Download Golden Age of Athens MUSEUM EXHIBIT 10/18

Architecture
The Athenians wanted their city to be the most beautiful in all of
Greece. In order to reach this goal, they built magnificent temples,
theaters, and other public buildings throughout the city. The leaders
of Athens glorified the appearance of these structures using
masterpiece architectural design and craftsmanship.
The most famous example of such grand architectural design is the
Parthenon. Built on the acropolis, a fortified hilltop in the center of
the Athens, the Parthenon was a massive temple, 23,000 square-feet
in size. The temple was built to honor the Greek goddess Athena, the
goddess of wisdom and the protector of Athens. Begun under the
leadership of Athenian ruler, Pericles in 447 B.C.E., the Parthenon
took 14 years to build.
The Parthenon was built with doors but no windows. Tall, graceful
columns surrounded the structure, above which were slabs of
marble carved with scenes from Greek myths. Inside the temple
stood a huge gold and ivory statue of Athena.
Today, the Parthenon still stands but in ruins. Even so, its
magnificence is noticeable beyond measure. The style of
architecture used is still mimicked today, even here in the United
States.
The remaining ruins of the Parthenon
A reconstructed image of the Parthenon
Lincoln Memorial: How Greek architecture is still used in the US
Classical Art
Impressive as the Parthenon was on its own, it would have not been
so quite divine without the sculptures, carvings, and other forms of
Greek art that decorated it. The art that the Greeks developed during
this time period set standards for future generations of artists around
the world. Athenians, in particular, were among the finest sculptors
the world has known.
Greeks were very curious about the passions and nature of human
beings. Greek artists, just as the orators of myths, studied and sought
to explain the human body. Artists studied the body of humans; from
facial expressions to the way the body moves. Sculptors were very
adept in sculpting the human form and during this golden age these
artists aimed to create figures that were graceful, strong, and perfectly
formed. The goal was to illustrate the idealized human body, both still
and in motion.
Greek art emerged under the title of classical art. Classical art is set by
the standard of displaying beauty, not realism. This form of art is
understood through the values of harmony, balance, and proportion
that artists followed when creating their works.
Drama
The Greeks invented drama as an art form and built the first theaters
in the Western world. Theatrical productions in Athens were both an
expression of civic pride and a tribute to the gods. As part of their
civic duty, wealthy citizens bore the cost of producing the plays.
Actors used colorful costumes, masks, and sets to dramatize stories.
The plays were about leadership, justice, and the duties owed to the
gods. They often included a chorus that danced, sang, and recited
poetry. Greeks wrote two kinds of drama-Tragedy and Comedy.
Tragedy: A tragedy was a serious drama about common themes such
as love, hate, war, or betrayal. These dramas featured a main
character or tragic hero. The hero usually was an important person
and often gifted with extraordinary abilities. A tragic flaw usually
caused the hero’s downfall. Often this flaw was hubris, or excessive
pride.
Comedy: Comedies contained scenes filled with slapstick situations
and crude humor. Playwrights often made fun of politics and
respected people and ideas of the time. The fact that Athenians could
listen to criticism of themselves showed the freedom and openness
of public discussion that existed in democratic Athens.
Tragedy
An example of a playwright of Tragedy: Sophocles
Sophocles wrote more than 100 plays, including the tragedies Oedipus the
King and Antigone. Sophocles was the first to make the decisions and fates
of individuals the chief interest of Greek tragedy.
An excerpt from Oedipus the King
TEIRESIAS
Alas, alas, what misery to be wise
When wisdom profits nothing! This old lore
I had forgotten; else I were not here.
Comedy
An example of a playwright of Comedy: Aristophanes
Aristophanes wrote the first great comedies for the stage. Some of
his works include The Birds and Lysistrata. Lysistrata was an antiwar comedy. The story portrayed the women of Athens forcing
their husbands to end the Peloponnesian War.
An excerpt from Lysistrata:
LYSISTRATA: Don't you feel sad and sorry because the fathers of
your children are far away from you with the army? For I'll wager
there is not one of you whose husband is not abroad at this
moment... Now tell me, if I have discovered a means of ending the
war, will you all second me?
MYRRHINÉ: Yes verily, by all the goddesses, I swear I will!
CLEONICÉ: And so will I!
LYSISTRATA: Then I will out with it at last, my mighty secret! Oh!
sister women, if we would compel our husbands to make peace, we
must refrain...
Pericles and the Rise of
Democracy in Athens
A wise and able statesman named Pericles led Athens during much of its
golden age. Honest and fair, Pericles held onto popular support for 32 years.
He was a skillful politician, an inspiring speaker, and a respected general.
Pericles dominated the life of Athens. During his reign, Pericles’ main goal
was to strengthen Athenian democracy.
To strengthen democracy, Pericles increased the number of public officials
who were paid salaries. Earlier in Athens, most positions held were unpaid.
Thus, only wealthier Athenian citizens could afford to hold office. The result
was an increase in the diversity of people holding public office; both rich and
poor citizens were equally included.
Pericles introduced a direct-democracy to Athens. This form of government
was directly ruled by its citizens and not through representatives. In Athens,
male citizens who served in the Assembly established all the important
government policies that affected Athens.
“Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of
the minority but of the whole people.”
Pericles, “The Funeral Oration,” from Thucydides, The
Peloponnesian War
Creation of History
Prior to the golden age of Athens, there were no written records of history
in Greece. The epic poems of Homer, an example of an orator of epics,
recounted the stories of the past. Though they told stories of the past, they
were not accurate recordings of what took place. The golden age brought
intellectual growth and the advent of historical records in Greece.
Herodotus, a Greek who lived in Athens, was a pioneer in the recording of
history. His recording of the events of the Persian Wars is regarded as the
first work of history.
Another historian of the classical age that emerged during this time was
the Athenian Thucydides. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a
standard for scope, concision, and accuracy in the historical genre.
Thucydides’ writing was set in his own time. His history was written
based on eyewitness accounts and his own experiences. As Greeks
questioned life philosophically, Thucydides questioned why events
happen, for example: What makes nations go to war? How can politics
elevate or poison a society? What is the measure of a great leader? He
believed that certain types of events and situations recur over time. He
created an approach that is still practiced in the historical field, he
believed studying the events and situations would aid in understanding
the present.
The Athenian Empire
After the defeat of the Persians, Athens helped organize the Delian League.
The Persian Wars brought glory to Athens, as the city-state emerged as the
league’s leader. It moved the league’s headquarters to Athens and used
military force against members who challenged its authority.
In time, Athens took over leadership of the league and dominated all the citystates in it. Pericles used the money from the Delian League’s treasury to
make the Athenian navy the strongest in the Mediterranean.
A strong navy was important because it helped Athens strengthened the
safety of its empire. Prosperity depended on gaining access to the
surrounding waterways. Athens needed overseas trade to obtain the natural
resources it lacked.
Their strengthened military allowed Pericles and the Athenian government to
treat other members of the Delian League as part of the empire. Some citystates, as known because of the Peloponnesian War, resisted Athenian power.