Chapter 5 Section 3Democracy and Greece’s Golden

Age• Golden Age of Athens• 477 B.C. – 431 B.C.

Pericles’ Plan for Athens Pericles was a

statesman who influenced life in Athens for 32 years.

Pericles had three goals

1. Create a Stronger Democracy Increased number of public officials and

they were paid Pericles developed a direct democracy.

What is it? Citizens rule directly, not through

representatives

2. Athenian Empire Pericles took money from the Delian

League’s treasury to strengthen the navy

Other members of Delian League were treated as part of the empire

Peloponnesus cities (Sparta) resisted Athens and formed their own alliances

3. Glorifying Athens Without League’s

approval, Pericles used money to beautify Athens

Glorious Art and Architecture

• Wanted to create magnificent sculptures and buildings like the Parthenon

Architecture and Sculpture

Phidias worked on the Parthenon

Works portrayed ideal beauty not realism

These works became known as classical art

Phidias

Drama and History

• Greeks created drama as an art form and built the first theaters

Tragedy and Comedy Tragedy: serious

drama about common themes

Hero usually had a flaw such as hubris.

3 tragedy writers Aeschylus who

wrote Oresteia a story based on Agamemnon

Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King and Antigone

Euripides wrote Medea

Tragedy and Comedy Cont.d’ Comedies had

slapstick and crude humor

Aristophanes wrote The Birds and Lysistrata

History Homer’s records

are not accurate.

Herodotus accurately reported events

Athenian Thucydides was the greatest historian

Athenians and Spartans Go to War Other Greek

city-states looked at Athens in a negative way

431 B.C. Sparta declared war on Athens

Peloponnesian War Athens vs.

Spartans Athens had a

stronger navy, Sparta had a stronger army

Pericles wanted to avoid land battle and attack on the sea

Spartans marched into Athenian territory and burnt their food supply

Peloponnesian War Cont.d’ Pericles brought

people into the city walls Food could be

brought by ships that sailed into the ports of Athenian colonies.

2nd year of war a plague swept through Athens killed 1/3 of the population including Pericles.

421 B.C. a truce was signed

Sparta Gains Victory Peace didn’t last

415 B.C. Athenians sent a fleet with 20,000 soldiers to Sicily attempting to destroy Syracuse, Sparta's ally

413 Athens was defeated

In 404 B.C. Athenians and allies surrendered

Philosophers Search for Truth

Athenians questioned Democratic government

Philosophers emerged to seek the truth and based their findings on two assumptions

1. The universe is put together in an orderly way and subject to absolute and unchanging laws.

2. People can understand these laws through logic and reason.

Philosophers Search for Truth Protagoras, a

philosopher in the Sophists group, questioned the existence of traditional Greek gods

Socrates Critic of the

Sophists Stated absolute

standard did exist for truth andjustice

Either people admired him or thought he was strange

He encouraged students to examine their beliefs

Asked them questions to show that people had contradictory opinions

These question/answer sessions led to the Socratic method

Socrates Cont.d’ 399 B.C. he was

brought to trial for “corrupting the youth of Athens” and “neglecting the city’s gods”

Socrates said his teachings were good

Jury condemned him to death

He drank hemlock and died

Plato Student of

Socrates Founded a school

called the Academy

Wrote his most famous work, The Republic

Described his perfectly governed society Not a democracy

Plato Cont.d’ His ideal, citizens

fell into three groups

Farmers and artisans, warriors, and ruling class

His rivals, Socrates and his pupil Aristotle

PLATO ARISTOTLE

Aristotle Questioned the

nature of the world and human belief, thought and knowledge

Invented a method for arguing according to logic.

This provides the basis of the scientific method used today.

Aristotle Cont.d’ Opened a school

called the Lyceum.

Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedonia, was one of his most famous pupils

Taught him at age 13 until he was called back home at age 16.