The Culture of Ancient Greece

Section 1

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– Explain how Greek poetry and fables taught Greek

values.– Describe how Greek art and architecture expressed

Greek ideas of harmony and beauty.

Section 1 Objectives

Greek Mythology

• Myth – A traditional story about gods and heroes– Some created as a way to explain the unexplainable– Fiction; but some have a real-world connection– Real to the ancient Greeks; a part of their daily life and

religion– Again, religion is about keeping the gods happy so they

don’t squash you

Greek Mythology• The Greeks had numerous gods and goddesses, who ruled

over one or more domain.• The gods looked and acted more like human beings than like

gods.

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty

Ares, god of war

Hephaestus,god of fire & blacksmithing

Zeus, god of the sky, king of the gods

Hera, goddess of marriage

Demeter, goddess of agriculture

Hermes, god of the market, messenger Poseidon,

god of the sea

Athena, goddess of wisdom, protector of cities

Apollo, god of light, beauty, music, etc.

Pan, god of shepherds

Not pictured: Hades, god of the underworld Artemis,

goddess of the huntDionysus, god of wine

Greek Mythology

• Ancient Greeks built temples and held rituals and festivals to gain favor from the gods.

What Was a Greek Oracle?

• Greeks believed in fate and prophecy.

• Oracle – a sacred shrine where a priest or priestess spoke for a god or goddess

• Most famous oracle was at Delphi

Greek Poetry and Fables

• Epics – long poems about heroic deeds– Homer

• Iliad• Odyssey

– Areté (the Greek idea of excellence)

Greek Poetry and Fables

• Iliad – Epic about the Trojan War

Greek Poetry and Fables

• The Trojan War– The Trojan Horse

Greek Poetry and Fables

• Odyssey – The story of Odysseus’ journey home from the Trojan War

Who Was Aesop?

• Fable – a short tale that teaches a lesson– Aesop – Greek slave

famous for his fables

Greek Dramas

• Drama – story told by actors who pretend to be characters in a story– Comedies – happy ending– Tragedy – person struggles to overcome

difficulties but fails– Euripides – dramatist who questioned

traditional thinking about war– Sophocles – dramatist who used three

actors and painted scenery to tell a story– Aristophanes – poked fun at politicians

and encouraged audience to think

Greek Art and Architecture

• Columns – Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

Section 1 Questions

1. How and why did the Greeks honor their gods and goddesses?

2. What was an oracle?3. Who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey?4. What is the subject matter of the Iliad?5. What is the goal of a fable?6. What is drama?7. How do we readily see a Greek influence in today’s

architecture?

Greek Philosophy and History

Section 2

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– List the kinds of ideas that Greek philosophers

developed that are still used today.– Explain that Greeks wrote the first real histories in

Western civilization.

Section 2 Objectives

Greek Philosophers

• Philosophers – people who ponder questions about life– History, political science,

science, mathematics– Pythagoras – believed

universe followed the same laws that governed music and numbers

• Pythagorean theorem = a² + b² = c²

Who were the Sophists?

• Sophists – Professional teachers who taught that there was no absolute right or wrong

The Ideas of Socrates• Socrates

– Great philosopher– Taught that absolute right and wrong did exist– Challenged his students to think using the Socratic Method, a

way of using pointed questions in order to get his students to use reason

– Tried and executed for his ideas

The Ideas of Plato

• Plato– Student of Socrates– Established the Academy– Taught that governments

should be headed by philosopher-kings

– Wrote the Republic• Split people into three

groups: philosopher-kings, warriors, and everybody else

Who Was Aristotle?

• Aristotle– Student of Plato– Opened the Lyceum– Taught the “golden mean” – a person should do

nothing in excess– Wrote Politics

• Divided governments into three types: government by one person, government by a few people, government by many people

• A mixture is the best

Greek Historians

• Herodotus – The “Father of History”– The Histories

• Thucydides – considered by many to be the greatest historian of the ancient world– History of the Peloponnesian War

• “Either I was present myself at the events which I have described or else I heard of them from eyewitnesses whose reports I have checked with as much thoroughness as possible.” - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

Section 2 Questions

1. Who were the Sophists?2. What happened to Socrates?3. Name the school that Plato established.4. Who did Aristotle go on to teach?5. Name the two historians mentioned and the books

each one wrote.

Alexander the Great

Section 3

Section 3 Objectives

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– describe how Philip of Macedonia united the Greek

states under Macedonia.– explain how Alexander the Great conquered the Persian

Empire.

Macedonia Attacks Greece

• Macedonia – North of Greece

Macedonia Attacks Greece

• Condition of Greece following the Peloponnesian War = poor

• Demosthenes – tried to warn Athens about Phillip II• Phillip II – king of Macedonia; has dreams of uniting

Greece under Macedonia and conquering Persia– Conquered some Greeks, invited some to join him, bribed

others– Crushed the Greeks at the Battle of Chaeronea– Assassinated in 336 B.C.

Alexander Builds an Empire

• Alexander the Great– Tutored by Aristotle as a youth– Commander in the army by the age of

16 – King by the age of 20– Ruthless in pursuit of and merciful in

the wake of victory– Freed Greek city-states in Asia

Minor– Alcoholic?

• Why was he so successful?– Use of combined arms techniques– Possessed the “coup d’oeil”– Determination– Leadership (fought at the front, endured the same

hardships as his men)

Alexander Builds an Empire

Alexander Builds an Empire

• Alexander’s Conquests– Tightened his grip on Greece first (Thebes)– Battle of Granicus – Alexander was almost killed– Battle of Issus– Siege of Tyre– Egypt (Alexandria founded)– Battle of Gaugamela (250,000 vs. 47,000)– Incursions into India

Alexander Builds an Empire

Alexander Builds an Empire

Alexander Builds an Empire

Alexander Builds an Empire

Alexander’s Legacy

• Alexander died at 32 from a fever (?)• Legacy – what a person leaves behind when he

or she dies• Alexander’s legacy

– Spread and preserved Greek heritage– Hellenistic Era – time when Greek ideas and

language spread to non-Greeks– Alexandria

The Empire Breaks Apart

• His empire was split among his top commanders.• They squabbled amongst themselves.

Section 3 Questions

1. Who attempted to warn the Athenians that Phillip II was a threat?

2. What kind of strategies did Phillip use to gain control over Greece?

3. At what battle was Alexander almost killed?4. What was Alexander’s legacy?

The Spread of Greek Culture

Section 4

Section 4 Objectives

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– Describe how Hellenistic cities became centers of

learning and culture.– List the major discoveries in math and science made by

Hellenistic scientists.

Greek Culture Spreads

• New Greek cities spread Greek culture– Alexandria

• Architecture and Sculpture– Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Greek Culture Spreads

Greek Culture Spreads

• Literature and Theater

Philosophy

• Epicureanism– Taught that happiness was the goal in life and the

way to be happy was to seek out pleasure– Avoided public service

• Stoicism– Founded by Zeno; taught from a stoa– Taught that happiness came from following reason

and doing one’s duty; public service important

Greek Science and Math

Greek Science and Math• Aristarchus - Established that Earth revolves

around the sun• Eratosthenes – Calculated Earth’s circumference• Euclid – Developed plane geometry – how points,

lines, angles, and planes relate to one another• Archimedes – Probably most famous of the Greek

scientists and mathematicians, calculated pi• Hippocrates – “father of medicine”

Section 4 Questions1. Why did the city of Alexandria attract scholars?2. What happened to Greek culture during the Hellenistic

Age?3. Explain the ideas of both the Epicureans and the Stoics.4. Create a chart like the one below that lists facts about the

scientists shown.

Scientist Facts

Aristarchus

Eratosthenes

Euclid

Archimedes

THE END