Ch 4 Section 4 – the Glory That Was Greece

8/10/2019 Ch 4 Section 4 – the Glory That Was Greece

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Even in the midst of wars and political

turmoil, Greeks had confidence in thepower of the human mindGreek thinkers, artists, and writers

explored the nature of the universe andthe place of people in it

Greek achievements in the artsrepresented the height of human

development in the Western world



I. Philosophers: Lovers of Wisdom

Some Greek thinkers challenged the belief that

events were caused by the whims of the gods They used reason and logic to find causes for

events

These thinkers were called philosophers –

“lovers of wisdom” Philosophers explored many subjects from

mathematics and music to logic (rational thinking)

They believed that through reason and observation,

they could discover the laws that governed theuniverse

Much of modern science traces its roots back to theGreek search for such principles



A. Debating Morality and Ethics – Somephilosophers were interested in ethics andmorality and debated such questions such as what

was the best kind of government and whatstandards should rule human behavior

1. In Athens, Sophists questioned acceptedideas and developed skills in rhetoric, the art ofpublic speaking

a.) ambitious men could use clever andpersuasive rhetoric to advance their careers

2. The turmoil of the Peloponnesian War ledmany young Athenians to follow the Sophists

a.) Older citizens accused them ofundermining traditional Greek values



B. Socrates Questions Tradition – One outspokencritic of the Sophists was Socrates, an Athenianstonemason and philosopher

1. Most of what we know about Socratescomes from his student, Plato

2. Socrates did not write any books andpassed his days in the town square asking peopleabout their beliefs using a process we call the

Socratic Method a.) He would pose a series of questions to a student

or passing citizens and challenge them to examinethe implications of their answers

b.) Socrates believed that this was a way forpeople to seek truth and self-knowledge

c.) Many Athenians saw this method as a threat toaccepted values and traditions



3. When Socrates was about 70, he was put on trialbecause his enemies accused him of corrupting thecity’s youth and failing to respect the gods

a.) While on trial, Socrates offered a calm andreasoned defense but the jurors condemned him todeath

b.) He accepted the death penalty and drank a cupof hemlock, a deadly poison



C. Plato Envisions a Perfect Society – Theexecution of Socrates left Plato with alifelong distrust of democracy

1. Plato fled Athens for 10 years andwhen he returned he set up a school calledthe Academy

a.) He taught and wrote about hisown ideas

b.) Emphasized the importance ofreason and believed that through rationalthought, people could discover unchangingethical values, recognize perfect beauty,and learn how to best organize their society



2. In his book, the Republic, he described his idealstate

a.) Rejected Athenian democracy andargued that the state should regulateevery aspect of its citizens’ lives

b.) Divided his city into three classes:

1. workers to produce the necessities oflife

2. soldiers to defend the state

3. philosophers to rule (a philosopher- king would have ultimate authority)



3. Plato thought that in general, men surpassedwomen in mental and physical tasks but thatsome women were superior to some men

a.) He said talented women should beeducated to serve the state

b.) The ruling elite would take military

training together and raise their children incommunal centers for the good of the republic



D. Aristotle Pursues the Golden Mean – Plato’smost famous student, Aristotle, developed his ownideas about government. He analyzed all forms of

government and found good and bad examples ofeach

1. Like Plato, he was suspicious of democracywhich he thought could lead to mob rule

2. Favored a single strong and virtuous ruler 3. Addressed the question of how people

should live

a.) “Golden Mean” – a moderate course

between the extremes



4. Promoted reason as the guiding force forlearning

a.) Set up school, the Lyceum, forstudy of all branches of knowledge

b.) Left writing on politics, ethics,logic, biology, literature, and many

other subjects c.) First European universities 1500

years later based courses on the worksand ideas of Aristotle



II. Idealism in Architecture and Art – Platoargued that every object on Earth had an idealform and the work of Greek artists and architectsreflected a concern with balance, order, and beauty

A. Monumental Architecture – Architects soughtto convey a perfect balance to reflect the harmonyand order of universe

1. Parthenon – temple dedicated to goddess

Athena a.) Simple rectangle with tall columns

supporting a gently sloping roof 2. Greek architecture has been widely

admired for centuries and many public building

throughout the world have incorporated Greekarchitectural elements, such as columns, into theirdesign



B A ti t C ft Lif lik H F E l



B. Artists Craft Lifelike Human Forms – EarlyGreek sculptors carved figures in rigid poses,perhaps imitating Egyptian styles

1. By 450 BC, Greek sculptors had developed a

new style that emphasized more natural forms a.) While their work was lifelike, it was

almost idealistic b.) Sculptors carved gods, goddesses,

athletes, and famous men in a way thatshowed human beings in their mostperfect, graceful form

2. The only Greek paintings to survive are onpottery and offer intriguing views ofeveryday Greek life

a.) Women carry water from wells,warriors race into battle, andathletes compete in javelin contests

III G k Li Th i G k



III. Greek Literature – The ancient Greeksdeveloped their own style of literature andbegan with the epic poems of Homer, whosetales inspired later writers

A. Tragic Drama – First Greek playsevolved out of religious festivals, especiallythose held in Athens to honor the god offertility and wine, Dionysus

1. Plays were performed in large outdoortheaters with little or no scenery

2. Actors wore elaborate costumes and

stylized masks



3. A chorus sang or chanted comments on theaction taking place on stage

4. Greek dramas were often based on popularmyths or legends

a.) Through these familiar stories, playwrightsdiscussed moral and social issues or explored the

relationship between people and the gods 5. Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides – Greatest

playwrights who all wrote tragedies – plays thattold stories that usually ended in disaster

a.) Purpose was to stir up and then relieve t the emotions of pity and fear

IV R di E t Hi t G k



IV. Recording Events as History – Greeksapplied observation, reason, and logic, to thestudy of history

A. Herodotus – “Father of History” becamehe went beyond listing names of rulers or theretelling of ancient legends

1. Before writing The Persian Wars, he

visited many lands, collecting information frompeople who remembered the actual events hechronicled

a.) He used the Greek term,

historie, which means inquiry todefine his work



2. He cast a critical eye on his sources, notingbias and conflicting accounts

a.) Despite his special care fordetail and accuracy, his writingreflected his own view that thewar was a clear moral victory of

Greek love and freedom overPersian tyranny

b.) He even invented conversations andspeeches for historical figures

B Th did th hi t i h



B. Thucydides – another historian who was afew years younger than Herodotus

1. Wrote about the Peloponnesian War,

a much less happy subject for theGreeks

2. He lived through the war and vividlydescribed the savagery and corrupting

influence on all of those involved a.) Although he was Athenian, he

tried to be fair to both sides

3. Both Herodotus and Thucydides set

standards for future historians and theneed to avoid bias

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Ch 4 Section 4 – the Glory That Was Greece