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The Golden Age of Greece Politics, Art and Sculpture, and Drama
The Golden Age of Greece
Politics, Art and Sculpture, and Drama
Essential Questions
Be able to name and describe the three types of Greek columns.
What is the Acropolis?What was the Parthenon?Be able to describe Greek drama.
Pericles’ Three Goals for Athens
Pericles was the wise statesman who led Athens during its golden age
He was so dominant that this time is sometimes called the Age of Pericles
Strong Democracy
Pericles increased the number of paid public officials, which allowed even the poor to serve if elected or chosen by lot.
This made Athens one of the most democratic governments in history, but political rights were still limited to those with citizenship status.
Strong Democracy
Direct Democracy : a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives.
Athenian Empire
Pericles enlarged the power and wealth of Athens by using money from the Delian League’s treasury to build the Athens navy into the largest in the Mediterranean.
Glorifying Athens
Pericles persuaded the Athenian Assembly to vote huge sums of money to buy gold, ivory, and marble.
More money went to a army of artisans who spent 15 years building the Parthenon.
The Parthenon23,000 square foot buildingbuilt to honor the goddess Athenaset standards for future generations of
artists around the world
The Statue of Athena
Inside the Parthenonstood 38 feet tall and
contained gold and ivory
3 Columns
The Greeks used various types of columns in their architecture. Their most famous building, the Parthenon, has Doric style columns
Doric The simplest columns of
Ancient Greece They have a capital (top, or
crown) made of a circle topped by a square
The pillar (tall part of column) is plain and has 20 sides
No base Plain but powerful!
Ionic Taller pillars than Doric
ones Capitals (top/crown)
consist of scrolls above the pillar
A little bulge in the columns make the columns look straight, even at a distance.
Bases were large and looked like a set of stacked rings
More decorative than the Doric
Corinthian
• Most decorative
• Capitals (tops/crowns) have flowers and leaves below a small scroll
• Unlike the Doric and Ionian, the Corinthian roofs are flat
Phidias
Worked on the Parthenon and the statue of Athena
Given this assignment by Pericles
Classical ArtGreek values of order, balance, and
proportion were the standardcreated figures that were graceful, strong,
and perfectly formedFaces showed neither laughter nor anger,
only peacefulnessSculptors tried to capture the grace of the
idealize human body in motion
The Golden Age of Greece
Drama
Background
Greeks invents drama and built the first theaters in the west
Expressed civic pride and paid tribute to the gods
Colorful costumes, masks, and sets were paid for by the wealthy citizens
Tragedy
a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, or betrayal
the main character, or tragic hero, was brought down by a tragic flaw, usually this was excessive pride– Aeschylus – wrote 80 plays, most famous was The
Oresteia– Sophocles – wrote 100 plays, most famous were Oedipus
the King and Antigone– Euripides – wrote Medea and often showed sympathy
towards women
Comedycontained scenes filled with slap-stick
situations and crude humortypically made fun of customs, politics,
respected people, or ideas of the time (satire)
showed the freedom and openness of public discussion in democratic Athens– Aristophanes – wrote the first great comedies,
including The Birds and Lysistrata
SophoclesOne of Athens’ greatest
playwrights who was born in Athens around 496 B.C.E.
Most famous play is Oedipus Rex, which is about the tragic fall of a powerful king
Sophocles
Used three actors instead of two and increased the size of the chorus in his plays
First playwright to use painted backdrops for scenery
Told a complete story in a single play, unlike earlier playwrights who often took three plays to complete their plots
Plato
A philosopher and a teacher who was born in Athens around 427 B.C.E.
Student and close friend
of Sophocles
PlatoWrote The Republic, in which he said that
the best society was one where every citizen performed the task that they were best suited for
Founded The Academy, which is considered the first important institution of high learning in the Western world and taught philosophy, law, math, and astronomy
Aristotle
A philosopher and a scientist who was born in northern Greece around 384 B.C.E.
Studied under Plato for 20 years Wrote about all branches of learning, including philosophy, biology, math, and drama
AristotleFounded the Lyceum, a center for studying
science and history Wrote History of Animals in which he gave
detailed descriptions of animal and fish life With his students’ help, he classified more than
500 types of animals
Philosophers Search for Truth Philosopher What they believedSocrates absolute standards did exist for truth and
justice; He encouraged Greeks to go further and question themselves and their moral character;
Plato student of Socrates who was 28 when his teacher died; wrote The Republic. In it he laid out his vision of a perfectly governed society; believed there should be three groups in society: 1. farmers and artisans; 2. Warriors; 3. ruling class
Aristotle questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge; invented a method for arguing according to rules of logic;
Hippocrates Referred to as the “father of medicine” He was the first physician to reject
superstitions and beliefs that credited supernatural or divine forces with causing illness
Believed to have written the Hippocratic Oath, which is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine
