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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.