8.3 Classical Greece
vocab:
Drama-Written work performed by actors
Tragedy-serious drama that presents the downfall of an important character
Ideal-perfected form
Pediment-triangular space between the top of a colonnade and the roof
Philosophy-logical study of basic truths about knowledge, values, and the world
Sponsor-to support another person or thing
Troupe- group, especially of actors, singers, or dancers.
Proportions-pleasing balance of carious parts of a whole
Compound-consisting of or using more than one
The Arts and Architecture
Drama
- part of every city's religious fest.
- Wealthy citizens sponsor production
- City leaders choose best plays from writers
- Award for best writers
- Actors all men, also play women parts
- Large chorus included
- Two forms: tragedy, comedy
Tragedy and Comedy
Tragedy:
- Downfall of important characters. E.G. King
- Themes of love, war, hate
- Example of Tragedy-Seven Against Thebes
Comedy:
- Humorous, dramatic
- Made fun of politics, ppl, and ideas
- End happily
- Aristophanes (450-388 B.C.) was a great writer of comedy
- His play Birds makes fun of ppl who strive to gain power
Sculpture
- Artists aimed to capture ideal in work
- Portray objects, humans in perfect form
- ++ sense of order, beauty, harmony
- ++sculptures portrayed gods, then put in temples
- E.G. Athena sculptor Phidias used gold, ivory ot create statue of Athena
- Outdoors, big scale
Architecture
- Temples, theaters, meeting places, homes, etc.
- Aimed to make buildings with graceful proportions
- Colonnades we placed around buildings
- Sculptures, paintings on pediments
- 477 B.C., architects constructed Parthenon as temple for Athena
- Phidias worked with architects, decorated pediments
- Phidia's statue of Athena's life inside parthenon
Colonnade-a series of columns
Compare and Contrast: Greek drama mainly consists of tragedy and comedy. In works of the former genre, there is usually a downfall of an important character, for example, the king. Contrasting, in works of comedy, the plot often made fun of politics, people, and ideas of that period, and end happily. Tragedy mainly has a negative mood, while comedy is meant to make the audience laugh.
Democracy, History, and Philosophy
Democracy Becomes Reality
- Lots of city-states developed democracy after Athens
- democracy is open and fair
- Adapted by many countries
Herodotus and Thucydides
- Greeks first to write down history
- Examine past
Herodotus (484-425 B.C)
- Father of history
- Learned, recorded stories of important events
- Traveled widely, wrote History
Thucydides (460-400 B.C):
- Wrote about Peloponnesian War
- To make sure of accuracy, he researched, collected eyewitness accounts
- His standard for writing is followed today
The Search for Truth
- 600 B.C, Greeks use reason to explain world(not myth)
- Greeks developed philosophy:
- Wide range of topics
Socrates
- One of most famous
- Enemies brought him to trial of causing ppl to rebel
- Socrates said he was helping Athens by making ppl think of their values, actions
- Jury disagree, sentenced to death
- Died drinking poison
Plato and Aristotle
Plato:
- Wrote in dialogue, talking about philosophy
- Started school for higher learning called the Academy
- Open for about 900 years
Aristotle:
- Plato's brightest student
- Opened his own school called Lyceum
- His writings explored wide range of topics
- His writing is based on classes he taught
- 3 years tutoring Alexander the Great
Evaluate: Thucydides is an author who wrote about history. He wrote about the Peloponnesian War while there was no sign of stopping. In order to keep the accuracy of his work, Thucydides even asked witnesses for information. This type of method is now created as a standard used for writing even today.
Science and Technology
Astronomy
- Scientists of of Alexandria studied astronomy
- Astronomer+mathematician Eratosthenes found way to estimate circumference of/distance around the earth
- Close to actual estimate
- Aristarchus tried to probe earth revolves around sun, tried to estimate size of sun(quite inaccurate)
- Ptolemy supported that earth cerner of universe
- Even made mathematical sys that described motions of sun, moon, ++known planets
- used for next 1400 years
- A.D 1500s, new evidence, mathematics prove earth, other planets move around sun
Mathematics and Physics
- Astronomers need know complicated math
- Greek scientists used Greek math
- Greek, Hellenistic mathematicians specialized in geometry
Euclid:
- Organized much of geometry
- Wrote a book: Elements
- Elements contained logical proof of geometric ideas
- Elements served basis of most geometry courses ever since
Archimedes:
- Explained the law of lever
- Invented compound pulley
- Believed to have created device to lift water for irrigation
- His ideas used to build pumps and steam engine
Hypatia:
- First noted female mathematician
- Also an astronomer
- Wrote about works of Ptolemy, and Euclid, and geometry
- Led a philosophical movement based on Plato's work
Find main ideas: Hellenistic scientists and mathematicians studied subjects such as geometry, which is the study of lines, angles, circles, and other forms. There are also studies that they did related to Physics, and developed the law of lever.