Download Touring Athens During the Golden Age

Site1: The Parthenon
Site 5: Gymnasium
Site 2: Theater of Dionysus
Site 6: Marble Workshop
Site 3: A Shop in the Agora
Site 7: Home of a Wealthy Family
Site 4: Workshop in Ceramicus
Site One: The Parthenon
GREEK ARCHITECTURE
You are at the Parthenon, a beautiful temple built in honor of Athena, the
Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Art.
Carefully read the information below about Greek architecture. Then, list
five (5) important facts about Greek architecture in your “Walking Tour”
journal.
The Greeks were among the most talented
architects of the ancient world. They built their most
famous structure, the Parthenon, during the rule of
the statesman Pericles. The Parthenon, a temple in
honor of the Goddess Athena, was built to celebrate
the end of Athens’ war with Persia. Although only
partially intact, the Parthenon is considered the most glorious building from
the ancient world—a stunning reminder of Athens’ cultural achievements. It
stands atop the Athenian Acropolis overlooking the city. Constructed almost
completely out of marble from a nearby mountain, the Parthenon is 237 feet
long, 110 feet wide, and 60 feet high. It features 8 columns in front and
back, and 17 columns along each side. The architects and sculptors who
created the building spent more than 12 million units of Greek currency,
called drachmas (pronounced DRAHK-mahs), on its construction, over four
times the annual budget for all of Athens. This huge, marble-columned
structure—part of which is still standing today—has survived for nearly
2,500 years because of its superior workmanship.
The architects designed the Parthenon
to allow for optical illusions. The height
of each column was five times its
diameter so that the columns appeared
slender. Builders also slanted the roof of the building, creating a triangular
piece on either end of the building called a pediment. The east pediment
showed a scene of the birth of Athena. The west pediment depicted the
contest between Athena and Poseidon, the God of the Sea, which
determined who would be the patron of Athens.
Another distinctive feature of the Parthenon was
a 525-foot band of sculpture, or frieze, which
surrounded the top of the temple. This frieze
depicted the Panathenaic Procession, an annual
Athenian festival that celebrated the birthday of
Athena.
The Parthenon also contained a 35-foot-high gold and ivory
statue of the Goddess Athena. Athenians believed that
worshipping and leaving offerings at the foot of the statue would
ensure Athena’s protection of Athens and its people.
Site Three: Drama (Theater of Dionysus)
You are at the Theater of Dionysus, a place where dramatic plays are
performed in Athens.
Carefully read the information below about Greek drama. Then, list five (5)
important facts about Greek drama in your “Walking Tour” journal.
Theater was an important part of Athenian social life. In the 400s and 500s
B.C.E., Athenians developed two types of plays that we still have today: tragedy
and comedy. Tragic plays presented the downfall of a great hero. Extreme
arrogance toward the Gods, or hubris (pronounced HEW-briss), usually caused
this downfall. The somber lesson of the tragic plays was that humans should act
with respect toward the Gods, and that dishonorable
behavior had severe consequences. Comedy did not contain
serious messages, and it provided entertainment for Athenian
audiences. Comic plays made fun of, or satirized, Athenian
politicians and other well-known personalities.
Athenian plays were staged in outdoor marble
theaters, which were built into the sides of hills. In a
typical theater, stone rows, or tiers, of seats were
arranged in a semicircle around the stage area.
Behind the stage area, wooden or marble columns,
which were draped with cloth, formed a tent. Actors
changed their costumes and masks in this tent, and
extra scenery was stored when it was not in use.
Sometimes painted scenery was hung in the front of
the tent to provide the backdrop for a play.
During ancient Greek plays, two or three male actors performed both male
and female roles on stage. They were joined by a chorus of 15
to 24 men who stood at the side of the stage and helped
explain the action of the plays. The actors and chorus wore
huge masks with exaggerated expressions to indicate the
personalities of their characters. The feelings of the characters
were shown through the use of colored costumes. Bright colors
indicated happiness, and black showed despair.
Many plays were staged at the Theater of Dionysus,
built in honor of the God Dionysus. This theater could hold
more than 14,000 people. All classes of society, except
slaves, attended the performances. Athenian playwrights
presented their new plays in competitions held during the
spring religious festivals. A panel of nobles judged each play
for excellence and quality of performance.
Site Two: Commerce and Trade (Shop in the Agora)
You are at a shop in the Agora, the place where Athenians gather to buy
and sell various goods.
Carefully read the information below about trade and commerce in ancient
Greece. Then, list five (5) important facts about Greek trade in your
“Walking Tour” journal.
Athenians conducted most of their commerce at the
Agora (pronounced AH-gorah), the huge marketplace at
the base of the Acropolis. On the eastern side of the
Agora, merchants sold their goods from small stands.
Citizens could purchase foods such as lettuce, onions,
cucumbers, sardines, olive oil, and wine. They could also
buy household items such as pottery, furniture—chairs,
chests, and sofas—and clay oil lamps, which provided the
only source of light in Athenian homes. While most
Athenians made their clothes at home, leather sandals
and jewelry were popular items at the market. In addition, Athenians bought and
sold slaves at the Agora.
In an effort to make commercial transactions more efficient, the Greeks
began using coins in the 600s B.C.E. Each city-state had its own
system of coinage, though they all used metals such as gold. silver,
bronze, and a gold and silver mixture called electrum (pronounced
eh-LEK-trum). Initially coins were stamped on one side, but later
Athenians imprinted images on both sides. The most popular coin
in Athens was the tetradrachin (pronounced TET-rah-drom),
which was worth four drachmas (a unit of Greek currency).
It had an image of Athena on one side and Athena’s bird,
the owl, on the other.
Athenians engaged in a great deal of trade with other Greek city-states and
foreign lands to obtain many goods and resources. This was necessary because
the Attica plains were not fertile enough to provide sufficient food for the
Athenian population. Farmers could raise only olives, so Athenians had to trade
for their essential food items. One major Greek trading partner was Egypt, from
which the Greeks obtained valuable grains grown in the Nile Valley. Another
important trade good, timber, was imported from Sicily, Thrace, and the northern
Black Sea coast. In exchange for the goods they imported, the Greeks traded
their beautiful painted pottery, their woolen goods, and olives.
Site Five: Pottery (Pottery Workshop in Ceramicus)
You are at a [pottery workshop in Ceramicus, an industrial area in which
Athenian artisans use advanced techniques to produce beautiful pottery.
Carefully read the information below about Greek pottery. Then, list five (5)
important facts about Greek pottery in your “Walking Tour” journal.
Because of its beauty and utility, Greek pottery was
valued throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times.
Greek artists created ceramic vessels----such as storage
jars, drinking cups, mixing bowls, and plates—for both
functional and decorative purposes. Potters made these
vessels by shaping wet clay on a potters’ wheels and
baking it in ovens, or kilns, at about 1,000 degrees
Fahrenheit. The heat hardened the pots and set the
painted designs permanently into the clay.
The history of pottery in ancient Greece can be divided into several
distinct periods. One of the earliest periods, the
Geometric, occurred between 900 and 700 B.C.E.
Pottery created during this period was painted and
carved with simple, repeating shapes. Potters
created
vases with designs such as circles or
half-circles,
triangles, right angles, and squares.
Along horizontal
panels around the vase, artists
created stick figures in silhouette that represented animals or humans.
Around 700 B.C.E., Greek potters abandoned the
stylized geometric shapes. They began creating vases
with realistic black figures painted upon the red clay of
the pottery. These designs were more realistic than
previous depictions. They showed figures from mythical
scenes, as well as scenes from daily life, such as farming
and seafaring. This style of pottery is often referred to
as the Black-Figure style.
By about 500 B.C.E., Athenian artists were using new production
methods to create red figures on black backgrounds, a style that became
known as the Red-Figure style of pottery. The human and animal figures were
left in the original red color of the clay, while the background of the vessel
was painted black and fired. Using this method, the artist was able to create
more realistic figures, showing a variety of poses, human muscles and facial
features, and precise details of clothing.
Site Four: Education (Gymnasium)
You are at a gymnasium, a place where many Athenian children complete
part of their education.
Carefully read the information below about Greek education. Then, list five
(5) important facts about Greek architecture in your “Walking Tour” journal.
A proper education was highly valued by the people of Athens. By
approximately 600 B.C.E., the majority of Athenian
male citizens were able to read and write. Young
children were taught at home until the age of 6 or
7, when they began school. Both boys and girls
attended school, but they were schooled separately.
Schools for girls were not as numerous, and the
schoolwork was not as demanding. Since schools
were private, parents were required to pay for the
education their children received. For this reason,
many children from poor families left school
immediately after they learned basic skills, which usually took 3 or 4 years.
Children from wealthy families continued their education for as long as 10
years.
Athenian children attended three different schools.
At one school, teachers called grammatistes
(pronounced gram-a-TEE-stees) taught reading,
writing, arithmetic, and literature. Students
memorized long passages from the epic poems of
Homer, and from tragic plays.
At a second school, coaches, called paidotribes
(pronounced peh-doh-TREE-bees), taught sports such
as wrestling and gymnastics to strengthen the students’
muscles. At the third school, kitharistes (pronounced
kih-theh-REEstees) taught music—specifically singing
and playing the seven-stringed lyre (pronounced LY-ur)
to accompany the reading of poetry.
male
ists).
At the age of 18, Athenian males began two years of
military training. After this service, a wealthy young
might resume his education by studying with traveling
philosophers, called sophists (pronounced SOFFThese tutors charged high fees, and they gave lessons in
debate and public speaking to young men eager to enter
politics.
Site Six: Sculpture (Marble Workshop)
You are at a marble workshop south of the Agora, a place where Athenian
artisans create beautiful sculptures out of bronze and marble.
Carefully read the information below about Greek sculpture. Then, list five
(5) important facts about Greek sculpture in your “Walking Tour” journal.
Some of the most remarkable artistic achievements
of the ancient Greeks were in the area of sculpture. Greek
artists began carving life-size statues in the seventh
century B.C.E. These early figures—nude males called
kourai, and clothed females called korai—were strongly
influenced by Egyptian styles of art. Just as the
Egyptians had done, Greek sculptors created figures
slightly larger than life-size in positions facing front, with
arms held stiffly at the sides and the left leg forward.
Artists created these works as dedicated offerings in a
God’s temple, or for wealthy families, who placed them
at a young person’s grave.
By the fifth century B.C.E., Greek sculptors began to
create works that showed the human
body in more
realistic form and more natural
postures. They created
figures that depicted
bodies in movement or in emotional
poses. Athenian artists
created brilliant marble statues of
Gods and heroes that
filled the Parthenon. While most
sculptors
worked in marble, many artists also used metal
to create
figures.
In the early 400s B.C.E., a new method of casting bronze
allowed artists to create hollow metal figures around wooden
cores rather than just solid metal ones. Using this method,
artists could create much more realistic details of a figure’s
muscles, clothing, and hair. The new metal-casting method
allowed the Athenian artist Phidias to create two of the most
famous Athenian works of art: the gold and ivory statues of
the Goddess Athena and the God Zeus. The statue of
Athena stood inside the Parthenon. The statue of
Zeus
stood outside of Athens, in Olympia, and is considered
one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Site Seven: Women (Home of a Wealthy Family)
You are at the home of a wealthy Athenian family, a place where men and
women are rarely allowed to interact with each other.
Carefully read the information below about the lives of Greek women. Then, list
five (5) important facts about Greek women in your “Walking Tour” journal.
Women had very specific roles in Athenian society.
It was believed that all women were under the
protection of Hera, the queen of the Gods, and
Hestia, the Goddess of home and hearth. An
Athenian woman was also under the guardianship
of a man—either her father, her husband, or her brother.
Young girls were often raised together, apart from
the male members of the household. Most Athenian
women married at a young age—as early as
14—in marriages arranged by their parents.
They bore several children, and were often trained
as
midwives and nurses to help their sisters, cousins, or
female servants give birth. Married women were expected to wear more
loose-fitting clothing than unmarried women. They also wore their long hair
pinned up with elaborate hairpieces, while unmarried women often wore
their hair loose in long curls.
According to Athenian society, a respectable woman’s main responsibility
was overseeing the household. Wealthy wives were responsible for the care
and education of their children, tending to their husbands,
supervising and nursing the servants, spinning wool, and
weaving cloth for the family’s use. Wealthy women often
had female slaves to gather produce from the garden as
well as to buy food from the marketplace. These slaves
were also responsible for cooking and cleaning in the
household. Women in less wealthy households often
worked at humble jobs outside the home, in addition to performing
household tasks themselves. They sold goods at the market or baked loaves
of bread. Few skilled trades were open to women, but there were female
potters arid leatherworkers.
Athenian women from all classes participated in the religious
celebrations in the city. Some women were religious figures, or
priestesses. These priestesses conducted religious rituals,
recited prayers, and looked after the sacred objects stored in the
sanctuaries. Priestesses had high social and legal status, and were not
under the guardianship of their fathers, husbands, or brothers.