Comparative Civilizations 12
Unit 1 - Ancient Civilizations
Part 2 - Ancient Greece
"Numberless are the world's wonders, but none
more wonderful than man." This tribute, written
nearly 2,500 years ago by a Greek, reflects an
attitude which is one of the lasting contributions
of the Greeks to Western Civilization. The Greeks
believed that man was the measure of all things
and that as such he had the power through his
intelligence, to know the universe and thus
control his life.
Antel & Harris
Resources:
1.
2.
3.
The Creative Impulse, by Dennis Sporre, pp. 86-119.
Library Sources.
Internet Sources:

See the Art of the Western World; The Classical Ideal video at CPB/Annenberg’s site
http://www.learner.org Go to Video on Demand, click on Programs, then search for the title.
The Ancient City of Athens at - http://www.stoa.org/athens/
Once again, try the BBC’s site, this time on the Ancient Greeks, at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/
The World Wide Web Virtual Library site for the Ancient Greeks can be found at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041014020022/http://www.westernculture.com/ancientgreeks.html



Media:
1.
2.
Art of the Western World - The Classical Ideal; part 1.
Ancient Greece: The Age & Its Art
Suggested Time:
Five or six periods.
Activities:
Once again, the base material for this section comes from the Internet, classroom presentations, Sporre &
library research -- along with the sources cited above. Continue to illustrate your work with downloaded
images integrated with your text and explained by your own captions. Once again, a bibliography must be
included at the end of this work.
Evaluation:
Research (answers to base questions) 10; Architectural sketches 10; Classical Sculpture Art Analysis 10;
Hellenistic Sculpture Art Analysis 10; Pottery Art Analysis 10. Total 50 marks.
1
Comparative Civilizations 12
Introduction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When did Greek culture begin? What outside influences helped to shape it?
Michael Woods quotes Shelley as suggesting that “we are all Greeks…” What does this mean?
How is it that we are still like them?
In the video Art of the Western World; The Classical Ideal we are told that we have to use our
imaginations to see Greek art as it was intended at the time? Why is this so? How are Greek
objects and architecture different today to the way they were when they were new?
How was the concept of individualism central to the Greeks?
How was much Greek art “idealistic” rather than “realistic”?
Architecture:
1.
2.
3.
Describe the characteristics of Greek temple architecture. Be sure to include the following terms:
a. Post and Lintel b. Doric c. Ionic d. Corinthian e. Peripteral f. dipteral
g. frieze
Include hand-drawn or traced images of a typical Greek temple, such as the Parthenon. Be sure to
include at least one elevation and a floor plan. (10 marks) Please label prominent features.
How did Greek architecture evolve over time. Be sure to note the progression from at least the
Classical to the Hellenistic periods. (You might compare the Parthenon to the Temple of Zeus at
Pergamum, for example).
Sculpture:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Explain the characteristics of Archaic sculpture. Be sure to refer to the following as you do so:
a. Kouros b. Kore c. Archaic smile
With reference to the statue known as the Kritios Boy, explain how the new Classical style differed
from the earlier Archaic.
Complete an art analysis of a Classical statue.
Describe the characteristics of the later Hellenistic style. How is it a departure from the Classical
form?
Complete an art analysis of a Hellenistic statue.
Pottery:
1.
2.
Summarize the historical development of Greek styles of pottery. Be sure to include images of
examples of each.
Complete an art analysis of one piece of Greek pottery from any of the periods that you identified.
Conclusion:
Note that Greek art did not come to an end with Greece’s conquest by Rome. Rather, the Roman world was
significantly Greek as the culture was absorbed into the cosmopolitan Roman culture. Greek art, Greek
language and Greek thought persisted – and even dominated much of the Roman world.
1.
2.
Explain the phrase “Captive Greece made Rome captive.”
Describe the significance of ancient Greece’s legacy to our civilization today.
2