Download Greek Achievements

Greek Achievements
The Arts
Among the most notable achievements of the
ancients Greeks were those they made in the
arts. These arts included sculptures, paintings,
architecture, and writing.
Statues and Paintings
The ancient Greeks were master artists. Their
paintings and statues have been admired for
years, many of which are still displayed at
museums around the world.
• Statues – Made to look perfect, to show the
beauty of people.
• Sculptors - Studied the human body, especially
human movement, because of this many Greek
statues look as thought they could come alive.
• Paintings – Admired for realism and detail
• Painters – Made detailed scenes on vases, pots,
and other vessels based on myths or athletic
competitions, scenes were created using only 2
colors (typically red and black)
Architecture
If you went to Greece today, you would see the
ruins of many ancient buildings. Old columns
still hold up parts of broken roofs, and ancient
carvings decorate fallen walls. These remains
give us an idea of the beauty of ancient Greek
buildings.
• Great care was took when designing their building,
especially temples.
• Tall columns surrounded the temple, designers were
very careful when they measured these columns. They
knew that columns standing in a long row often looked
as though they curved in the middle. To prevent this
optical illusion, they made their columns bulge slightly
in the middle.
• Buildings were to reflect the greatness of their cities.
• The most impressive of these buildings was the
Parthenon in Athens, made to honor Athena goddess
of wisdom.
New Forms of Writing
• The Greeks also excelled at writing. In fact, Greek writers created many
new writing forms, including drama and history.
• The Greeks created drama, or plays, as part of their religious ceremonies.
Actors and singers performed scenes in honor of the gods and heroes.
These plays became a popular form of entertainment, especially in
Athens.
• Some writers created tragedies, which described the hardships faced by
heroes.
• Comedies were written to make fun of people and ideas.
• The Greeks were among the first to write about history, because they
were fascinated by the lessons history could teach.
Philosophy
The ancient Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses
whose actions explained many of the mysteries of
the world. But by around 500 BC a few people had
begun to think about other explanations. We call
these people philosophers. They believed in the
power of the human mind to think, explain, and
understand life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCsph5Pykvk
Socrates
• He believed people should never stop
looking for knowledge.
• He was a teacher and thinker, he taught by asking questions about
qualities such as love and courage. When people answered he
questioned their answers.
• He wanted people to think and question their personal beliefs.
People got angry and feared him because of wanting people to
question their beliefs that he was accused of questioning the
authority of the gods, and was later arrested and condemned to
death for it.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhqrpb95A48
Plato
• Student of Socrates, and a
teacher of philosophy.
• Created a school, where students and
philosophers and scientist could discuss their
ideas.
• He wrote a book called The Republic, in which he
talks about an ideal society where philosophers
ran it to ensure fairness for all.
Aristotle
• Considered to be the greatest
Greek thinker.
• One of Plato’s students.
• Believed people should live lives of moderation or
balance.
• Made great advances in the field of logic.
Science
Aristotle’s works inspired many Greek scientist.
They began to look closely at the world to see
how it worked.
Mathematics
Some Greeks spent their lives studying
mathematics. One of these people was Euclid
(YOO-kluhd). He was interested in geometry, the
study of lines, angles, and shapes. In fact, many
of the geometry rules we learn in school today
come straight from Euclid’s writings. Other
Greek mathematicians included a geographer
who used mathematics to accurately calculate
the size of the earth.
Medicine and Engineering
Not all Greek scientists studied numbers. Some
studied other areas of science, such as medicine
and engineering.
Greek doctors studied the human body to
understand how it worked. In trying to cure
diseases and keep people healthy, Greek doctors
made many discoveries.
The greatest Greek doctor was Hippocrates (hipAHK-ruh-teez). He wanted to figure our what
caused diseases so he could better treat them.
Hippocrates is better known today, though, for
his ideas about how doctors should behave.
Greek engineers also made great discoveries.
Some devices they invented are still used today.
For example, farmers in many countries still use
water screws to bring water to their fields. This
device, which brings water from a lower level to
a higher one, was invented by a Greek scientist
name Archimedes in the 200s BC. Greek
inventors could be playful as well as serious. For
example, one inventor created mechanical toys
like birds, puppets, and coin-operated machines.
Olympics
To honor the gods, a sporting contest took place
every 4 years at Olympia, a city in southern
Greece. Held in honor of Zeus, this event was
called the Olympic Games. Athletes competed in
footraces, chariot races, boxing, wrestling, and
throwing events. Only men could compete. The
Greeks held these games every four years for
more than 1,000 years, until the AD 320s
The Olympics were a way for the Greeks to meet and
compete in a friendly way, rather than fight as they
usually did (Athens and Sparta, along with the other
city-states did NOT get along), and were also a way
to improve their training for war with events like the
javelin throw, foot racing, wrestling, boxing, and
discus-throwing.