Contributions of Greek Culture to Western Civilization Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.

Aristophanes – Great play writer of COMEDY Drama Aristophanes – Great play writer of COMEDY Aeschylus and Sophocles – Great play writers of TRAGEDY

Poetry Homer: The great blind story teller of Greece His stories later were written in two epics: 1. Iliad 2. Odyssey

history Herodotus – Greek historian who is known as the “father of history” He wrote Histories which was about the conflict between Persia and Greece Thucydides – A Greek historian who wrote History of the Peloponnesian War. He wrote about the conflict between Athens and Sparta

sculpture Phidias – He is known as the Greatest Greek Sculptor He designed the Parthenon (the temple of the Goddess Athena) Sculpted the huge Statue of Zeus at Olympus

*Famous Statue leading into Trading City Colossus of Rhodes *Famous Statue leading into Trading City

architecture

Doric Column Very plain and simple Has no base

Ionic Column Capital has scrolls Has a base More decorative

The most decorative capital Corinthian Column The most decorative capital Roofs are flat

Hippocrates 460-377 B.C. Founded a school of medicine Rejected that sickness comes from the gods Careful observations of symptoms Acute Chronic “Holistic” healing Hygiene Diet Curative powers of nature The Hippocratic Oath

Archimedes 287 - 212 B.C. Greek mathematician – Geometry War machines and other devices Theory of buoyancy - “Eureka!” Law of the lever Archimedean screw

Archimedean Screw

Modern application of the Archimedean Screw

mathematics Euclid – the father of geometry

Pythagoras 582-500 B.C. The universe could only be understood thru numbers. Sun, moon, and earth revolved around a central fire. Each planet produces a tone! Famous for the Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2

Pythagoras 582-500 B.C. c2 a2 b2 Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2

philosophy

The Three Most Famous Philosophers Socrates Plato Aristotle

Socrates 469 - 399 B.C. Critic of the Sophists Encouraged students to think Left no writings – skeptical Dialectic method Conversational Based upon reason and logic Popular among the youth a “gadfly” in Athens Placed on trial for impiety and corrupting the youth Was executed in 399 – drank poison hemlock

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Socrates - Socrates 469 - 399 B.C. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Socrates -

Socrates 469 - 399 B.C. Socrates’ dialectic method was a departure from earlier philosophers. Earlier philosophers were interested in the nature of the universe and basic elements. Socrates’ approach was more rigorous and was the forerunner of logic. Most famous student: Plato

Socrates 469 - 399 B.C. “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Plato 427 - 347 B.C. Preserved and perpetuated the work of Socrates Most important source of info on Socrates Founded the Academy Wrote dialogues Universal Forms was a recurring theme The Republic – most important dialogue “Those things which are beautiful are also difficult.”

Aristotle 384 - 322 B.C. Most famous student of Plato Most famous teacher of Alexander the Great Developed Logic as a field of study Devised a complex system of classification Used in biology Views on Government

Aristotle 384 - 322 B.C. Views on Government 3 Good Governments: Monarchy Aristocracy Democracy 3 Bad Governments: Tyranny Oligarchy Mob Rule

Aristotle 384 - 322 B.C. “All things in moderation” “Man is by nature a political animal.”

POLITICS (ATHENS) Draco – Introduced 1st code of Laws Solon – Outlawed “debt slavery” in Athens Cleisthenes – Introduced the idea of DEMOCRACY