Unit 4: Greece
The Golden Age
of Greece
Golden Age:
“…he means by the golden men, not
men literally made of gold, but good
and noble.”
- Socrates
What is a “Golden Age”?
• A period of great peace, prosperity,
and happiness.
• The peak of classic culture.
When did the Golden Age of Greece
occur?
Between the Persian War and
the Peloponnesian War!
Where was the center of the
Golden Age of Greece?
Athens
Who was the leader during
the Golden Age?
Pericles
• Leader of Athens
What did Pericles do?
• Extended democracy
• Rebuilt Athens after the destruction in
the Persian Wars
• Ex: Parthenon
What’s so important about
the Parthenon?
• Temple to
Athena
• Showed off the
power of
Athens
• Phidias’ statue
of Athena
I’m a replica
in Nashville,
TN
Columns on the Parthenon
Doric
Columns!
What other types of columns are
there?
Types of Columns:
The Parthenon Today
Inside the Parthenon:
The sculptures of Phidias
Frieze
following accepted rules
of behavior, morally
right and good
Is it ethical for the
British Museum to
keep the Parthenon
sculptures?
Contributions of the Greeks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Philosophers
Playwrights
Poets
Sculptors
Historians
Mathematicians
Scientists
“Lover of wisdom”
A person who seeks
to understand Truth
and the meaning of
life
Contributions of the Greeks
Wow! This is a
lot of people! No
worries, this
“cheat sheet” is
downloadable on
our website.
1) Socrates
• Philosopher
• First of the great Greek Philosophers. He is considered
by many to be the founder of Western philosophy.
• “Know thyself.”
• “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know
nothing.”
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
2) Plato
• Philosopher
• Student of Socrates. He wrote many dialogues using
Socrates as a major character. He also founded the
Academy in Athens.
3) Aristotle
• Philosopher
• Student of Plato. Aristotle was a philosopher and
scientist. He was interested in the physical world. He
was also teacher to Alexander the Great.
4) Aeschylus
• Playwright
• A Greek playwright, he is considered the father of
the tragedy.
5) Sophocles
• Playwright
• Sophocles was probably the most popular playwright
during Greek times. He won many writing
competitions and is thought to have written over
100 plays.
6) Homer
• Poet
• Homer was the most famous of the Greek epic
poets. He wrote the epic poems the Iliad and
the Odyssey.
7) Phidias
• Sculptor
• A sculptor and architect. Designed the Parthenon
and made several of the religious statues inside it.
8) Herodotus
• Historian
• A historian who chronicled the Persian Wars,
Herodotus is often called the Father of History.
9) Thucydides
• Historian
• A great Greek historian who was known for the
exact science of his research, he wrote about the
war between Athens and Sparta called the
Peloponnesian War.
10) Archimedes
• Mathematician
• He is considered one of the greatest mathematicians
in history. He made many discoveries both in math
and physics including many inventions.
11) Euclid
• Mathematician
• The Father of Geometry, Euclid wrote a book
called Elements, likely the most famous mathematical
textbook in history.
12) Hippocrates
• Scientist
• A scientist of medicine, Hippocrates is called the
Father of Western Medicine. Doctors still take the
Hippocratic Oath today.
13) Pythagoras
• Pythagoras
• A scientist and philosopher, he created the
Pythagorean Theorem still used today in much of
geometry.