ancient Olympics started roughly around 700 B.C.E to honor Zeus
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The Ancient Olympics No women allowed
Not even to watch Only Greek nationals could perform Performed nude Inside temple at Olympia was Phidias's statue of Zeus, an Ancient wonder of the World Originally a one-day festival of athletics and wrestling By 472 B.C.E it had expanded to five day and many more events One the “middle day” or third day of the festival 100 oxen were sacrificed to Zeus
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Events Races Wrestling Boxing Horse-racing Pentathlon
The Stadion (oldest) A sprint one length of the stadium (192 m) 2- Stade Race’ Long distance Between 7-24 stades Race in full armor 2-4 stades Wrestling Had to throw opponent on the ground three times No biting or genital holds Boxing Vicious and brutal Leather and sometimes metal strapped over hands Continued until one opponent acknowledged defeat Horse-racing Confined to wealthy Had to own horse 6 laps of track Also had Chariot races Pentathlon A series of five events Sprinting Long-jumping Used stone weights to increase the length of their jump Javelin Long wooden stick with spear head Usually height of thrower Discus Circle-shaped stone, iron, bronze or lead wrestling
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Greek styles in Art Traditional style Sculpture Parthenon
Used for 200 years Set standards for future artists Sculpture Phidias Sculpture of Athena Figures that were graceful, strong, and perfectly formed Faces only showed serenity Classical Art Valued order, balance, and proportion
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Architecture Balance, Harmony
Parthenon: simple rectangle, tall columns, gently sloping roof Columns: Doric Ionic Corinthian
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Art By 450 B.C. Greek Sculptors feature natural poses
Carved gods, goddesses, men, women to most perfect and graceful form.
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Poetry Epic poems The oldest known Greek literary sources, the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, focus on events surrounding the Trojan War. Both written by Homer In these stories the Greeks interacted with the Gods Humans were differentiated by their lack of miraculous powers The stories of the Gods explained the sorrows and surprises of human life as the whims and actions of the Gods
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Greek Drama Greeks invented it
Productions in Athens were both an expression of civic pride and tribute to the gods Actors used colorful costumes, masks, and sets to dramatize stories about leadership, justice, and the duties owed to the gods. Two kinds of plays: Tragedy Comedy
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Greek Drama 1st plays out of religious festivals
Performed in large outdoor theaters Chorus sang or chanted comments on the action Explored the relationships between people and the gods
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Tragedy Tragedies: told stories of human suffering that usually ended in disaster Purpose to stir emotions of pity and fear
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Greek Tragedies Serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, or betrayal Featured: Main character, or tragic hero Often had extraordinary talents and a tragic flaw Flaw led to hero’s downfall Three famous dramatists: Aeschylus The Oresteia Wrote more than 80 plays Sophocles Oedipus, Antigone Wrote more than 100 plays Euripides Medea Sympathetic to women
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Oresteia Powerful family torn apart by betrayal, murder, and revenge
Saw how pride could cause horrifying misfortune and how gods could bring down even the greatest heroes
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Antigone Explored what happens when an individuals’ moral duty conflicts with the laws of the state Young women whose brother killed in rebellion King forbids her to bury him, she does anyways She is sentenced to death Duty to gods is greater than human law
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Greek Comedies Contained scenes filled with slap-stick and crude humor
Often satires Works that poked fun at the subject Customs, politics, respected people Aristophanes The Birds Lysistrata Allowed for free discussion and criticism
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Writing of History Herodotus Thucydides
“father of history” Visited lands, chronicled information Thucydides wrote about Peloponnesian war Lived through the war Vividly described savagery Set standards for future historians
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Revisit Objectives: Essential Questions:
How did mythology help the early Greek civilization explain the natural world and the human condition? What impact did Greek mythology have on later civilizations and the contemporary world? What were some important contributions of Greek culture to Western civilization? Student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of ancient Greece in terms of its impact on Western civilization by: Describing Greek Mythology and religion Citing contributions in drama, poetry, history, sculpture, architecture, science and mathematics
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