Backdrop for Oedipus Rex Classical Greece Backdrop for Oedipus Rex

Timeline Classical period of ancient Greek history is fixed between about 500 B. C., when the Greeks began to come into conflict with the kingdom of Persia to the east, and the death of the Macedonian king and conqueror Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.

City States Greece was made up from independent states, called Polis, or city state.

Social Structure Greek Society was mainly broken up between Free people and Slaves. Slaves were used as servants and labourers, without any legal rights.

Social Structure As Athenian society evolved, free men were divided between Citizens and Metics. A citizen was born with Athenian parents and could take part in the government of the Polis. A metic was of foreign birth but had migrated to Athens; they could never achieve full rights of a Citizen, neither could they own houses or land and were not allowed to speak in law courts.

Everyday Life The majority of Ancient Greek people made their living from farming. Citizens often had land outside the city which provided their income.

Everyday Life Lives of women were closely tied to domestic work, spinning, weaving and other home duties. They were not involved in public life or in politics. One public duty was acting as a priestess at a temple.

Government Athens was the first democracy in the world. Freedom of thought and discussion were demanded by institutions. Worked through an assembly of the whole citizen body. Assembly elected a council to create and run the agenda. Council members had term limits.

Citizen’s Duties Citizens (men only) were expected to serve in the military. Citizens took a greater part in public affairs than we can today. They acted in person rather than through senators and representatives. In courts, they HAD to present their own cases before of a jury of peers.

Intellectual Life First alphabet came from Ancient Greece. Writers, artists, and philosophers found a mass audience, rather than a select minority like today. Theater was a popular form of entertainment.

Religion Ancient Greece had a polytheistic belief system. Zeus was considered the ruler and protector of the human race.

Apollo Apollo was primarily a god of prophecy. As a prophet and magician, he is the patron of medicine and healing. He was famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. He was also the god of light and truth.

Nature of the Gods Humans both as individuals and as groups paid honors to the gods to thank them for blessings received and to receive blessings in return. Those honors consisted of sacrifices, gifts to the gods' sanctuaries, and festivals of songs, dances, prayers, and processions.

Nature of the Gods Gods supported humans who paid them honor and avoided offending them. Gods whom humans offended sent calamities in response, such as famines, earthquakes, epidemic diseases, or defeat in war.

Greek Enlightenment The Classical period of Greece contained what is known as the Greek Enlightenment. A radical realignment of people’s beliefs occurred during this time. Four main schools of thought challenged social norms.

Enlightenment Thinkers Presocratic Philosophers: empirical observation (actual experience) shows physical explanations for natural occurances. Ethnographers: different societies have different religious, moral, and ethical beliefs.

Enlightenment Thinkers Sophists: religious, moral, and ethical beliefs are only human conventions used to control individual freedom. Medical Writers: illness has a cause which can be observed.

Enlightenment Consequences What do these four schools of thought have in common when we think about their impact on Greek civilization? They ALL contributed to a questioning of religious beliefs—the gods of Olympus no longer caused all human joy and suffering (or did they?).

Sources Ancient Greece. 2008. University Press. 4 Sept. 2009 <http://www.ancientgreece. com/s/Main_Page/>. Perseus Digital Library Project. Ed. Gregory R. Crane. 2009. Tufts University. 4 Sept. 2009<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu>.