Download Greek Civilization - 6th Grade Social Studies

The Culture of Ancient Greece
Section 1
Section 1 Objectives
• 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.
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
Zeus,
god of the
sky, king of
the gods
Pan,
god of
shepherds
Ares,
god of war
Not pictured:
Hades,
god of the
underworld
Hera,
goddess of
marriage
Athena,
goddess of
wisdom,
protector of
cities
Demeter,
goddess of
agriculture
Hephaestus,
god of fire &
blacksmithing
Artemis,
goddess of the hunt
Apollo, god
of light,
beauty,
music, etc.
Hermes,
god of the
market,
messenger
Dionysus,
god of wine
Poseidon,
god of the
sea
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
How and why did the Greeks honor their gods and
goddesses?
What was an oracle?
Who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey?
What is the subject matter of the Iliad?
What is the goal of a fable?
What is drama?
How do we readily see a Greek influence in today’s
architecture?
Greek Philosophy and History
Section 2
Section 2 Objectives
• 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.
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Who were the Sophists?
What happened to Socrates?
Name the school that Plato established.
Who did Aristotle go on to teach?
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?
Alexander Builds an Empire
• 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’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
Greek Culture Spreads
• Architecture and Sculpture
– Temple of Zeus at Olympia
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 Questions
1. 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
Aristarchus
Eratosthenes
Euclid
Archimedes
Facts
THE END