Chapter 6
The Rise of Ancient Greece
Objectives
 In this section you will…
 Identify
the religious beliefs of the
ancient Greeks.
 Explore
how the Greeks searched for
knowledge about the world.
 Describe
the relationship between the
rise of democracy and the spread of
new ideas in Greek city-states.
Key Terms
 tribute - a payment made by a less
powerful state or nation to a more
powerful one
 immortal - someone or something that
lives forever
 oracle - in Ancient Greece a sacred site
used to consult a god or goddess; any
priest or priestess who spoke for the
gods.
 philosopher - someone who used reason
to understand the world; in Greece
the earliest philosophers used reason
to explain natural events.
 tragedy - a type of serious drama that
ends in disaster for the main
character.
The Golden Age of Athens
 The years 479 B.C. to 431 B.C. are known
as the Golden Age of Athens.
 Trade, silver mined by slaves, and tribute
made the city rich.
 Athenians made achievements in the arts,
philosophy, and literature; democracy
reached its high point.
 Pericles, a well-educated and intelligent
man, was the most powerful person in
Athenian politics for about 30 years.
 Although a member of an aristocratic
family, Pericles still supported democracy
and became leader of a democratic group
around 460 B.C.
 Pericles had the city pay a salary to its
officials, allowing poor citizens to hold
public office.
The construction of the Parthenon between
447 and 432 B.C. was one of the greatest
accomplishments under Pericles's rule.
It was built to honor the protector of Athens,
the goddess Athena, as part of the general
reconstruction of the Acropolis in Athens.
Reading Check
 How did Pericles strengthen democracy?
 Pericles strengthened
democracy by
introducing reforms that
strengthened democracy.
 He had the city pay a salary to its
officials.
 This meant poor citizens could afford
to hold public office.
Ancient Greek Religious Beliefs
 Greeks worshiped a family of gods and
goddesses called the Twelve Olympians,
who ruled areas of human life.
 The Greeks honored their gods by giving
thanks and receive blessings.
 They also tried to avoid angering their gods.
Gods and Goddesses
 Wherever the Greeks lived they built
temples to their immortal gods led by
Zeus.
 Mt. Olympus is Greece's highest
mountain; Zeus also ruled the gods and
humans from there.
 Greeks honored many gods as well as
mythical heroes, such as Achilles.
 All Greeks worshiped all the gods but each
city-state honored one of the twelve gods
and built a temple for their god.
They would hold festivals, sacrifice animals,
and offer food to the gods to honor them,
but for Zeus all city-states would come
together and hold an Olympian festival and
games.
The Oracles
 Greeks visited shrines to speak with oracles,
priest or priestess of the gods, who would
give advice or signs on how to behave.
 Leaders would visit the shrine of Apollo at
Delphi, an ancient city in central Greece, for
advice.
 The oracles had a great impact on Greek
history.
Reading Check
 How did the Greeks honor their gods?
 The
Greeks honored their gods by
worshiping them.
 Each
city-state worshiped one of the
twelve gods.
 The
Greeks also wished to give thanks to
the gods and received blessings.
 They also
tried to avoid angering the gods.
The Search for Knowledge
Many Greek people thought gods were
responsible for natural events, but some
disagreed.
Greek Science And Philosophy
 One of the first philosophers was Thales.
 He believed water was the basic material
of the world.
 Democritus thought that everything was
made of tiny particles, called atoms.
 More than 2,000 years later, science
showed that they were correct.
Socrates
 During the Golden Ages and later, several
important philosophers taught in Athens.
 One man was named Socrates.
 He was at the market place for hours.
 Socrates wanted people to believe in the
true meaning of qualities such as justice
and courage.
 Many times people would get mad because
he told or showed them that they didn't
know what they were talking about.
 In 399 B.C. Socrates was brought to trial.
 He was accused of dishonoring the gods
and that he mislead young people.
 He was sentenced to death, so he drank
hemlock and died.
Plato and Aristotle
 What is known about Socrates came from
his student, Plato.
 Plato believed that there should be three
groups: workers, soldiers , and
philosopher-rulers.
 Plato founded an Academy in Athens,
called the Academy, where he taught a
student named Aristotle.
 Aristotle believed the pursuit of
knowledge should be guided by reason.
 Aristotle founded a school of his own
called the Lyceum.
Reading Check
 How did Socrates challenge the values of
the people of Athens?
 "Socrates
wanted people to consider the
true meaning of qualities such as justice
and courage. To do this, he asked
questions that made others think about
their beliefs."
 By doing this he challenged the
Athenian's values.
Visual and Dramatic Arts
 The ancient Greeks devoted great attention
to their arts, using visual arts such as
sculpture and architecture to honor their
Gods.
 They are also known as the first civilization
to have playwrights, people who wrote
plays.
The Parthenon
 The Athenian leader Pericles is known for
beautifying Athens.
 Pericles rebuilt the Acropolis.
 The builders of the new Acropolis brought
Greek architecture to its highest point.
 The temple to the goddess Athena, was
called the Parthenon.
 The great statue of Athena disappeared a
long time ago.
Dramas
 Athenians were the first people known to
write dramas.
 Among the city's great achievements were
plays written and produced in the 400s
B.C. during the Golden Age.
 Often tragedies told of fictional humans
who were destroyed when forced to make
impossible choices.
Comedies
 During the 400’s B.C. in Athens, there were poets that
wrote comedies about politicians, citizens, and
customs of the day.
Reading Check
 What was the role of the chorus in Greek
drama?
 The
role of the Greek drama chorus
was they sang or chanted poems.
 The author would have them give
background information, comment
on the event, and praise the gods
Many City-States, One People
 Citizens of Greek city-states like Athens,
valued their freedoms and had strong
patriotic feelings that made them take a
very active role in their government.
 This allowed them to develop new ideas
in philosophy, religion, government and
the arts.
 Athens was the most important city-state,
but there were others and their citizens
spoke the same language and had mostly
the same customs even though they
competed against each other.
 They called themselves Hellenes.
 The Olympic Games were held every four
years throughout Ancient Greece.
 It had many events like running, horse
racing, boxing, and many more.
Reading Check
What role did education and growing
wealth play in the development of
philosophy and the arts in ancient Greece?
Education and wealth gave ancient
Greeks freedom to explore new ideas.