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Chapter 5 Notes
ANCIENT GREECE
Chapter 5 Notes
 Greek Achievements
 The ancient Greeks made great achievements in philosophy,
literature, art, and architecture that influenced the
development of later cultures and ideas
Chapter 5 Notes
 Greek Philosophy
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Search for knowledge and wisdom
Golden age of Greek philosophy 400-300 BCE
3 greatest philosophers of ancient Greece
Socrates – credited as the first great Greek philosopher
 Studied broad concepts of truth, justice, and virtue
 Believed people could learn best by asking questions
 Plato – student of Socrates, founded the Academy
 Believed philosophers were best suited to govern because they
make “good” decisions
 Best known work “Republic”
 Believed every material object that exists was only a reflection of an
ideal that did not exist
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Aristotle
 Student of Plato at the academy
 Used reason (clear/ordered thinking) and logic (process of
making inferences) to understand the natural world
 People can do the most good by practicing rational thought
 Contributed greatly to the development of science
Chapter 5 Notes
 Greek Literature
 Greeks excelled at poetry, history, and drama
 Several types of poetry: epic, descriptive, lyric
Homer – debate whether Homer actually existed
 Best known for his epic poems “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”
which describe the Trojan War, gods/goddesses, and heroes
 Works not written down originally, but influence many cultures
over space and time
 Hesiod – wrote descriptive poetry, which described the works of
gods and the lives of peasants
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Sappho – Greek woman known for lyric poetry
 Poems were accompanied by music from the lyre instrument
 Poems dealt with emotions of daily life, marriage, love,
relationships
 Pindar – lyric poet
 Wrote poems to commemorate public events – Olympic Games
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Several key people provided histories of ancient Greece
Herodotus – first major writer of history
 Detailed major events of the Persian Wars
 Best known work “Histories”
 Did not always use reliable sources – led to erroneous historical
information
 Thucydides
 Detailed major events in the Peloponnesian War
 Used primary sources to construct his history of events
 More critical of his sources, ignored unreliable ones
 Xenophon – historian/soldier/philosopher
 Used personal experiences to describe events in history
 Helped us learn a great deal about Greek life
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The Greeks wrote dramas for entertainment
Two types: tragedy and comedy
Tragedy focuses on hardships faced by the hero
Aeschylus (es-kuh-luhs) – wrote tragedies
 Plays were about myths and history
 Best known play is “Oresteia” about the Trojan War
 Sophocles (sahph-uh-kleez) – wrote tragedies
 Plays concentrated on the suffering people brought upon
themselves due to their own flaws
 Best known play is a trilogy based on King Oedipus
 Euripides (yoo-rip-uh-deez) – wrote tragedies
 Plays were about people’s suffering due to chance or irrational
behavior
 Best known plays are “Bacchae” and “Medea”
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Comedies focus on satire and exposing social flaws
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Aristophanes (ar-uh-stahf-uh-neez) – wrote comedies
 Plays satirized parts of Athenian society – government, religion,
social policies
 Best known plays are the “Clouds” and the “Birds
 Greek Art and Architecture
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Athenians enjoyed beauty, both written and visual – love of visual
beauty expressed in art and architecture
Athenians wanted their city to be the most beautiful – constructed
public buildings, temples, theatres
Parthenon was the grandest of all buildings
Set atop the acropolis
 Impressive size and proportions – power and glory of Athens
 Housed a giant gold and ivory statue of Athena
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The Athenians used statues and art to decorate their city
Greeks were skilled at sculpting the human form
Greeks wanted their statues to look life-like, but not
necessarily realistic
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Some statues look as if they are in motion – contrapposto
(Discobolus Statue)
Portrayed the subject as physically perfect – all statues depict
beauty and grace
Most Greek paintings that have survived to the modern era are
seen on pottery
Used two colors – red and black – red was the color of the clay
and black was the color of the glaze
Paintings depicted movement, depth, and beauty