AncientGreeceLitArtSciencePhil

nullnullnullBefore the 9th and 8th centuries BC, legends and stories were passed down orally rather than in writing. During the 9th and 8th centuries, the Greeks adopted their first complete alphabet and written literature was able to be developed. The first two great works of written Greek literature were Iliad and Odyssey, written by Homer. Both were epic poems recording events during the Trojan War.nullThe title Iliad comes from the Greek name for the city of Troy, Illium. Iliad is thought to have been written in the 8th century, around 750BC. Iliad records the final weeks of the Trojan War, but mentions many of the Greek legends surrounding the battle, such as the quarrel between gods that ultimately caused the war. Iliad credits a Greek soldier, Odysseus, for the Trojan horse trick. Iliad was an essential part of every Greek male’s education for hundreds of years. It is known as being one of the oldest existing works of literature in Western Civilization.nullThe Odyssey is the second oldest work of literature in Western Civilization, and is the sequel to the Iliad. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his ten year journey back to his home after the Trojan War. During the journey, he encounters many obstacles, such as a Cyclops, a six-headed monster, a whirlpool, a witch, and an island of sirens. When Odysseus finally returns home, he finds that his wife has many men wishing to marry her, thinking Odysseus to be dead. Odysseus kills all the men and the goddess Athena protects him.nullnullThe poems of Hesiod were considered to be sacred religious texts in ancient Greece. Theogany praises Zeus and describes the origins of the gods. Works and Days regards labor as the source of all good and contains advice on a life of honest labor. Theognis, an aristocrat during the 6th century BC, wrote about the gods, and the limited power of man. Sappho ran a school for girls and wrote songs about love.nullDrama became the most important form of Greek literature during the 5th century BC and was a popular form of entertainment for the Greeks. The center of drama was Athens, where it became apart of the festival Dionysia. Three genres of drama existed in ancient Greece: Tragedies were about the gods and aristocratic families. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes Comedies criticized issues of the day. Aristophanes Satyrs were based on Greek mythologies and consisted of mock drunkenness, pranks, and general merriment. Pratinus, Aristeas, AeschylusnullnullAfter Philip II of Macedonia invaded Greece in 338BC, literature shifted from a focus on the gods to a focus on the individual. A new type of comedy emerged, in which people were sympathetically presented and suffering characters often discovered their relation to kings. Drama was now designed to please rather than instruct or criticize. Historical writing emerged as the Greeks began to separate myth from fact and to record the events of their nation’s past. Herodotus, Thucydides, XenophonnullnullWith the prosperity and advancement of the Greek culture under the Hellenes, the Greeks began to develop their architecture. The Greeks are famous for two types of architecture: Temples Open-air theaters Greek architecture is distinguished by its decorative style. Modern Western architecture is highly influenced by ancient Greek architecture, beginning with Rome’s adoption of Greek style. There are three defined style of architecture: Ionic, Doric, and Corinth.nullnullThe most popular style in archaic Greek architecture. The earliest order of Greek architecture.nullIonic columns are defined by the use of volutes at the top of the column.nullThe last style of architecture, thought to have come from the city of Corinth. It may actually have originated in Athens. Corinthian style is characterized by highly decorative columns.nullThe earliest Greek sculptures borrowed their style from that of the Egyptians. The sculptures were of men, standing with one foot in front of the other. The Greeks had a great appreciation of the beauty of the human body, due to the fact that their gods were presented in human form. Sculptures were made of marble or bronze. Hellenistic sculptures reflected the change in the Greek culture, with more focus being on individuals.nullnullPhilosophy: the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, and reason.nullThe defining characteristic of pre-Socratic philosophy in Greece was the development of rational, naturalistic explanations for events in the world. Thales is known as the father of philosophy and was the first person to attempt to explain the world with no reference to the gods. He is also known as the first true mathematician, as he used geometry to calculate the height of pyramids and the distance of ships from the shore. Anaximander was a student of Thales, who discovered that there are laws that regulate nature. Pythagoras was the founder of all mathematics in the West and he suggested that the stars move in perfect circles. nullThales’ TheoremPythagorean TheoremnullSocrates lived from 469BC until 399BC, and was apart of the Classical Age in Greece. The Socratic Method is Socrates’ most important contribution to Western thought. The Socratic Method consists of asking and answering questions, in order to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. The Socratic Method is commonly used in medical schools, law schools, and other educational settings, in order to ensure that students understand information. Socratic paradoxes are Socrates’ beliefs that seem to conflict with common sense. No one desires evil. No one does wrong willingly or knowingly. Virtue is sufficient for happiness.nullPlato was a student of Socrates and many of Plato’s ideas are actually concepts he learned from his teacher. Plato’s ideas: Every person has a soul that survives us after death. Truth is permanent and does not change. Truth can only be known through the mind, not through the senses. A belief becomes knowledge when it is confirmed to be true. All knowledge is contained in a person’s soul and must merely be recollected or proven in the material world.nullThe Theory of Forms refers to the idea that the material world that we see is only a copy of the real world, the world that is known in our minds. Our world is a corruption of the perfect world of Forms. Everything that we see is a shadow, or imperfect version, of a Form. Knowledge of Forms is innate, contained in every person’s soul. A Form is perfect and unchanging. The supreme human purpose is to see and understand the Form of the Good. The Good created the world and man’s service is in mimicking the Good. Once man realizes that the Good is perfect and unchanging, he wants to follow the Good and act similarly. nullThere are three parts to the government: Productive (Workers)—represents the abdomen or the lower class; the people who are governed by their appetite. Protective (Warriors)—represents the chest or those who are adventurous, strong, and brave; those who are governed by their spirit. Governing (Rulers)—represents the head or those who are intelligent, rational, and self-controlled; those who are governed by reason. According to Plato, democracy cannot work because society must be controlled by those who are governed by reason. nullAristotle was a student of Plato’s and the teacher of Alexander the Great. Unlike Plato and Socrates, Aristotle believed that humans gain knowledge from sensory experience. Aristotle believed people use their sense to classify everything in the world. Once many examples within one class are examined, it is possible to make conclusions about all of the members in the class. He created a rational, analytical method to understanding the world, using classification and deductive reasoning. Aristotle did not believe in an ideal world, but sought realistic solutions to the problems of this world.nullStoicism is a Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium. Stoic ideals: Every person is equal in human dignity. All people are part of the human community and are linked to each other and to the divine. There is an active relationship between fate and human freedom, with the human will being able to overcome fate. Destructive emotions result from errors in judgment, and a wise person (a sage) would not suffer from destructive emotions or misfortune. The best indication of a person’s philosophy is not is what they say but how they behave.nullEuclid of Alexandria wrote Elements, which became the standard work on numbers and geometry for over 2,000 years. Archimedes calculated the mathematics of how a lever worked, invented the science of fluids, and calculated the value of Pi. His works resulted in the creation of the catapult and a screw used to pump water. Apollonius was known as the “Great Geometer” and developed some of the greatest scientific works of the ancient world.nullnullnullDuring the Hellenistic Age, many discoveries about the universe were made. The realization that the Earth, Mercury, and Venus move around the sun. The Earth rotates on its own axis. Timing of eclipses were calculated. 850 stars were catalogued. The length of the lunar month was calculated. The circumference of the earth was calculated. Eratosthenes began the science of chronology. Ptolemy categorized the stars into constellations and asserted that the earth was the center of the solar system.nullHippocrates is known as the father of modern western medicine and established medicine as a profession. The Hippocratic Oath to look after patients and put their needs first, is still taken by doctors today. “First, do no harm.” Herophilus and Erasistratus learned many new things about the human body: The brain is the center of the nervous system The difference between nerves that move the body and nerves that feel They made descriptions of the eye and the liver