Introduction to Humanities
Lecture 2b
Greek culture, religion & art
By David Kelsey
Greek Religion
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Greek Religion:
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A polytheistic religion
The Gods were a race infinitely superior to human beings
They were completely powerful, immortal and always young and beautiful.
They had the same characteristics as humans but in a higher category.
The Gods weren’t all Good or all powerful
The Gods had to obey fate, which overrode their divine powers
The Gods acted like humans at times, petty, angry…
And the Gods interacted with humans, sometimes producing children…
The Underworld
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The underworld:
– The Greeks believed in an
underworld of the dead where
spirits would go
– It was believed that unless
proper burial rituals took
place, the deceased persons
spirit would never reach the
underworld and so would
haunt the world of the living
forever…
– Ruled by the brother of Zeus,
Hades
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Source: new.exchristian.net
Temples, Festivals and Rituals
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Religious temples:
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The Temple of Zeus
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Dedicated to a God or Goddess
The major buildings of Greek society
Created in the 6th century B.C. and located in
Athens
Religious festivals:
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Public festivals
Boys prepared to be warriors, girls to be
mothers
The Olympic festival, first begun in 776
B.C. and occurring every subsequent 4
years, was held to honor Zeus
Ritual:
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It was desirable to have the Gods look
favorably at one’s life
Prayers were often combined with gifts,
usually sacrificing animals
The idea was ‘I give so that you, the gods,
will give in return’.
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Source: kids.britannica.com
The Parthenon
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The Parthenon in Athens
Completed in 432 BC
Regarded as the greatest example of the
classic Greek temple
Built as a tribute to the Greek Goddess
Athena
Housed the famous sculpture called
Athena Parthenos
Built in accord with mathematical ratios
found in nature
The Parthenon exemplifies the principles
of classical Greek architecture: the search
for calm, clarity and freedom from
superfluous detail…
Source of upper image: en.wikipedia.org
Source of lower image: touropia.com
The temples of Poseidon & Hephaestus
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The Temple of Poseidon
– located at the southernmost tip of the Attica
peninsula
– It was constructed in approx. 440 BC
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Source: touropia.com
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The temple of Hephaestus:
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Located about 500 meters north-west of the
famous Acropolis, It is the best-preserved
Greek temple in the world.
Built in the 5th century BC in a district which
contained many metalwork shops, it was
dedicated to Hephaestus, God of metal
working.
Source: touropia.com
More on the Greek Gods
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More on the Greek Gods:
– There was a hierarchy of deities with Zeus as the king of the Gods
– Some deities had control over just certain aspects of nature or life
• Zeus was the sky God, sending thunder and lightning
• Poseidon ruled over the sea and earthquakes
• Hades controlled the underworld and death
• Helios controlled the sun
• Aphrodite controlled love
The Pantheon of Gods
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The Pantheon of Gods:
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Most Greeks believed in a pantheon that included 12 Gods, the 12 Olympians
The Gods lived on Mount Olympus
Each polis singled out a God as its guardian
(Athena was the patron Goddess of Athens)
The Pantheon of Gods
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Artemis: Goddess of the hunt, virginity,
the moon, and all animals
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Ares: God of war and bloodshed
– Hera: Queen of the Gods and God of
marriage and family
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Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, and
desire
– Poseidon: God of the seas &
earthquakes
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Hephaestus: Master blacksmith and
craftsman of the gods; god of fire
– Demeter: Goddess of fertility,
agriculture and nature
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Hermes: Messenger of the gods; god of
commerce and games
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Hestia: Goddess of the family
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Dionysus: God of wine, celebrations, and
ecstasy
• The Gods:
– Zeus: king of the Gods and ruler of
Olympus, god of the sky and justice
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Athena: Goddess of wisdom and
strategic warfare
– Apollo: God of light, knowledge,
healing, the arts, the sun and beauty
The Pantheon of Gods
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Source: tccl.rit.albany.edu
Greek art
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Greek art is divided into 4 periods:
– The Geometric, Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods.
– The Geometric period occurs from about 1000 B.C. to the 7th century B.C.
– The Archaic period occurs from about the 7th century B.C. to the onset of the Persian
wars in 480 B.C.
– The classical period occurs from about 480 B.C. to the reign of Alexander the Great in
336 B.C.
– The Hellenistic period occurs during the Hellenistic world from 323 B.C. to the 1st
century A.D.
– In reality, there was no sharp transition from one period to another.
The Geometric Period
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The Geometric Period:
– From about 900-700 B.C.
– Occurs during the dark ages
– Is characterized largely by
geometric motifs in vase painting
– Its center was in Athens
– Pottery and vases created during
this period have horizontal bands
about the circumference of the
vase. Between these lines the
artist used decorative motifs
including the zigzag, the triangle
and the meander
– Stylized depictions of humans
and animals were also used…
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The Hirschfeld Krater:
– Mid 8th century B.C.
– Depicts Ekphora, the act of carrying a
body to its grave.
– It is displayed at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens.
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Source of image: en.wikipedia.org
The Geometric Period
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Dipylon Amphora:
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Vessels like this one were placed on the graves as funeral monuments for aristocrats
This one was created sometime between 755 and 750 B.C.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
The Black figure style
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The Black figure style:
– was especially common between the
7th and 5th centuries B.C.
– Figures and ornaments were painted
on the body of the vessel using
shapes and colors reminiscent of
silhouettes.
– Delicate contours were edged into
the paint before firing with details
being highlighted usually in white and
red.
– Occurred most significantly in Corinth
and Athens.
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The painting on this work depicts
Heracles driving the beast Cerberus.
Created about 540 B.C.
Now displayed at the Munich State
Collection of Antiquities in Germany.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Black Figure Style
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Black figured Pottery by the potter
Panphaios
Depicts Athena
Created about 540 B.C.
Found in Tuscany, now in the Cabinet
des Medailles, in Paris
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
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This amphora depicts Heracles
– Dates to 540 B.C.
– Now in the Munich State Collection
of Antiquities in Germany.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Archaic Period
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The Archaic Period:
– The geometric patterning that was
dominant in the geometric period is
replaced by a more naturalistic style
reflecting influence from the Near
East and Egypt.
– Eastern pictorial motifs were
introduced such as lotus
compositions and animal hunts
(including griffins, sphinxes and
sirens.)
– Leads to a blending of foreign style
into new portrayals of their own
myths and customs
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An example of the Archaic period is seen
in this mixing bowl
Dated between 630 and 615 B.C.
Terracotta, from the state of Corinth
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Source: metmuseum.org
The Archaic Period
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The Archaic Period is known for statues of
Kouros (male youth):
– Characteristically depicted nude males
with left leg striding forward and hands
clenched at side.
– Most were made in the Archaic period
and are believed to have served as
grave markers
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The upper image is a noble figure of a
youth and is one of the earliest
freestanding marble statues from Attica.
– Dated between 590 and 580 B.C.
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The lower image are 2 statues known as
Kleobis and Biton
– Dated around 580 B.C. and displayed at
the Delphi Archaeological Museum
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Source: metmuseum.org
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Kore
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Kore:
– Free standing Greek sculpture depicting
young female figures
– Kouroi are the youthful male equivalent
of the Kore statues
– Both show the restrained ‘archaic smile’
but unlike the Kouroi are depicted in
thick drapery, are very colorful and
often have elaborate braided hairstyles.
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The Kore to the right
– known as Peplos Kore. It dates around
530 B.C.
– One of 14 Kore found east of the
Acropolis in Athens.
– It is Displayed at the Acropolis Museum
in Athens.
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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In the Classical period there was a
revolution in Greek statuary, usually
associated with the introduction of
democracy and the end of the aristocratic
culture associated with the kouroi.
Poses became more naturalistic and the
technical skill of Greek sculptors in
depicting the human form in a variety of
poses greatly increased.
Image to the right:
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The charioteer at Delphi
Created around 478 B.C.
Displayed at the Delphi museum in Greece
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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The Classical Period:
– Statues begin to depict real people.
– Sculpture and statues were put to
wider use during the classical period.
– The great temples of the classical
period, such as the Parthenon in
Athens and the Temple of Zeus at
Olympia, required relief sculpture for
decorative purposes.
– The difficult aesthetic and technical
challenge stimulated much in the way
of sculptural innovation.
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Source of image: en.wikipedia.org
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Harmodius and Aristogeiton:
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Displayed originally in Athens to mark the
beginning of democracy
The first public monuments to actual
people
Originally stolen by the Persians when they
sacked Athens, sculpted again in 477 B.C.
The Classical Period
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Funeral statuary:
– Evolved during this period from
the rigid and impersonal kouros
of the Archaic period to the
highly personal family groups of
the Classical period.
– These monuments are commonly
found in the suburbs of Athens.
– Although some of them depict
"ideal" types, i.e. the mourning
mother or the dutiful son, they
increasingly depicted real people
– Typically show the departed
taking his dignified leave from his
family.
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An example of a grave marker from the
Classical Period displaying a family group.
– Displayed in the National
Archaeological Museum, Athens
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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The Statue of Zeus at Olympia:
– A giant seated figure
– About 42 feet tall
– Made by the Greek sculptor Phidias
around 435 B.C. at the sanctuary of
Olympia, Greece at the temple of
Zeus
– Represents the God Zeus sitting on a
throne
– Regarded as one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World until
its eventual loss and destruction
during the 5th century AD
– No copy of the statue has ever been
found with details being known only
from ancient Greek literature and
coins
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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Athena Parthenos:
– A sculpture made of gold and ivory of
the Greek goddess Athena
– Stood 12 meters tall
– Created by Phidias and housed in the
Parthenon in Athens
– Considered one of the greatest works
of art of Classical Greece
– Stood in the Parthenon until the 5th
century AD when it was removed by
the Romans
– The image to the right is a
reconstruction of the original. It is
housed in Reproduction of the
Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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Doryphoros:
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– Known as the Spear carrier, it depicts
an athletic youth that originally
carried a spear on his left shoulder
– Presents an idealized representation
of a young male athlete, which is
typical of Classical Greece
– The subject of the Classical period
was most often the human being and
the purpose was to represent the
subject as an object of great beauty.
– The classical style depicts the ideals
of reason, moderation, symmetry,
balance and harmony...
Doryphoros:
– Constructed by the famous Greek
sculptor Polykleitos
– The original work was cast in bronze
but is lost
– Created around 440 B.C.
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Classical Period
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Aphrodite of Knidos:
– One of the most famous works of the
ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles of
Athens.
– Commissioned in the 4th century B.C.
– The statue became famous for its
beauty, meant to be appreciated from
every angle
– The first life size representation of the
nude female form.
– Depicts the goddess Aphrodite as she
prepared for the ritual bath that
restored her purity.
– Discarding her drapery in her left hand,
while modestly shielding herself with
her right hand.
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
Greek history
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History:
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Image of Herodotus:
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Greeks created History, which is the
systematic analysis of past events
Herodotus:
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484-425 B.C.
Called the father of History
The author of the Persian Wars
Regarded as the first real history in
Western Civilization
The topic of his work is the conflict
between the Greeks and Persians, which
he portrayed as a struggle between Greek
freedom and Persian despotism
Did contain exaggeration and story with
quite a bit of bias
Thucydides
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Thucydides:
– 460-400 B.C.
– Considered the greatest historian of
the ancient world
– An Athenian and participant in the
Peloponnesian War
– Was exiled for a defeat he suffered in
the war, so he wrote about it
– Image of Thucydides:
– Source: en.wikipedia.org
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He wrote History of the Peloponnesian
War.
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In it he examines the long range and
immediate causes of the Peloponnesian
War in a clear, methodical, objective way.
Thucydides presented war and politics
from an unbiased and rational
perspective:
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“And with regard to my factual reporting of
the events of the war I have made it a
principle not to write down the first story
that came my way, and not even to be
guided by my own general impressions;
either I was present myself at the events
which I have described or else I heard of
them from eyewitnesses whose reports I
have checked with as much thoroughness
as possible.” (Thucydides, History of the
Peloponnesian War)
Greek Philosophy
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Philosophy:
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Socrates:
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– A Greek word meaning love of
wisdom
– The Greeks created Philosophy
– Early Greek philosophy is concerned
primarily with the nature of the
universe and our place in it
– Greek Philosophy is centrally
concerned with the development of
critical and rational thought as seen
in the Socratic method
– The Socratic method is a method of
critical analysis which has as a goal to
find the truth. It does this by ruling
out the false and contradictory
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469-399 B.C.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Greek Theatre
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Greek Theatre:
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Theatre of Dionysus in Athens:
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Source: www.visit-ancient-greece.com
– Athens was the center of Greek
drama, where it was institutionalized
as part of a festival called the
Dionysia, which honored the God
Dionysus.
– Drama was used by the Greeks to
educate its citizens about society,
culture, religion and values.
– They consisted of 3 men who acted
out the parts and a chorus, also male,
who explained what has going on.
– Greek plays were presented in
outdoor theatres as part of religious
festivals.
Greek Tragedies
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Tragedies:
– The first Greek plays were tragedies, which were plays based on the suffering of a hero
and usually ending in disaster.
– The value and symbolism in most tragedies was that humans are free and yet can only
operate within the limitations imposed by the Gods. So we must live within those
limitations a life of balance and moderation.
Sophocles
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Sophocles:
– The most successful writer of Greek
tragedies was Sophocles.
– An Athenian who lived 496-406 B.C.
– He won many first prizes at festival
competitions for best tragedy but
only 7 of his 123 plays survive
today.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Sophocles:
– His most famous play is Oedipus the
King. In it the oracle of Apollo
foretells that a man (Oedipus) will kill
his own father and marry his mother.
Despite all attempts to prevent the
tragic events from happening, they
occur just as they are foretold
– In Antigone, Oedipus’ son Polynices
has died in an attempt to seize the
throne of Thebes. And so the King of
Thebes, Cleon, has forbidden his
burial. A dilemma confronts
Antigone, Polynices sister. Should
she fulfill her obligation to the Gods
by burying her brother? If she does,
of course, she risks her own life as
she has defied Cleon and the state.
Aristophanes
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Aristophanes and Greek comedy:
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Image of Aristophanes:
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Source: en.wikipedia.org
– Greek comedy was developed later
than Greek tragedy.
– Greek comedies were used to attack
or savagely satirize both politicians
and intellectuals
– Aristophanes lived from 450-385 B.C.
wrote many comedies
– He used grotesque masks and
obscene jokes to entertain the
audience
– He wrote The Clouds. In it he
misrepresents Socrates as the
operator of a thought factory, which
is the leading school for rhetoric and
sophistry…