The Daily Life and Culture of Classical Greece World History I

Greek Religion Religion was very important to the Greeks as they viewed religion as being necessary to the well being of the state. The Greeks believed in a large number of gods with the twelve chief gods living on Mount Olympus. – Zeus was the chief god and the leader of the gods. The Greeks always wanted to look good in the eyes of the gods so rituals became very important. – A ritual is a ceremony or rite.

Greek Religion, cont. Festivals were also developed to help worship. – One festival held by the Greeks was the Olympic festival in 776 BC. This was a set of athletic games and the basis for the modern Olympics. The Greeks also wanted to know about the will of the gods and their desires. – They used an oracle to do this. An oracle is a sacred shrine where a god or goddess revealed the future through a priest or priestess. – The responses given at the oracle were often puzzling.

Greek Drama Drama was created by the Greeks. – The first Greek dramas were tragedies. Tragedies were presented in a trilogy. The trilogies were built around a common theme. Greek tragedies dealt with themes that are still relevant today. – Good vs. evil, human nature, nature of divine forces. Greek comedy developed after tragedy. – Comedy tried to make a point and provoke a reaction. Most comedies were written to criticize intellectuals and politicians.

Greek Philosophy Philosophy- an organized system of thought. Socrates used a system of question and answer to lead his pupils to see things for themselves by using their own reason. – Socrates questioned authority in Athens. – After the Peloponnesian War, the government of Athens changed and open debate was no longer trusted. – Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens by teaching them to question and think for themselves. He was sentenced to death by poison.

Greek Philosophy, cont. Since Socrates did not leave behind any writing, we know little about him. – The things we do know come from his students. – Plato was Socrates’ greatest student. In The Republic, Plato wrote his ideas about government. – Based on experience in Athens, Plato distrusted democracy. – He believed that government should be divided into 3 groups. Kings/Philosophers, Warriors, and the masses. Plato also believed that men and women should have equal education and equal access to all positions.

Greek Philosophy, cont. Plato established a school in Athens called the academy. – Aristotle studied at the academy for 20 years. Aristotle wrote about a variety of subjects. – Until the 17 th century, many scientific theories in the west were based on Aristotle’s writings. Aristotle studied government and determined that there were 3 good forms of government. – He favored constitutional government as the best form for the people.