Our Heritage
from Ancient
Greece
 Today
we’re going to begin the study of Greek
Literature. We’ll be examining various aspects of
the Golden Age of Greece including culture,
art, playwrights, philosophy and theater, and
how these things are still affective in today’s
society. We’ll be looking into Greek Mythology,
their belief in immortality of the gods, and how
the very building blocks of our language today
stems from that of the ancient Greeks.
 What do you already know about Greek
literature, culture, etc?
Homer
 Homer
was a blind poet.
 He is most famous for
writing The Iliad and The
Odyssey.


These two pieces are
based off of the Trojan
War
900-800 B.C.
The Olympics
 Religious
festival dedicated to Zeus
 Took place every four years
 In times of war, a truce was called during
the Olympics, no matter what!
Shrine of Apollo
 Apollo
has been variously recognized as a
god of light and the sun; truth and
prophecy; medicine, healing, and
plague; music, poetry, and the arts
 Know thyself
 Nothing in excess
Government System
 Democracy:
people



1st government by the
Not quite perfect
Still had slavery
Still more democratic than a monarchy
How does “nothing in excess
apply to Greek sculpture, and
architecture
 Simplicity
 Clarity
 Grace
 Physical
Beauty
How did drama begin in
Athens?
 Public
ritual
 First began as a festival for the god,
Dionysus
 A chorus appeared with a lyre, people
began to sing praise. Eventually dialogue
began.

Hence, birth of theatre
Socrates
 Most
famous
philosopher of
Greece
 Asked questions
instead of giving
answers
 Charged no fees
 Taught lessons
 Wrote nothing
Plato
 Disciple
of
Socrates
 Gave Dialogue to
Socrates’ ideas
Greeks were concerned with





What were each citizen’s responsibility to his
fellow man?
Each Greek tried to understand his own
nature.
Greeks said “The unexamined life is not worth
living”.
Greeks pursued excellence
The true Greek hero was the whole man-the
man of excellence; wisdom; strength;
balance
Death of Socrates/Fall of
Athens
 Condemned
to death after trial for his
words of truth. He was considered
subversive for speaking against the war.
 Forced to drink poison.
 Athens fell under Spartan rule.
Think about it…
 What
are some things rooted in Ancient
Greek culture that we still see in our
society today?
a. The Olympics
i. Brings unity to a war stricken world
All groups agreed to halt battle when the games
occurred.
***Extra credit*** Have the Olympic games ever been
cancelled? Ask your history teacher, look online or at the
library. Bring proof of your findings to class.
ii. Provide entertainment. Prevention from chaos.
b. Democracy
i. Framework for today’s government.
ii. Deplored dictatorship of a monarchy. Equality of man.
c. Theatrical Influence
i. Provides inspiration to writers of today
ii. Again, serves the purpose of entertainment.
d. Philosophy
i. Ideas still studied today.
ii. Examined against science and religion of today and
yesterday.
Discussion
1.
2.
Why are these still important parts of our
world today?
How do they serve a purpose?
Homework



Look at question three. Re-read the quotes
inscribed on the shrine of Apollo. (“Know
thyself and Nothing in Excess”)
What do phrases mean to you? Do you think
it provides useful advice to follow in today’s
society?
Answer the questions above for each quote.
Each quote is to be written on one side of the
note card, followed by the student’s
explanation.