Persian Wars & Greek Philosophers

Based on your notes from your reading, what do you know about the Persian Wars?• Significance:– Persian empire declined– Greek civilization and culture flourished– Wealth from increased trade– Started the Greek onslaught against the Persian

empire• Completed by Alexander the Great of Macedonia in 331

B.C.E.

Significance of the Persian Wars

Athens Leads Greece

• Emerged from Persian Wars as the most powerful city-state in Greece

• Dominated other city-states, established an empire• Leadership of the statesman Pericles– Economy thrives– Government more democratic– Age of Pericles

• Continues through the fighting with Sparta during the Peloponnesian War

Under Pericles…

• Under Pericles:– Direct democracy– Large number of citizens involved in government– Do we participate in our government directly?– Assembly met frequently– 6,000 members present to make decisions– All male citizens, regardless of wealth or social class,

SHOULD take part in government!– Men in public office earned a salary…enabling poor

men to serve in government

Pericles: “In Praise of Athens”• At the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians held, as was their

custom, an elaborate funeral for all those killed in the war. The funeral oration over these dead was delivered by the brilliant and charismatic politician and general, Pericles, who perished a little bit later in the horrifying plague that decimated Athens the next year. The Funeral Oration is the classic statement of Athenian ideology, containing practically in full the patriotic sentiment felt by most Athenians.

• Quote Activity: Pericles’s Funeral Oration– COLLECTIVE BRAIN

• With a partner, read through the “Fact: Quote from the Speech” in column one.

• Discuss your collective answers to the analysis questions under “Idea: Analysis of the Quote” in column two.

– ON YOUR OWN• Record your answers on a separate sheet of binder paper.• Be ready to discuss WITH ME as I monitor your progress!

Greek Philosophers

Sophists (5th century B.C.E.)

• “Men of wisdom”

• Measured everything by its usefulness

• Criticized gods, government, and conventional morality

• There is no absolute truth

Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.)

• There is absolute truth – “Know thyself” – Socratic dialogue

• Convicted of corrupting the youth – forced to drink hemlock

Plato (427-347 B.C.E.)

• Dialogues written record of Socrates’ dialogues

• The Republic – ideal state administered by philosophers

• Founded the Academy which lasted 800 years

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.)

• Macedonian student of Plato

• Tutor to Alexander the Great

• Opened the Lyceum in Athens

• Created the basis for scientific inquiry

Biographical Sketches

• Read the biographical sketches of Plato and Aristotle• COLLECTIVE BRAIN: – DISCUSS the contributions & beliefs of each philosopher– ANNOTATE the document as to the contributions and

beliefs of each individual.• ON YOUR OWN:– Summarize the ideas and values that the current system

of American democracy derived from these two philosophers. Use correct paragraph format.