and Alexander the Great

Greeks considered religion necessary for the well-being of the state. Temples were the major buildings in Greek cities. I. Greek Culture

Most important were the 12 gods and goddesses that lived on Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece.

Zeus: chief god and father of the gods

Athena: goddess of wisdom and crafts

Apollo: god of the sun and poetry

Poseidon: god of the sea

Greek religion was not based on morality, or doing the right thing; it was focused on pleasing the gods to bring good fortune. After death, spirits went to a gloomy underworld ruled by Hades.

To know what the gods wanted, the Greeks consulted oracles. The most famous oracle was at the shrine to Apollo at Delphi.

Religious festivals including athletic events such as the Olympic games were used to honor the gods and goddesses.

The Greeks created Western drama.

The original Greek dramas were tragedies, presented in trilogies around a common theme. Greek tragedies dealt with the nature of good and evil, the rights of the individual, the role of the gods in life, and human nature.

Three famous playwrights: Aeschylus (Oresteia trilogy), Sophocles (Oedipus Rex), Euripides

Greeks were the first in the Western world to present History to analyze past events. Philosophy (Comes from the Greek word that means “love of wisdom”: organized system of thought

II. Alexander the Great Because of their advanced culture, the Greeks viewed the Macedonians, a rural people, as barbarians. By the end of the 5th century BC, however, Macedonia was a powerful kingdom.

In 359 BC, Philip II of Macedonia formed a league of Greek city-states to help him conquer Persia. Before he could fulfill his goal, he was assassinated.

Philip’s son, Alexander the Great, became king of Macedonia at age 20. He modeled himself on Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War featured in Homer’s Iliad.

Alexander wanted to fulfill his father’s dream of conquering Persia. Alexander also sought glory and empire.

By 331 BC, Alexander had conquered the Persian Empire. Alexander marched his army through Persia, founding cities like Alexandria and spreading Greek culture.

In 326, Alexander crossed the Indus River and entered India. His soldiers refused to march on and Alexander agreed to return home.

In 323 BC, at the age of 32, Alexander died in Babylon, exhausted from wounds, fever, and alcohol.

Alexander created a new age, called the Hellenistic Era. Hellenistic means “to imitate Greeks.” After Alexander’s death, four Hellenistic kingdoms emerged: Macedonia, Syria, Pergamum, and Egypt