The Greek Way Humanism and the Western Tradition

I. Tale of Two Wars Myth, History and the Greek Mind

A. The Anger of Achilles Achaeans (Greeks)

B. Nike!

Heroes and History Archaic Period - “heroic individualism” - acceptance of Fate The Iliad & The Odyssey Homer ca BCE

Marathon, 490 BCE v. Darius I Thermopylae, 480 BCE v. Xerxes Salamis, 480 BCE Platea, 479 BCE

Herodotus the “Father of History” - continuity - freedom - interest in other cultures - hubris History without myth - human actors, motivations

The Lust for Life Odysseus and Achilles Odysseus and Achilles I would rather be a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above ground than king of kings among the dead. Humanism

II. Epochs Bronze Age pre 1200 BCE MycenaeansMinoans

Greek Dark Ages BCE

A. Archaic Environment & Culture Crossroads of civilization Necessity and invention

Ionian philosophy 1.Rationalism - nature composed of elements - universe was not random (laws) - gods in-active

2. Thales of Miletus ca. 600 BCE Change v. permanence materialism

The Polis - abstract; artificial “The state…aims at the highest good.” - Aristotle

Hoplite Culture 1. Citizen-soldiers phalanxEnfranchisementEgalitarianPatrioticPatriarchal Athenian hoplite Athenian hoplite

Tyranny - anti-king, law-givers - anti-king, law-givers - merit v. heredity

Cultural life Centrality of human existence to arts Discobulus by Myron 400s BCE Discobulus by Myron 400s BCE

II. Hellenic Powers Sparta and Athens

A. Sparta 1.Conquest, class and conflict 600s BCE helots

2. Reforms of Lycurgus ca. 600 BCE “eunomia” - state support kleros

3. Service to the state - mentors Delayed citizenship Xenophobia 4. “Liberated” women

C. Athens

1. Draco 620 BCE - written codes 2. Along came Solon 594 BCE wealth corrupted men Militarism cowed men Economic reforms

3. Cleisthenes 508 BCE - political reform - demos → “the people”

III. The Hellenic Achievement Classical Age, BCE

A. The Persian Wars 1.Miletan Revolt 499 BCE [ Cyrus the Great d. 530 BCE] - Darius I d. 485

2. Battle of Marathon 490 BCE

3. Greek unity - Thermopylae 480 BCE Leonidas - Salamis 479 BCE Themistocles Conclusion? - Go Greek

B. Athens’ Advance 1.Pericles BCE - links freedom to expansion

C. Limits of democracy 1.The Delian League 477 BCE - prosperity / slavery rise

2. Women and public life - heirs v. wives Aspasia, a hetaira Aspasia, a hetaira Teaching a woman to read and write? Like feeding a vile snake on more poison - Menander the Athenian

D. Peloponnesian War BCE 1. War on land and sea

2. War and democracy - demagoguery - impatience - slave revolt Alcibiades Alcibiades

3. Defeat of Athens - Greece vulnerable to conquest - dramatic reassessment of human nature, politics

IV. Age of Introspection The heights of Classical thought *from external to internal philosophy*

A. Philosophy 1.The Sophists - radical skepticism / relativism Man is the measure of all things - Protagorus

2. Socrates BCE - Socratic Method dialogue or dialectic - knowledge (virtue) developed from within - knowledge (virtue) developed from within Challenge all popular beliefs

3. Plato BCE The Republic - why did Athenian democracy fail? - Allegory of the Cave - Allegory of the Cave

B. The Humanities 1. Drama - focus on human dilemmas “reality” Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Antigone

2. History - Herodotus - Herodotus “lesson,” or thesis - Thucydides objective, investigative

VII. The Hellenistic Period

A. Macedonians 1. Philip II d. 336 BCE - Hellenization - showdown with Persia

B. Alexander 1.War & legitimacy - Calisthenes - Granikos River 334; Gaugamela, Granikos River 334; Gaugamela, 331

2. Alexandrian empire BCE

C. The Hellenistic Environment 1. Division

2. Cultural fusion - migration - koine “common Greek” 3. Decline of the polis

D. Hellenistic philosophy 1. Aristotle BCE - empirical data, careful observation - empirical data, careful observation - minimize errors of senses - minimize errors of senses - another early basis of scientific method - another early basis of scientific method

2. Anti-Aristotle Zeno - Stoicism Epicurus - purpose is pleasure Diogenes - Cynicism

Hellenistic Legacy 1. Language of the ancient world 2. Western “achievement” not confined to Greeks 3. Accelerated the rise of Rome