Chapter 6 Golden Age

Greece’s Golden and Hellenistic Ages

Arts of the Golden Age: Architecture 

Athens was the center of culture in Greece’s Golden Age

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Acropolis was the center of the original city state

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Parthenon was the finest example of Greece Architecture

• white marble temple built in honor of Athena

• Series of columns surrounded the structure • Athena statue was 38 ft high, made of ivory and gold

The Arts of the Golden Age: Painting 

Greek Vases illustrate everyday life and mythological events

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Originally adopted styles from Egypt

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Began with painting animals then human figures

The Arts of the Golden Age: Sculpture   

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Used Mathematical proportions to make sculptures looks lifelike Myron sculpted The Disc Thrower Phidias sculpted Athena and Zeus • Zeus statue was considered one of the seven wonders of the world Praxiteles • Sculpted figures that were lifelike & natural in form and size • Expressed the Greek admiration for the beauty of the human body

The Nature of Greek Art:

Simplicity and Balance

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Glorified human beings

• Reflected ideals of beauty and strength 

Symbolized pride in the city state

• Art meant for public enjoyment • Honored and thanked the gods 

Beliefs in harmony, balance, order, and moderation

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Combining beauty and usefulness

Rise of Philosophy

Rise of Philosophy 

Study of basic questioning of reality and human existence

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Nature is based on natural laws and truths

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Discover truth through reasoning

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Known as cosmologists- studied the nature of the universe

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Democritus- developed the atomic theory

Socrates 

Education was the key to personal growth

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Students should THINK for themselves

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Socratic Method used

questions to teach

Socrates 

Believed unskilled people should not hold position of power

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Mocked the Sophists

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Accused of denying the existence of Greek Gods

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Accused of teachings corrupting the

youth

• Found guilty and executed

Plato 

Founded the Academy for teaching philosophy

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Wrote in dialogues or imaginary discussions

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Dealt with government, education, justice, and religion

Plato 

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Theory of Forms • Believed perfection existed in theory not in reality Humans consisted of the soul and the body “Republic” • Describes Plato’s view of the perfect society Ideal government was Aristocracy • not by birth or wealth • Rulers chosen by wisdom, ability, and high ideas

Aristotle  

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Believed that logical study led to truth Collected facts and organized them into systems • Collected, described, and classified plants and animals Ethics • Tried to learn What brings people to happiness Poetics • Analyzed what makes a good or bad play Believed that monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy was good forms of government

Math, Medicine, and Science 

Pythagoras

• Everything could be explained by Math

• Developed the Pythagorean Theorem

• Built on the ideas of the Egyptians

Math, Medicine, and Science 

Greek philosophers

• Did not specialize in any one field of study • Thought natural world could be explained by the natural laws

• Thought rules that govern the universe can be identified, gathered, and observed

Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Hippocrates 

Founder of medical science

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Wrote between 60-70 medical studies

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Based on observation, experiment, & experience

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Taught disease comes from natural causes, NOT as punishment from gods

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Rest, Fresh Air, and diet are the best cures

History 

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Herodotus • 1st historian of the Western world • Father of History • Careful to note “when he seen something” or “was told something” Thucydides • Believed studying the past helps understand human nature • Worked to make his findings fair and accurate

Greek Theater: Drama 

Written in poetic form

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Male actors with trained voices played women's role

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Carved outdoor theaters into hillsides

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Orchestra is where the actors/chorus performed

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Audience relied on the chorus to describe the time and place

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Performed in connection with religious festivals

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Great Dionysia was Athens major drama competition

Greek Theater: Tragedies 

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Main character struggles against fate/events Heroes punished for displaying Hubris • Sin of pride • Offended the gods and doomed the hero to a tragic end Aeschylus • wrote about religion and relationships between gods and people

Greek Theater: Tragedies 

Sophocles

• Defended many traditional Greek values • Oedipus Rex was a perfect example of a tragedy according to Aristotle 

Euripides

• Questioned old beliefs and ideas…(Socrates) • Trojan Woman showed the pain and misery of war

Greek Theater: Comedies 

Originated at Great Dionysia Festival

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Included both tragic and humorous figures

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Main characters solved the problems

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Aristophanes

• Clouds- pokes fun at Socrates for theories about education

• Used comedy to make people think about the cause and effect of war

Philip II of Macedon 

King of Macedon from 359-336

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Gained power by recruiting his own army

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Organized army into Phalanxes

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Goals

• Restore order in Macedon • Win control of Greece

Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon 

Demosthenes

• Greatest Athenian orator • led uprising against Philip II rule 

Philip II defeated Thebes and Athens to unit all of Greece

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Assassinated in 336 B.C.

Alexander the Great 

Succeeded King Philip at 20yrs of age

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Received both classical and

military training 

Ultimate goal was to conquer the known world

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Empire reached from Greece to the Indus River

Alexander's Empire

Hellenistic World 

Alexander purposely spread Greek culture

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Kept empire together by governing with Persians, Greeks, and Macedonians

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Created a new “Greek-like” way of life known as Hellenistic culture

• Combination of Greek, Mediterranean, and Asian cultures 

Infighting tore apart Alexander’s Empire

Learning and Commerce 

Spread of the Greek culture helped the “middle ranks” thrive

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Alexander built many cities during conquest

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Old values faded; New Value brought freedoms

• Women appeared more often in public & received new rights regarding property 

More people considered to be “Greek”

Religion 

Kings in Egypt and Asia

• encouraged practice of ruler worship • Provided people with sense of civic duty 

Mystery Religions

• Cults introduced worshipers to secret teachings • Secrets of life after death and immortality

Philosophy 

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Cynicism

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Live simple and naturally

Skepticism

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Universe is always changing, all knowledge is uncertain

Stoicism

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Divine reason directs the world Greatly influenced Roman and Christian thinking

Epicureanism

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Limit desires Epicurus taught to seek pleasure & avoid pain

Science: Math and Physics 

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Euclid • showed how geometric statements flowed logically from one another • Elements is the basis of many Geometry books Archimedes • Calculated the value of pi • Invented the Archimedes Screw

Science: Medicine 

Hellenistic doctors learned from the Egyptian art of embalming to examine and catalog the parts of the human body

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Studied bodies of executed criminals

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Herophilus

• Concluded that the brain is the center of the nervous system

Science: Astronomy and Geography 

Used principles of geometry to track the stars

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Aristarchus believed the earth and the planets moved

around the sun 

Geographers knew the earth was round

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Eratosthenes calculated the distance around the earth