Transcript Chapter 5 Notes

Chapter 5.3 Notes
GREEK ACHIEVEMENTS
5.3- Greek Philosophy
 Greek Achievements
 The ancient Greeks made great achievements in philosophy,
literature, art, and architecture that influenced the
development of later cultures and ideas
5.3- Greek Philosophy
 Greek Philosophy
 Search for knowledge and wisdom
 Golden age of Greek philosophy 400-300 BCE
 3 greatest philosophers of ancient Greece
 Socrates
 credited as the first great Greek philosopher
 What we know about him comes from his student Platos
writings
 Studied broad concepts of truth, justice, and virtue
 Believed people could learn best by asking questions
 Developed the Socratic method
5.3- Greek Philosophy
 Plato
 student of Socrates, founded the Academy- most important
school for philosophers to do their work
 Best known work on government and his most famous writing
the “Republic”
 Believed every material object that exists was only a reflection
of an ideal that did not exist
 Believed philosophers were best suited to govern because they
make “good” decisions- did not agree with Athenian
democracy
5.3- Greek Philosophy
 Aristotle
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Student of Plato at the academy
Most concerned with nature and the world around him
Used reason (clear/ordered thinking) and logic (process of making
inferences) to understand the natural world
People can do the most good by practicing rational thought and logic
People could use what they already know to infer new facts
Contributed greatly to the development of science
Example
Birds have feathers and lay eggs
 Owls have feathers and lay eggs
 Therefore an owl must be a type of bird
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5.3- Greek Literature
 Greek Literature
 Greeks excelled at poetry, history, and drama
 Several types of poetry: epic, descriptive, lyric
 Homer’s Epics
 Best known for his epic poems “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”
which describe the Trojan War, gods/goddesses, and heroes
 Works not written down originally, but influence many
cultures over space and time
 Basis for Greek education, students had to memorize long
passages.
5.3- Greek Literature
 Other Forms of Poetry
 Hesiod – wrote descriptive poetry, which described the works
of gods and the lives of peasants
 Greek created lyric poetry- music played to poetry
 Sappho- first women poet to gain fame
Poems were accompanied by music from the lyre instrument
 Poems dealt with emotions of daily life, marriage, love,
relationships
 Pindar – lyric poet
 Wrote poems to commemorate public events – Olympic Games
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5.3- Greek Literature
 History
 Herodotus – first major writer of history
Detailed major events of the Persian Wars
 Best known work “Histories”
 Did not always use reliable sources – led to erroneous historical
information (like the slaves built the pyramids)
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Thucydides
Detailed major events in the Peloponnesian War
 Used primary sources to construct his history of events
 More critical of his sources, ignored unreliable ones
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Xenophon – historian/soldier/philosopher
Used personal experiences to describe events in history
 Helped us learn a great deal about Greek life
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5.3- Greek Literature
 Drama
 Two types: tragedy and comedy
 Tragedy focuses on hardships faced by the hero
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Aeschylus (es-kuh-luhs) – wrote tragedies
 Plays were about myths and history
 Best known play is “Oresteia” about the Trojan War
Sophocles (sahph-uh-kleez) – wrote tragedies
 Plays concentrated on the suffering people brought upon themselves due to
their own flaws
 Best known play is a trilogy based on King Oedipus
Euripides (yoo-rip-uh-deez) – wrote tragedies
 Plays were about people’s suffering due to chance or irrational behavior
 Best known plays are “Bacchae” and “Medea”
Comedies focus on satire and exposing social flaws
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Aristophanes (ar-uh-stahf-uh-neez) – wrote comedies
 Plays satirized parts of Athenian society – government, religion, social policies
 Best known plays are the “Clouds” and the “Birds
5.3-Greek Art and Architecture
 Architecture
 Athenians enjoyed beauty, both written and visual – love of
visual beauty expressed in art and architecture
 Athenians wanted their city to be the most beautiful –
constructed public buildings, temples, theatres
 Parthenon was the grandest of all buildings (page 146.)
Set atop the acropolis
 Impressive size and proportions – power and glory of Athens
 Housed a giant gold and ivory statue of Athena
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5.3-Greek Art and Architecture
 Sculpture
 The Athenians used statues and art to decorate their city
 Greek Architecture would not have been so impressive without the
sculptures
 Greeks were skilled at sculpting the human form
 Greeks wanted their statues to look life-like, but not necessarily realistic
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Some statues look as if they are in motion – contrapposto (Discobolus Statue)
Portrayed the subject as physically perfect – all statues depict beauty and
grace
 Painting
 Most Greek paintings that have survived to the modern era are seen on
pottery
 Used two colors – red and black – red was the color of the clay and black
was the color of the glaze
 Paintings depicted movement, depth, and beauty
Assignment
 WORK ON PROJECT
 VOCAB CHAPTER 5
 CHAPTER 5 QUESTIONS