Chapter 8 Review Mr. Klein

Greek Beliefs Greek myths expressed the religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Greek Gods have great powers but they look and act like human beings. Because they show human qualities the Greek people did not fear them. Gods lived on Mount Olympus and Zeus was the King of the Gods. All Greeks worshipped Zeus and each city-state chose one god or goddess as its protector. For example Athena protected Athens. To win the favor of their god Greeks performed rituals. Festivals also honored the Gods the largest being the Olympic Games which inspired the modern Olympics. Greeks believed in fate and prophecy so they visited oracles. A sacred place where a priest or priestess spoke for a god. The most famous was the oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

Greek Literature and Writers Greek poems and stories are some of the oldest literature in Western civilization. First Greek stories were epics. Two of the greats, the Iliad and Odyssey, were composed by the poet Homer. They were about the Greek and Trojan War. In the Iliad a Trojan prince falls in love and kidnaps a Greek princess Helen. The Greeks attack the city for revenge. The war lasts 10 years and ends with the use of the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his long trip home from the war. Odysseus gets involved in many adventures and it takes 10 years for him to finally get home. Heroes of the poems became role models and taught importance of courage, honor and loyalty. Aesop’s fables were short tales that used animals and were often funny to tell a moral and show human strength and weakness.

Greek Drama and Art Drama is a story told mainly trough the words and actions of a cast of characters performed by actors on a stage Two categories of Greek drama, tragedy and comedy. In a tragedy the main character struggles to overcome hardships but doesn’t succeed. In a comedy the story ends happily and is filled with humor. The four writers Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes were the greatest Greek dramatists. Drama was part of religious festivals and a way to show loyalty to their city-state. Greek art expressed the ideals of reason, balance, and harmony. Greeks constructed beautiful buildings and amazing sculptures.

Philosophy and Socrates Philosophy means “love of wisdom” and involved creating a new body of knowledge. Sophists traveled from polis to polis teaching many subjects but were known for teaching rhetoric. Socrates believed in absolute truth and that all real knowledge as within each person. He created a way of questioning called the Socratic method. He asked questions and waited for students to respond. Students should think for themselves and form their own opinions. Socrates ended up being executed for corrupting the youth of Athens. He could have left before his execution but died for his beliefs.

Plato and Aristotle Plato was a student of Socrates and wrote about his teacher. Also wrote “The Republic” which tried to find the ideal government. Believed that “philosopher kings” should be rulers. Started his own school called The Academy in Athens. Aristotle was a student of Plato. Had many interests and wrote over 200 works on a variety of topics like science, government and theater. Was the teacher of Alexander the Great at the Academy before opening his own school in Athens called the Lyceum. Aristotle’s ideas influenced the way Europeans and Americans thought about government.

Greek History and Science Herodotus wrote a history of the Persian Wars. Wrote that the gods played a role in historical events. Questioned many people to get information and investigated the truthfulness of sources. Considered the “father of history.” Thucydides was a general in the Peloponnesian War and wrote a history about the conflict. Rejected idea of Gods playing a role and tried hard to be accurate and impartial. He visited battle sites, and only accepted eyewitness reports of events. Thales studied astronomy and mathematics. Made discoveries and developed theories by observing and thinking. Pythagoras taught that the universe followed same laws of music and numbers. Developed Pythagorean theorem that is still used today. Hippocrates is considered the “father of medicine.” Created list of rules called the Hippocratic Oath that says doctors should do their best to help the patient. Doctors today still promise to honor the oath.

Alexander the Great King Phillip II of Macedonia built a powerful army and conquers and unifies Greece at the battle of Chaeronea. Phillip was assassinated opening the door for his 20 year old son Alexander to take over his invasion of Persia. Alexander’s army blends the phalanx and use of cavalry in a way that makes the army unstoppable and wins victories at Granicus and Issus. Alexander goes south and conquers Egypt, is made pharaoh and creates the city of Alexandria. Alexander’s army meets the Persians at Gaugamela and defeats them to conquer the Persians. Alexander continues campaigning into India until his army refuses to go any further. Alexander dies mysteriously on the way back in the city of Babylon.

Hellenistic Culture Alexander’s empire marks the beginning of the Hellenistic era. Hellenistic means “like the Greeks.” His generals divide the empire between themselves. The most successful are Ptolemy and Seleucus who create long lasting dynasties in their kingdoms of Egypt and Seleucia. Alexandria becomes one of the most important cities in the ancient world with the largest library in the world and a cultural center of learning and the arts. Epicurus founded the philosophy of Epicureanism which makes happiness and the lack of pain the focus of life. Epicurean means love of physical pleasure involving good food and spending time with friends. The philosophy of Stoicism is developed by Zeno. Stoics claim that people guided by their emotions live unhappy lives. Happiness results from using reason. Stoics though people had a duty to serve their communities and would influence Roman thinkers.

Hellenistic Scientists Aristarchus claimed the sun was the center of the universe and the Earth revolved around the sun. Eratosthenes was chief librarian in Alexandria and measured Earth’s circumference and concluded the sun was much larger than the Earth. Euclid wrote the book Elements which described plane geometry which shows how angles, points, lines and surfaces relate to each other. Most famous scientist was Archimedes who worked on solid geometry. He also figured out the value of pi which is used to measure the area of circles. He was also a successful inventor.