Chapter 8: Greek Civilization Lesson 1: Greek Culture Bell Ringer On page 213, answer questions #1 and #2 in complete sentences.

Greek Beliefs Greeks were separated by the city- states they lived in, but united by a common culture Spoke Greek language Shared many beliefs/customs Believed the same myths – story that explains practices or beliefs of people, or something in the natural world

Who were the Greek Gods? Did not think of Gods as “all-powerful” They had great powers, but looked and acted like humans They marry and have children Greeks did not fear the gods Believed 12 most important gods/goddesses lived on Mt. Olympus A gate of clouds protected Mt. Olympus Humans could not enter Zeus – king of the Olympian gods Athena – goddess of wisdom and craft Apollo – god of the sun and poetry Aphrodite – goddess of love Ares – god of war Poseidon – god of the sea and earthquakes

Who were the Greek Gods? (continued) Each city-state chose one god/goddess as their protector Wanted gods to reward them, so in their honor they performed rituals – words or actions that are part of a religious ceremony Worshipped in temples and at home Festivals were very important to the Greeks Scheduled public feasts and sacrifices Held the Olympics every 4 years “for the greater glory of Zeus” Began in 776 BC and lasted 1,000 years

Greek Oracles Believed everyone had a fate/destiny Certain events would happen to them no matter what Believed in prophecy Predictions about the future Thought gods gave these to warn people in time to change the future Many Greeks visited oracles – sacred shrines where priests spoke for a god Most famous was the oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi

Epics and Fables Two great epics of ancient Greece were written by the poet Homer: The Iliad and the Odyssey Written about a war between Greece and the city of Troy The Trojan Horse A prince of Troy falls in love with Helen, wife of a Greek king He steals her away to Troy Greeks attack Troy, but cannot break through the city walls They build a large, hollow wooden horse and hide their best soldiers inside The Trojans think it is a gift and roll the horse into the city The Greeks sneak out, destroy the city, and take Helen back to Greece The Odyssey Tells the story of a great Greek warrior named Odysseus After the war, he faces many obstacles on his way home to Greece He faces storms, witches, monsters After 10 years he returns home to his wife

Aesop’s Fables Fable – a short tale that teaches a lesson Examples are “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “The Tortoise and the Hare” Aesop was said to be a real person, however history shows he never existed These stories contain animals who speak and act like people They are usually funny, and show human weakness Part of Greek oral tradition – the custom of passing along stories by speech

The Impact of Greek Drama Ancient Greeks created and performed dramas – stories told mainly through words and actions of a cast of characters These were performed on stage Greek drama was divided into two categories: Tragedy – where the main character struggles to overcome hardships but does not succeed and has an unhappy ending Comedy – a story with a happy ending, today they are filled with humor Famous Greek writers: Aeschylus – earliest Greek dramatist, wrote the Oresteia about revenge and murder Sophocles – a great Athenian writer, questioned whether it is better to obey orders or to do what you believe is right Euripides – wrote plays about ordinary people, often showed suffering of war Aristophanes – most famous Greek comedy writer, poked fun at leaders and issues of his time Drama was more than entertainment It was a part of religious ceremony Showed loyalty to their city-states

What two types of drama did the Greeks create? How did they differ? Greek Art and Architecture Ancient Greeks excelled in the arts/architecture Ancient Greek art is now called “classical” Still considered standards of beautiful Greeks constructed beautiful building Every city had a temple Large, graceful columns supported many Greek buildings The White House has Greek columns Greek artists loved to sculpt the human body Wanted to show ideal beauty in human forms Comparing What two types of drama did the Greeks create? How did they differ?

Chapter 8 Lesson 2: The Greek Mind Bell Ringer Explain the story of the Trojan horse in paragraph form.

Greek Thinkers Greeks believed the human mind was capable of great things 500 BC – 350 BC Art, architecture, and literature flourished Developed study of mathematics and science Philosophy Means the “love of wisdom” Helped develop the study of other subjects

The Sophists A group of teachers who traveled from polis to polis They taught many subjects, including rhetoric – the art of public speaking and debate Did not believe the gods influenced human actions Rejected the idea of absolute right or wrong Man people criticized them for teaching people to win arguments, rather than seek truth

Who Was Socrates? Lived in Athens, spent most of his time teaching He never recorded his beliefs, all information came from his students writings He was a harsh critic of the Sophists Created the Socratic Method – students find the answers to his questions and develop their own opinions Athens limited free speech after losing the Peloponnesian War Socrates was arrested for his teachings Charged with urging the youth to rebel Sentenced to death Drank poison to carry out the sentence

Plato’s Ideas Was once a student of Socrates He founded a school in Athens called the Academy He wrote a plan for an ideal society/government called the Republic Divided society into 3 groups: Philosopher Kings Warriors Everyone else Disliked Athenian democracy because people could be influenced easily Believed women should have the same rights and education as men

Who Was Aristotle? Wrote over 200 works on government, astronomy, and political science Started a school called the Lyceum Taught students the “Golden Mean” – to live moderately He was interested in science and studied the stars, plants, and animals very carefully He studied the governments of city- states throughout Greece Divided governments into 3 types: Monarch, Oligarchy, and Democracy He believed the best government had aspects of all 3 Influenced the way Europeans and Americans think about government

The Greeks and History Herodotus considered the “father of history” Wrote a history of the Persian War Carefully researched what was fact or fiction Thucydides writes a history of the Peloponnesian War Was a general in the war Rejected the idea the gods had any influence Accepted only eye-witness accounts and stayed impartial Examined causes and effects of the war Thought that later generations could learn from the past

The First Scientists Ancient Greeks influenced scientific thinking for centuries Believed the gods were not responsible for natural events Thales – first important Greek scientist Developed early ideas of astronomy without telescopes Pythagoras – taught that everything could be explained with numbers Developed many new ideas about mathematics

Ancient Greek Medicine Greeks studied the science of treating diseases Hippocrates – considered the “father of medicine” Believed disease came from natural causes Traveled all over to help the sick Created a list of rules doctors should follow called the Hippocratic Oath Writing Activity The Hippocratic Oath said that doctors should do everything they can to help a patient, and also to protect the patient’s privacy. In 4-5 sentences, why do you think these are important rules for doctors to follow?