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Athens…
The birthplace of
Everything!
-Centrally located in
mainland Greece
-Access to waterways
of the Aegean and
Mediterranean Seas
gave rise to trade,
industry and a
powerful Navy
-Eager to learn and
share knowledge!
Athenian Government
-Only Free men are considered
citizens
-A Democracy takes shape - 500
BCE
-Groups of citizens met daily to
discuss issues and laws
-The Council of 500 – elected
annually (all names placed in and
chosen)
-Proposed laws had to be
approved by the Assembly… this
group consisted of 6,000 citizens
with every one having the right to
speak
-Proud of their freedom and
enjoyed taking part in the
process.
LOOK FAMILIAR?
ANYONE?
HOW ABOUT NOW?
Athenian Economy
-Trade based
-The Agora… HUGE market
place. Like an outdoor Mega
Wal-Mart of its day
-Developed their own
currency – coins were minted
out of Gold, Silver and Bronze.
On one side was their patron
Goddess Athena and on the
other, the symbol of an Owl
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=xP-FsX0QW88
Spooky Similar…
Education in Athens
-It’s all about producing ‘Good Citizens’…. Wait…. Don’t you guys receive ‘citizenship’
grades… weird
-Combination sharp mind and healthy body
-Taught at home until age 6-7 then off to school until age 14 to learn reading, writing,
math and literature. Books are expensive and rare… most information is memorized!
-Also had gymnastics, wrestling and music
-Military training began at age 18 for two years
-Boys could continue education if they could afford it; there were also trainings in
trades once your military service was through
-Girls received little to no education unless very wealthy (largely domestic education)
“The Golden Age”
Religion
-Very religious Polytheistic
society
-Athens was complete with
beautiful Temples dedicated to
the Gods; most famous are the
Parthenon (dedicated to
Athena) and The Temple at
Delphi (dedicated to Apollo)
-The Acropolis was a large hill in
Athens on which many
important Temples were built
-Mythology is the stories of the
Greek Gods and Goddesses that
explained culture or tradition
Architecture
-Most of the surviving ruins are
support columns. There were
three main types:
1. Doric
2. Ionic
3. Corinthian
As each new style came along,
the more elaborate the columns
became
-Many nations adopted similar
architectural styles to the
Athenians. Most notable today
can be seen in Washington DC
with the Lincoln Memorial,
Jefferson and even the White
House.
Theater and the Arts
-Sculpture, Plays, Art, Music,
Poetry and even philosophy
all began in Athens
-Plays were often
competitions. Judges would
select winners in many
categories including tragedy,
comedy and leading actors
-Philosophy became popular
in Athens with leading
philosophers such as Socrates
and Aristotle.
-Philosophy means the search
of wisdom or knowledge
https://youtu.be/QnQ_WDtB
hvI
The Games
-Athenians valued the need
for a healthy body
-Games were held in honor of
the Gods and Goddesses
-Combat games such as
boxing and wrestling
-Horse and chariot races
-Running events
-Games were held every four
years at Olympia in honor of
Zeus.
Modern Olympics re-established in 1892. The
symbol of the 5 rings (representing continents) was
unveiled on the flag in 1914 and was intended to
represent unity of the nations.