Download Ancient Greece Background Notes

Ancient Greece
The First Great Western
Civilization
Map of the Mediterranean
Map of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek Society
• Began with the
creation of city-states
around 800 B.C.
• Ended when the
Romans invaded in
146 B.C.
• Renowned for
development of
society as a whole
Athens and Sparta
• Athens: a democratic
Greek city-state run
by the Assembly
– Development of art
and learning were
important
• Sparta: a rotational
monarchy (two kings)
– Had a full-time army
– Helots – serfs/slaves
Greek Influences
• Greek society
produced two major
improvements we use
today:
– Democracy
– Trial by jury
• English is primarily
derived from three
languages:
– Latin
– Germanic/German
– GREEK
Men and Women
• Women –
– Limited freedom
outside of the home
(no Olympics)
– Home was the
woman’s domain;
ordering slaves about
• Men –
– Commonly away from
home (politics/work)
– For fun… drinking
parties with male
friends; women did not
attend
The Great Temple
• the Parthenon
– Built to honor the
goddess Athena
(patron goddess of
Athens)
– Use of Doric (short
and wide) and Ionic
(long and slender)
columns was “cutting
edge” for the time
period
Greek Clothing
• Wool in the winter
• Linen in the summer
• Mostly made by
slaves at home
• Sometimes bought at
market (rich Greeks)
• Very simple tunics
The Greek Diet
• Olives, figs, and
grapes grown
• Goats for milk and
cheese
• Bread where wheat
could be grown
• Fish and seafood
• Meat rarely eaten;
used as a sacrifice for
the gods
A Tainted Society
• Despite the advances of
Greek society, they relied
heavily on slave labor for
most day to day activities.
• Ways to Become a Slave:
– Be conquered by the
Greeks
– Be abandoned by your
parents
– Be born a slave
– Be sold into slavery for
money
The Trojan War
and
The Iliad
All over a woman!
Hey, she was pretty hot!
Greeks vs. Trojans
• Aphrodite promises
Paris, prince of Troy
and total hottie,
Helen of Sparta
(she’s hot, too and
married to Menelaus)
• Paris steals Helen
from Menelaus while
he is at a funeral
Greeks vs. Trojans (cont.)
• Menelaus returns and
is furious!
• Menelaus gathers
supporters together to
attack Troy
• Amongst them is:
– Odysseus (he acts
nuts and gets caught)
– Achilles (Troy will not
fall without him)
Greeks vs. Trojans (cont.)
• Agamemnon, a
powerful Greek king,
assembles a fleet
• He then kills a sacred
stag of Diana, and she
calms the sea (they
can’t leave).
• To break the curse,
Agamemnon must
sacrifice his daughter.
• He does and the
Greeks sail away.
Greeks vs. Trojans (cont.)
• Initially the Greeks get
lost on their way to
Troy, but eventually
they get there because
Achilles stabs a king.
• The first nine years of
war consist of the
Greeks attacking all
those that are assisting
Troy.
• This is where Homer’s
Iliad begins…
Homer’s Iliad
• Agamemnon takes a
woman from Achilles who
then refuses to fight with
the Greeks
• The Trojans attack and
almost burn the Greek
ships to ashes.
• Achilles agrees to let his
beloved friend Patroclus
wear his armor and
pretend he is Achilles in a
counterattack.
Homer’s Iliad
• Patroclus is killed by
Hector, a great Trojan
warrior, brother of Paris.
• Hephaestus makes
Achilles new armor and
he rides at the head of
the army to kill Hector.
• Hector, unaware that
Achilles is alive, awaits
the Greek war party
behind the walls of Troy.
Homer’s Iliad
• Seeing Achilles in the
distance, the Trojan
soldiers rush into Troy.
• Hector, ashamed of his
poor orders, stays
outside. In his chariot,
Achilles chases him
around Troy three times.
• Hector and Achilles duel.
Hector is brutally killed by
Achilles in front of his
family.
Homer’s Iliad
• Achilles ties Hector’s
corpse to his chariot and
drags it back to camp.
• Patroclus’ funeral is had.
• Each day Achilles drags
Hector’s body around
Patroclus’ funeral bier.
• Zeus consents to
Hector’s burial and
Hermes escorts Priam,
king of Troy, to Achilles to
plead for the body.
The Trojan Horse
• Odysseus (remember
that name), King of
Ithaca, has the idea
• Build a large, hollow,
wooden horse,
abandon the shore,
hide in it, and when
night falls, KILL
EVERYONE!!!
• It works.
For the rest of
The Iliad, go to the
library. Believe me,
it is really worth
the time!!!
Greek Mathematics
• Euclid –
– Proved all right angles are
equal, how triangles and
circles work, and much
more!
• Pythagoras –
– Pythagorean Theorem
(area of right triangles) a² +
b² = c²
• Archimedes –
– Archimedean screw (allows
water to flow uphill)
Greek Philosophy
• Socrates –
– Socratic method:
• By asking questions,
one can ascertain what
others truly know.
– Charged with
corrupting the youth
– Sentenced to death
– Drank hemlock even
though he had a
chance to escape
Greek Medicine
• Hippocrates –
– Diagnosed patients
based on symptoms
• First to diagnose
symptoms of
pneumonia and
epilepsy
– Believed in good diet,
rest, and cleanliness
– Hippocratic Oath is still
taken by doctors
starting out in the
medical field today!
Greek Poets
• Aesop –
– Ethiopian slave
– Creator of many fables
still taught today
• Homer –
– Blind poet credited
with the creation of
two great epic poems
• The Iliad
• The Odyssey
Greek Drama
• tragedy –
– a tragic protagonist
(hero) suffers because
of his/her actions
• Sophocles –
– Oedipus Cycle
• Oedipus Rex
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Antigone
Greek Sport
• Olympics –
– 776 B.C. (the first that
we know about)
– Only event was a 210
yard run (a cook won)
• the marathon –
– Greeks defeat
Persians at the Battle
of Marathon
– messenger runs 26.2
miles, says, “we won”,
and dies on the spot
Greek Mythology
Explaining the Way Things Are
Through the GODS!
In the beginning…
Chaos
(void / nothingness)
Gaia
(mother earth)
Eros
(love / sexual desire)
Tartarus
(land beneath Hades)
Then, without male help…
Gaia
(mother earth)
Uranus
(sky)
Pontus
(sea)
Ourea
(mountain)
Gaia and Uranus
• Gaia and Uranus start
creating children
– Cyclopes
– Hecatonchires
– Titans (12 of them)
• Uranus is ashamed of
them, so he locks them in
Tartarus.
• Gaia is sad and asks her
children for help.
– Only Cronus (the youngest)
volunteers
– He castrates his father and
throws the genitals into the
sea (Aphrodite)
The Titans
• Godlike giants who ruled
before the Olympian gods
• Six sons and daughters
of Gaia (earth) and
Uranus (sky)
• Personifications of the
forces of nature
• Fought and defeated by
Zeus and the Olympian
gods
Zeus: King of the Gods
• Overthrew father,
Cronus
• Associated with
weather:
– lightning, thunder, rain
• Examine the picture
on the left. Who does
this remind you of?
Hera: Queen of the Gods
• sister/wife of Zeus
• Associated with
marriage and birth
– Virginity returns every
year with a dip in the well
of Canathus
• Children conceived
without Zeus’ help
• Constantly jealous of
Zeus (he cheats A LOT!)
Hades: God of the Underworld
• brother of Zeus
• Helpers:
– Charon – ferryman
– Cerberus – three headed
hound of Hell
• Wears a helmet given to
him by the Cyclopes that
makes him invisible
• Considered to be
“the Rich One”
• Other gods dislike him
Poseidon: God of the Sea
• brother of Zeus
• Associated with the
sea, earthquakes,
and horses
• An extremely moody
god (hence the
reason the sea
changes so rapidly)
• Impregnated Medusa
and created Pegasus
Apollo: God of Light and Purity
• son of Zeus (Artemis’
twin brother)
• Born on the floating
island of Delos
surrounded by swans
• Considered god of:
–
–
–
–
Music
Prophesy
Archery, just archery
Plague
Ares: God of War
• Only son of Hera and
Zeus (all the others were
conceived without Zeus’
assistance)
• Associated with spears,
dogs, and vultures
• Young and handsome,
yet vain and cruel
• Does not care who wins
battles; just happy blood
is being shed
Hephaestus: God of Fire
• son of Zeus and Hera
• Associated with fire,
volcanoes, craftsmen
• Born crippled/lame
• Hera throws him off of
Mount Olympus
• Married to Aphrodite
because of magic
throne incident
Hermes: Messenger of the Gods
• son of Zeus from one of
his “nights out”
• Associated with travel,
athletics, and thieves
• Known for being quite
cunning and intelligent
• Brought dreams to
mortals and the dead to
the underworld
• Created the first lyre,
boxing, and foot-races
Demeter: Goddess of the Earth
• Zeus’ sister-lover
• Associated with the
earth, farming, grain
• Taught mankind to
plough and sow; she
makes things grow
• Mother of
Persephone, Queen
of the Underworld
Athena: Goddess of Wisdom
• Sprung, fully grown,
from the head of Zeus
– He ate his first wife
because he feared a
male stronger than
himself.
• Associated with the
arts, justice, and skill
• Patron goddess of
Athens (Parthenon)
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love
• Sprang from the froth
created by Uranus’
severed genitals
• Associated with love and
sexual desire
• Married to Hephaestus
(he was the steadiest of
the gods)
– She cheated on him
constantly (Ares)
• Accompanied by the
Graces
– Lovers of all things
beautiful that bestow talent
upon mortals
Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt
• daughter of Zeus and
Apollo’s twin sister
• Associated with the
wilderness, hunting, and
virginity (eternal virgin)
• Born a day before Apollo
(she helped deliver him)
• Divine healer, but also
brought with her plague
and disease
Wrath of the Gods
• Basic rule:
– Don’t make the gods angry!
• One example:
– Prometheus (son of Zeus)
stole fire from the gods and
gave it to mankind
– When this was discovered,
Zeus chained him to a rock
and had an eagle tear at
his liver by day. Each night
the liver grew back.
– Heracles freed him.
Persephone:
Goddess of the Underworld
• Daughter of Demeter and
Zeus
• Associated with harvest
time
• Abducted by Hades
because of her beauty
• Ate pomegranate seeds
(sign of fertility) and was
bound to Hades forever
• Three months a year,
things do not grow
because Persephone is in
the underworld