Download Democracy in Athens: Pericles The people of Athens felt secure

Democracy in Athens: Pericles
The people of Athens felt secure behind their walls and in the first winter of the war held a public funeral to
honor those who had died in battle. As was the custom in Athens, one leading citizen was asked to address the
crowd, and on this day it was Pericles. He talked about the greatness of Athens and reminded the Athenians of
the strength of their political system.
“Our Constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the
whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law. Just as our
political life is free and open, so is our day to day life in our relations with one another. Here each individual is
interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well.”
1. Why was there a public funeral occurring in Athens?
2. What does minority mean?
3. Re-read the underlined quote from Pericles. What does he mean by saying that in democracy
power is not in the hands of a minority?
Pericles gave voice to the ideas of democracy and the importance of the individual, ideas that were very
different from other ancient societies, in which the individual was subordinate to the government or ruler. The
Greeks ask some basic questions about human life: what is the nature of the universe? What is the purpose of
human existence? What is our relationship with divine forces? What constitutes a community? What constitutes
a state? What is true education? What are the true sources of law? What is truth itself?
4. What does the word subordinate mean and how are people subordinate under a king?
Culture
Classical Greece saw a period of time of remarkable intellectual and cultural growth throughout the Greek
world, and Athens was the most important center of Classical Greek culture.
Written History
History as we know it was introduced by the Greeks. Herodotus wrote History of the Persian Wars. This work
is commonly regarded as the first real historical work. Herodotus traveled extensively and questioned many
people to obtain his information.
Thucydides was a better historian than Herodotus. He is considered the greatest historian of the ancient world.
He was an Athenian and a participant in the Peloponnesian War. He had the opportunity to write the History of
the Peloponnesian War. He examined the causes of the Peloponnesian War in a clear and objective way. He
wanted to just include the facts and not his opinion on the war.
5. What is known as the first real historical work?
6. What does it mean that Thucydides wrote in an “objective” way?
Drama
Drama as we know it was begun by the Greeks. Plays were presented in outdoor theatres as a part of religious
festivals. The first Greek dramas were tragedies. Tragedies were plays based on the suffering of a hero usually
ending in disaster. Greek tragedies dealt with universal themes still relevant to our day. These universal themes
applied to and could be understood by all people. They dealt with problems such as the nature of good and evil,
the rights of the individual, the nature of the gods, and the nature of human beings. Over and over, the tragic
lesson was repeated: humans were free and could operate only with limitations imposed by the gods. Greek
comedy developed later in Greece but the tragedy remains the most popular.
7. What was the difference between a tragedy and a comedy in Greek drama?
8. What does it mean that “Greek tragedies dealt with “universal” themes?
Architecture
In architecture, the most important form was the temple dedicated to a god or goddess. At the center of Greek
temples were rooms that housed the statues of gods. These central rooms were surrounded by columns that
made Greek temples open structures rather than closed ones. The columns were originally made of wood but
were changed to marble in the 400s BC. The most famous building, regarded as the greatest example of the
classical Greek temple, was the Parthenon. The Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena who Athens
was named after.
The Parthenon
9. What was the Parthenon and why was it important?
Daily Life
The Greek city state was a male community: only adult male citizens took part in public life. In Athens, it meant
the exclusion of women, slaves, and foreigners. Roughly 85% of the total population was not represented.
They were probably 150,000 citizens in Athens of home about 43,000 were adult males who exercised political
power. There were about 100,000 slaves in Athens. Most slaves in Athens worked in the home has cooks and
maids or at work in the field. Some were owned by the state and worked on public construction projects such as
bridges or roads.
The Greek economy was largely based on agriculture and the tree. Athenians grew grains, vegetables, and fruit
for local food. Grapes and olives were cultivated for wine and olive oil, which are used locally and also traded.
The Athenians raised sheep and goats for wool and dairy products. Because of the large population in Greece
and the lack of fertile land, Athens had to import a large percentage of its food. As a result trade was very
important to the economy of Athens.