Chapter 2: Ancient
Greece
Aegean Cultures
• Geography
– The Aegean Cultures
are found in the area
of the Aegean Sea.
– The terrain is rocky
with a huge
dependency on the
water.
Aegean Cultures
• Cycladic Culture
– Existed around 25002000 B.C.E.
– The oldest of the
Aegean cultures.
– Worshiped a mother
goddess figure.
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– Commonly referred to as the proto-Greeks.
– Began significant development circa (ca.) 2000
B.C.E.
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– They were well known sailors and traders.
– Relied on the ocean as their defense barrier.
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– Architecture
• Palace of Minos
– Found on Crete at
the city of Knossos.
– Has a number of
continual rooms
with no discernible
pattern.
– The word labyrinth
has come to
describe the palace
(based on the story
of Thesus).
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– Architecture
• Minoan column is an inverted column that tapers
downward.
• They also had an effective sewage system.
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– Art
• Murals were very common.
• Toreador Fresco
Aegean Cultures
• Minoan Culture
– Art
• Statue of the Snake
Goddess made of faience, a
glazed ceramic.
Aegean Cultures
• Mycenaean Culture
– These are the first true
Greeks and they made
their appearance around
2000 B.C.E
– Came from the North and
settled on the
Peloponnesian peninsula.
– These are the Greeks
who battled the Trojans.
Aegean Cultures
• Mycenaean Culture
– Architecture
• The Palace at Mycenae
– The Lion Gate, an entrance
with a lintel (a heavy singular
stone) that with a relieving
triangle allows for the
creation of a primitive dome,
known as a corbeled dome.
– This is the precursor to the
Roman arch.
Aegean Cultures
• Mycenaean Culture
– Architecture
• The Palace at Mycenae
– A dromos is an entryway in which
ashlar masonry is used to help create
a tholos, a circular building.
Aegean Cultures
Aegean Cultures
• Mycenaean Culture
– Art
• Rhyton-an artistic
drinking vessel.
• The Golden Mask of
Agamemnon.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Religion
– Polytheistic
•
•
•
•
•
Zeus
Hera
Hermes
Ares
Athena
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Religion
– Oracles were religious
professional who
interpreted the will of
the gods.
– The most famous of
these were the Oracles
of Delphi, priestesses of
Apollo.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Poleis (City-States)
– Athens
• Artistic
• Cultural
• Traders
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Poleis (City-States)
– Sparta
• Military Society
• Egalitarian
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• The Peloponnesian War
– This war weakened the
Greeks and helped Philip II
of Macedonia (the father of
Alexander the Great) to
conquer them.
Philip II of Macedonia
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• The Peloponnesian War
– The war was fought predominantly between the
Athenians and the Spartans over the use of Delian
League money which was supposed to be used to
finance against Persian Invasion.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– Geometric Style
• This style was influenced by
the Dorians (Greek invaders
that would create the
classical period of Greece).
• This style created repetitive
geometric patterns on vases
and other pottery.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– Literature
• Homer
– He will write the two famous
epics.
» The Iliad
» The Odyssey
– His writings become the basis
of Greek education.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– Literature
• Sappho of Lesbos
– She was a female
writer who wrote
romantic poetry.
– She even indulged in
homo-erotic poetry
(lesbian love, which
was forbidden in Greek
society).
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600-480
B.C.E.)
• Ceramics
– Black-Figure is done by creating a
black glaze over a natural clay
background.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600480 B.C.E.)
• Ceramics
– Red-Figure was the inversion
of black and generally
considered to be a more
superior art form.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period
(600-480 B.C.E.)
• Sculpture
– Kourous is the
making of a lifesize
male nude taking
one step forward
and arms at his
side.
– Kore is the female
equivalent.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period
(600-480 B.C.E.)
• Sculpture
– As abilities/technique
in sculpting improved,
proportioning became
more accurate.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600480 B.C.E.)
• Philosophy
– It literally means the “love of
wisdom” based on logic and
reasoning.
– The Greeks will become the
first people to truly question
their world and society on a
deeper level than others.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600-480
B.C.E.)
• Philosophy
– Presocratics studied the world
and the role of humans in it.
» Thales, one of these
philosophers, promoted
the idea of man’s natural
role in the universe.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600480 B.C.E.)
• Philosophy
– Presocratics studied the
world and the role of
humans in it.
» Heraclitus believed
that the universe was
in a constant state of
flux as was man (a Yin
& Yang like conflict).
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600480 B.C.E.)
• Philosophy
– Atomists
» They believed in the
concept of the universe
being made up of small,
invisible, particles and
the void between them.
» They were led by
Democritus.
The Rise of Ancient Greece
• Mycenaean Art
– The Archaic Period (600-480
B.C.E.)
• Philosophy
– Atomists
» Pythagoras
• The most well known of
all the atomists.
• He believed “numbers”
were at the heart of
everything.
• The universe was
controlled and
functioned based on
mathematics.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– The Athenian Golden Age is regarded as the
classical period of Greece and is the basis of
Western tradition today.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Democracy
• Though many politicians through
the year contributed to it,
Cleisthenes divided Athens into
neighborhoods, or demes, which
became the basis of voting
districts.
• From demes, demos (the
people) and cracy (governed by)
was formed.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Herodotus
• He was regarded as the
“Father of History” for his
recording of the Second
Persian War.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Architecture &
Engineering
• The Acropolis
– It was the high point
of the city.
– It contained many of
the important
temples.
» The Parthenon
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Architecture &
Engineering
• The Acropolis
– It was the high point of the
city.
– It contained many of the
important temples.
» The Temple of Athena
Nike
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• The Agora was the market place.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• The Stoas were the roofed colonnades.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• Columns
– Doric were the oldest and simplest form of the columns.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• Columns
– Ionic were characterized by the scrolling capital.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• Columns
– Corinthian were
characterized by large curling
acanthus leaves.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Architecture & Engineering
• Columns
– Caryatids were statues of female figures found on the
Erechtheion (also located on the acropolis).
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Sculpting
• Kritios Boy
–
–
–
–
The weight if focused on one leg.
The spine forms a gentle “S” curve.
The pose is relaxed and natural.
This was sculpted by Kritosis.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Sculpting
• The Spear Bearer (Doryphoros)
– This statue was considered the
new measure of perfect
proportions.
– It is believed to have become one
of the most copied works of the
ancient world.
– It was created by Polykleitos.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Sculpting
• Aphrodite of Knidos
– This statue was regarded as the
female equivalent of the Spear
Bearer.
– It was created by Praxiteles.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Drama
• Aeschylus
– He was the creator of
tragedy (the downfall of a
great hero).
– His best known play is
Orestia.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Drama
• Sophocles
– He is commonly regarded as the
greatest tragedy writer of his
time.
– His best known play is Oedipus
the King.
– This is also where Sigmund
Freud created the term Oedipus
Complex.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Drama
• Euripides
– He is a dark tragedy writer.
– His best known plays are
The Trojan Women and
Electra.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Comedy
• Aristophanes
– He is regarded as the master
of comedy writing.
– His best known play is
Lysistrata.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Philosophy
• Socrates
– He was known as the
“Father of Ethics.”
– He coined the term
“Know Thyself.”
– He sought out truth and
knowledge above all else.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Philosophy
• Socrates
– He created the “Socratic
Method,” a form of
continual questioning until
an answer is achieved.
– He was charged with
corruption of the Athenian
youth and chose death
over exile.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Philosophy
• Plato
– He was a student of Socrates
and it is through his work,
that Socrates' thoughts and
insights survive.
– He believed truth could be
obtained through
mathematics.
– He also believed in the
concept of the “Perfect Form
or Idea.”
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Philosophy
• Plato
– His work, The Republic,
describes his ideal society.
» It is separated into three
distinct classes.
• Intellectuals
• Soldiers
• Workers
» It is governed by the
intellectuals and run by
reason.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Philosophy
• Aristotle
– He was a student of Plato.
– He is referred to as the
“Father of Science.”
– He used the Socratic Method
of Reason as the basis of his
arguments and intellect.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Philosophy
• Aristotle
– He believed that all things
were in motion and moving
toward its potential.
– However, he was grounded
in reality, unlike Plato.
Educating Alexander the Great.
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Music
• The Lyre
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of Athens
– Music
• The Aulos
Classical Greece
• The Golden Age of
Athens
– Music
• Musical Modes or
scales were
developed by the
Greeks.
Hellenistic Greece
• Alexander the Great
– His conquest of Greece,
Northern Africa, and Asia
(up to India) made Greek an
international language.
– The Greeks referred to
themselves as Hellenes.
Hellenistic Greece
• Alexander the Great
– After his death, his generals divided the empire
but maintained fairly good relations with one
another.
– This helped the spread of “Hellenistic” culture.
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Architecture
– Greek style makes its way across the world.
– The Altar of Zeus at Pergamon
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Architecture
– Nike of Samothrace
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Architecture
– Laocoon and His Sons
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Philosophy
– The Sophists
• These philosophers were active
at the time of Socrates;
however, their concepts and
beliefs will have a great deal of
impact on the Hellenistic
philosophies.
• They believed that all things
were relative to a person’s
experiences.
Protagoras was believed to
be the first of the Sophists.
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Philosophy
– The True Hellenistics
• Stoicism
– This was the belief that an individual
can only exercise control over his
own will.
– This concept also believed that it
could be directed toward the
benefit of society.
– This philosophy will later be
embraced by the Romans.
Zeno of Citium
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Philosophy
– The True Hellenistics
• Epicureanism
– This philosophy promoted the
enhancement of physical pleasure
and the reduction of pain.
– However it strove for balance, not
overindulgence.
The philosophy was
founded by Epicurus.
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Philosophy
– The True Hellenistics
• Skepticism
– This philosophy believed in
the concept that man is not
capable of rendering
judgment because nothing
could be known for certain.
– The goal became to abandon
the search for knowledge and
accept uncertainty.
Pyrrho of Elis was one of the
creators of the Skeptic
Movement.
Hellenistic Greece
• Hellenistic Philosophy
– The True Hellenistics
• Cynicism
– The belief was to free oneself
from desire.
– This concept is classical
Buddhism.
Anisthenes, one of the
founders of the movement.