The Glory of Greece

The Glory of Greece

Even amongst the war and turmoil, great things came out

of Greece
Philosophers lovers of wisdom, explored logic, music,

mathematics
They believed they could discover laws that could govern

the universe
Modern science traces his roots to the Greeks

Debating Morality and Ethics

Greeks were interested in ethics and morality
Debated: whats the best type of government? What

standards should rule human behavior?

Developed the skills of rhetoric (the art of skillful thinking)
The philosophers were accused of undermining Greek

values

Socrates
Was an Athenian stonemason and philosopher
All we know about him comes from his student Plato Would pass his days in the won square asking people about their

beliefs
He would use the Socratic Method challenging people on their

answers
When he was 70, was pt on trial, sentenced to death for

corrupting the citys youth and disrespecting the gods

Plato
Sets up a school called the Academy
He emphasized the importance of reason Argued people could discover ethics, beauty, and how to best

organize a society
Wrote the Republic where he talks about how the state

should govern
Believed in 3 classes: workers, soldiers, philosophersthe

Philosopher King would have the ultimate authority

Plato (cont.)
Plato believed in general that men surpassed women in

physical and mental tasks

However, he believed women were superior to some men

Plato

Plato

Aristotle
Was Platos most famous student
Analyzed all forms of government (monarchy and

democracy) and found good in all of them

Was suspicious of democracy, favored single rule by a

virtuous leader
Believed in living a life of moderation

Set up his own school known as the Lyceum for the

study of all branches of knowledge

????????????
Why might some of the

philosophers ideas be a threat to Greek tradition?

Architecture and Art

Greek architects tried to show a balance reflecting

harmony in the universe

Most famous example is the Parthenon

Sculptors
Early Greeks imitated Egyptian style
By 450 BCE, a more natural style developed that was

idealistic of a prefect form

Greek paintings only survive on pottery and offer views on

Greek life

Greek Literature
Greek literature begins with the epic poems of Homer
In later times, the poems of Sappho spoke of love and

beauty
Tragic Drama=Based on popular myths and legendsthey

would perform these tragedies in large outdoor theaters

Playwrights
Greatest ones were: Aeschylus and Sophocles
In Orestia, Aeschylus shows a powerful family torn apart

by betrayal and murder

In Antigone, Sophocles explores what happens when a

persons morals conflicts with the laws of the state

Greek Comedy
Some playwrights wrote comedieshumorous plays that

mocked people and customs

Almost all the surviving plays were written by

Aristophanes
Comedies ridiculed individuals such as: political figures,

philosophers, prominent members of society

History (my favorite)

Greeks applied observation, reason, and logic to the study of

history
Herodotus, often called the father of Western history, visited

many lands and collected a wealth of information..he wrote a great account of the Persian War
Thucydides, wrote an account of the Peloponnesian War Both of these individuals set the standard for future

historiansincluding the greatest one of all time

This Guy

Alexander and the Hellenistic Age

In 338 BCE, Athens fell to the Macedonian Army
This began a new age of dominance by Alexander the

Great
Conquest begins with Philip II at the battle of

Chaeroneaall of Greece brought under his control

Macedonian Conquest
Philip wanted to take the Persian Empire, however was

assassinated before this could happen

Alexander the Great comes to power, begins his conquest

of Persia at the Granicus River

He marched through Asia Minor, Palestine, and Egypt

before eventually taking Babylon

Alexanders Conquests (cont.)

Alexanders conquest went as far east as India
In 326 BCE, his troops faced elephants in battle for the first

time
Alexander, only 32, dies of fever
His empire is divided into thirds.Macedonia/Greece,

Egypt, Persia

Alexanders Legacy
Alexander was able to introduce Greek culture into the

regions he conquered
He eventually married a Persian woman and encouraged

his soldiers to follow his example

With Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian influence came

the Hellenistic Culture

Alexandria: The Cultural Capital

Was located in Egypt
You could find Greek marble, Arabian spices, and East

African ivory there

Eventually became home to almost 1 million people
A museum and library were built there that housed many

cultural artifacts..fire later destroyed the library

New Roles for Women

Women no longer restricted to their homes
Royal women had considerable power working alongside

their husbands who were rulers

Cleopatra eventually comes to power to rule Egypt

Hellenistic Arts and Sciences

Temples, palaces and other buildings were much larger

and grander
New philosophy of stoicism comes aboutpreached

high moral standards and to avoid desires and disappointments by accepting life
Stoicism later influenced Roman and Christian thinkers

Math and Astronomy

Pythagoras develops a formula to calculate the relationship

between the sides of a right triangle

The theory of a heliocentric universe comes about Archimedes mastered the use of the lever and the pulley In 400 BCE, Hippocrates studies illnesses and looked for cures Hippocratic Oath: help the sick according to my ability and

judgment but never with a view to injury and wrong