Transcript Introduction to Greece and Rome Ppt. File

“…To the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.”
Literature of Ancient
Greece (and later Rome)
800 B.C. - A.D. 200
Why it matters…
Greece is a small and mountainous
country, yet it gave birth to some of
the most cherished ideas of
Western civilization.
Why it matters…
• The Greeks championed individual
freedom, developed an early form
of democracy, and demonstrated
the power of rational thought.
Greek ideals of beauty and justice
have spread throughout the world.
Greek literature, especially poetry
and drama, continues to inspire
writers today.
People and Society
• Aristocrats - members of nobility, the
ruling or privileged class in society.
• Common Folk - large numbers of
farmers, merchants, and resident
foreigners who made up the middle and
lower classes in Athens.
People and Society…
• Slaves - did manual labor by force
• Warriors - warfare was a fact of Greek
life - all young men received training
• Artists and Writers - including sculpters
and potters, held an honorable position
in Athenian society
Women in Rome and
Greece?
• Read the right hand column on
page 167.
• Your thoughts?
Culture
• Read pages 168-169 with a
partner and write down one fact
for each of the following:
• Religion
• Political life
• Education and philosophy
• Athletics
Arts and Humanities
• On page 170, read the column
under literature and also read How
Literature Was Presented on page
171.
• What was a dramatic festival?
The Epics of Greece
and Rome
• Epic Conventions:
• Events are majestic in scale, from
heroic battles to dangerous quests
• Supernatural elements often occur
during human affairs (gods,
goddesses, etc.)
Epics…
• Literary Style
• Greek and Roman epics are
distinguished by their dignified style
through two main ways:
• 1) epithets - descriptive words and
phrases that characterize persons and
things. (I.E.) the words “brilliant” and
“godlike” often appear before Achilles
name
Epics…
• 2) epic simile - compares things
using like or as over several lines
• (example on the bottom of page
176).
Epics…
• Importance of honor
-live and fight for honor
• THE POWER OF FATE
-major theme in all epics
-according to the Greeks, every person,
whether hero or not, was given a
distinct fate at birth. It was wise to
accept one’s fate, foolish to ignore it.
Epics…
• A Hero’s Limitations
-human failings in extraordinary
lives
-hero was never “all-knowing” or
perfect
6 Strategies for Reading
this type of literature
• 1. Identify the epic heroes strengths
and weaknesses
• 2. Think about the values the epic hero
represents
• 3. Determine how the hero’s actions
affect his own life and the lives of other
characters
• 4. Consider the role of fate and the
gods in the events
Last 2 strategies…
• 5. Look for epithets and epic similes,
and consider what they add to the
story.
• 6. Monitor your reading strategies and
modify them when your understanding
breaks down. Use these strategies for
ACTIVE reading: predict, visualize,
connect, question, clarify, and
evaluate.
Oedipus the King
• Ancient Greek literature
• Written by Sophocles
-one of the greatest dramatists of the
Golden Age of Greek Drama, wrote over
120 plays -an innovator of drama
-While gifted, admired, and successful,
he had a dark view of human life. He
was deeply aware of life’s pain and
sorrow.
Greek Theatre
• Check out pages 260-261.
- skene - changing rooms for the
actors
- TRAGIC HERO - noble character
with a defect or flaw
Vocabulary Words to Know
• Bottom of page 261 - 15 words.
Search the bottoms of pages 262320 and write each word, it’s
definition, and develop a sentence
to be turned in by the end of the
period.
• Soon we’re ready to READ!
Exile
• Standard punishment for
unintentional murder in ancient
Athens; it was sometimes imposed
for treason as well.
Ostracism
• Involving exile
• A prominent but unpopular citizen
might be banished from Athens for
a period of ten years without loss
of property.
Ecclesia
• Ostracism was voted upon by the
ecclesia - also known as the
governing assembly in Athens.
Prophets and Seers
• Played an important part in Greek
culture, but were also subject to
criticism and disbelief.
• Prophets were thought to be
capable of interpreting signs of
what was to come. They might
predict whether a man will meet
death, disease, or lose property.
Prophets and seers…
• In times of war they predicted the
outcome of battles; in times of
trouble, they might recommend a
course of action. They often
interpreted the will of the gods
through dreams, examining
sacrificed animals, etc.
Unlike oracles…
• Prophets had no ties to religious
institutions. A person was a
prophet if he claimed to be one.
Moira
• According to the Greeks, each
person had a fate (moira) assigned
to him or her. While the fate
cannot be changed, each person is
to bear his or her fate with grace
and dignity.
Hubris
• A person who seeks to overstep
his or her fate would be guilty of
HUBRIS, or excessive pride.
• In a sense, one’s fate marks the
boundaries of one’s life that cannot
be crossed or altered.
ROME
• Society consisted of:
• Patricians
• Plebeians
• Urban Poor
• Army
• Slaves
Patricians
• small upper class
• members of Rome’s oldest and wealthiest
families
• they ran the early republic and were the
model for Roman society
• Father was the head of the family and had
absolute power over his property, children,
and grandchildren until the day he died
Plebeians
• Roman citizens both rich and poor
• no political rights until 4th c. B.C.
•“middle class” - largest class in
Roman society
Urban Poor
• farmed small plots of land to make a
living for centuries then…
• lived free grain distributed by the
government because they were forced to
join the army and sell their land
• lived in some of the first public housing
ever built
Army
Joining was one way to escape poverty
• Classes of soldiers:
• legionaries who were Roman citizens
• auxiliaries who were non-citizens from
the provinces
• enlisted as teenagers and served for 25
years - rigorous training
•“pension” consisted of cash or a plot of
land after “retirement”
Slaves
• treated fairly “well”
• captured in many areas with different skills
- slaves had more specialized jobs in this
time period
• some of the slaves were highly educated
and skilled
Women
A Roman woman usually ran the house,
managed money, organized the slave
work, and took care of the children.
Owned property, could divorce, controlled
money, appeared in public, wore makeup,
got their hair done - attend public
performances sitting separately from men
***but STILL NOT CITIZENS!
Circus Maximus & The
Colosseum
Circus Maximus could accommodate
250,000 spectators while The
Colosseum seated only 50,000 people.
The Colosseum hosted violent events
such as two slaves fighting to the death
for freedom while Circus Maximus
held events like chariot races.
Culture Hero
• A culture hero is a larger than life
figure who reflects the values of his
people.
• A culture hero provides a noble image
to inspire and guide the actions of
people who share that culture.
The Aenied
• Characters…
– Gods
– Greeks
– Trojans
Gods
• Juno – The queen of the gods
• Mars – The god of war
• Neptune – The god of the sea
• Pallas – The goddess of wisdom; also
known as Minerva
• Venus – The goddess of love and
beauty
Greeks
• Menelaus – a leader of the expedition
against troy; Husband of Helen
• Neoptolemus – a mighty warrior, son of the
hero Achilles; also known as Pyrrhus
• Sinon – A warrior purposely left behind in
Troy when the Greeks sailed away,
pretending to give up the fighting
• Ulysses – A leader known for his schemes
Trojans
• Aeneas – The hero of the epic and the
son of the goddess Venus and Anchises; a
mortal
• Anchises – The father of Aeneas
• Cassandra – A daughter of Priam, whose
prophecies always come true but are
never believed
• Creusa – The wife of Aeneas
• Hecuba – The wife of Priam and queen
of Troy
Trojans
• Helen – the wife of the Greek leader
Menelaus, who betrayed him by
running off with the Trojan prince
Paris
• Lulus – The younger son of Aeneas
and Creusa; also know as Ascanius
• Laocoon – a nobleman, brother of
Anchises
• Polites – A son of Priam
• Priam – The king of Troy
The Aenied’s Author…
• Virgil
• Rome’s greatest poet
• Appears in Dante’s guide through
hell in The Inferno
• Many believe that only the Bible
has a greater influence on western
culture than Virgil himself
The Aenied as a
National Epic
• Around 30 B.C. Virgil was asked to write
a poem to honor Rome
• He spent 10+ years on it, then passed
away in Italy after getting ill on a
journey to Athens
• Emperor Augustus stepped in to “save”
and publish the poem in its unpolished
form - even though Virgil requested his
friends to burn the manuscript if
anything were to happen to him.
The hero
• Virgil’s hero of his epic is Aeneas who represents the ideal Roman.
• The poem establishes the
mythological roots of Rome, shows
the nobility of it’s people, and
foretells the coming of Augustus’
glorious reign.
Patriotism
• Virgil set out to write an epic that
would do for Roman civilization
what Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
did for the people of Greece.
Though based on these epics, the
Aeneid is Roman to the core,
conveying Roman themes and
emphasizing Roman values.
pius
• Used throughout the epic to describe
Aeneas
• From Latin, means “dutiful and loyal to
family, to country, and to the gods.”
• Aeneas is a devoted father, good leader
and loving son. No matter the cost, he
always obeys the gods.
• Through Aeneas’ suffering, Virgil
conveys a timeless truth about life:
• “at the heart of things there are tears.”
Beginning of the epic
• Rituals are found throughout history
and every culture
• Ceremonial acts that occur in a sacred
place and often mark a special time for
the individual and the entire community
• The goal of many rituals is to connect
humans with a higher, sacred power.
Rituals cont…
• Rituals sometimes involve the sacrificial
offerings of cattle or birds. Laocoon for example - is about to sacrifice a
bull.
• Throughout the ancient world, the bull
was regarded as a magnificent animal,
the epitome of strength and vigor. The
timeless fascination of this animal is
reflected today in bullfighting and the
running of the bulls in Spain and
Mexico.