1. Ancient Greece: Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age
World History Core

2. Cultural Interaction
Democratic principles and classical culture flourished during Greece’s golden age.

3. Why is it important today?!?!?
At its height, Greece set lasting standards in art, politics, literature, and philosophy that are still influential today.

4. Setting the Stage…….
For 50 years ( BC) Athens grew intellectually and artistically = Golden Age of Athens
Achievements in:
Drama
Sculpture
& Architecture
Poetry
Philosophy
Science
Math

5. Pericles’ Plan for Athens
leader of Athens through Golden Age
BC, aka “Age of Pericles”
3 GOALS
(1) strengthen democracy
(2) hold and strengthen empire
(3) glorify Athens

6. GOAL 1: Strengthen Democracy
Increased # of paid public officials
Having paid officials meant even poor could serve if elected or chosen by lot
Direct Democracy: form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

7. Important Question??????
How accurate do you think Pericles’ statement that Athenian democracy was in the hands of the “whole people”?

8. Goal 2: Hold and Strengthen Empire
Delian League– Athens dominated all city-states in it
Used $$$ from League to build up Athenian Navy
Athens needed trade (waterways) to obtain grain and raw materials to support the city-state
Athens military strength=
Pericles treated members of
league as part of an empire
Peloponnesus city-states
resisted (Ex. Sparta)

9. Goal 3: Glorify Athens
Used $$$ from League to undergo massive building projects to make Athens beautiful
Convinced Assembly to buy gold, ivory, and marble with funds
More $$$ was also needed to contract artists, architects, and workers

10. Glorious Art and Architecture
Goal: Greatest Greek artists/architects to glorify Athens
PARTHENON = center of his plans

11. Architecture and Sculpture: Parthenon
Parthenon (temple)
23,000 sq foot building
in traditional Greek design
Built to honor Athena
(Goddess of wisdom and
protector of Athens)
Statue of Athena
inside 32 ft tall

12. Drama and History
Greeks invented drama as an art form and built the 1st theaters
Civic Pride and Honor to Gods
Wealthy put on productions
Plays showed leadership, justice, and duties owed to Gods

13. Tragedy Serious drama about love, hate, war, and/or betrayal
Tragic hero: important figure and gifted with extraordinary ability
Tragic flaw: hero’s downfall (often pride)
Sophocles: wrote over 100 plays, Oedipus the King, 18 first prizes, 7 survived
Aeschylus- won 13 first prizes, 7 plays
have survived

14. Comedy Scenes with slapstick comedy and crude humor
Made fun of politics and respected people
Satire: The use of humor, irony, exageration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity
Aristophanes: Lysistrata in which women of Athens try to force their husbands to end the Peloponnesian War

16. History
Recap: Dorian Age, no written records…had works of Homer, but not considered accurate
Herodotus: a Greek, living in Athens, pioneered accurate reporting
Book on Persian War = 1st history book
Thucydides: believed certain events and political situations recur over time = important to write events down

17. Important Question?????
Do you think that Thucydides was right in his assertion that history sometimes repeats itself??? YES OR NO…..

18. Athenians and Spartans Go to WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Athens = power, prestige, and power = other city-states hostility
SPARTA!!!
Sparta declared war in 431 BC

19. Important Question?????
What might have been Pericles’ goals in the Peloponnesian War?

20. Peloponnesian War Athens = Navy Sparta = Army
Pericles’ Strategy: avoid land battles and wait for a sea opportunity
Sparta marched into Athens territory
Pericles had no other choice but to bring people into city walls
City safe from hunger as long as ships could come into ports
2nd year of war PLAGUE outbreak in Athens, killing 1/3rd of population and PERICLES!!!
Athens still continued to fight for several years
421 BC signed a truce (worn out by war)

21. Sparta Gains VICTORY!
Peace did not last, 415 BC Athens sent fleet to Syracuse (Sicily) to destroy them, one of the greatest allies of Sparta
Ended in crushing defeat in 413 BC
Athens, weak and few, continued to fight for nine more years
404 BC Athenians surrendered
Lost empire, power, and wealth

22. Philosophers Search for TRUTH!
After war = time of doubt and uncertainty = rise of great thinkers
Determined to seek truth…

23. Complete the reading for the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars and then answer the questions that follow.

24. Philosophers = “lovers of wisdom”
Based philosophy on 2 assumptions:
(1) The universe is put together in an orderly way, subject to absolute and unchanging laws
(2) Understand laws through logic and wisdom

25. Socrates Absolute standards did exist for truth and justice
Question yourself and moral character
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
399 BC, age 60, trial for “corrupting youth of Athens” and “neglecting the city’s Gods”
His defense: teachings good for Athens, because forced people to think about their actions and values
Condemned to death, drinking
hemlock

26. Socratic Method
Form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions.

27. Plato Student of Socrates
370 BC wrote The Republic, set forth vision of a perfectly governed society
Not democracy
All citizens fall naturally into 3 groups
(1) farmers and artisans
(2) warriors
(3) ruling class
Person with greatest insight and intellect from ruling class would be chosen as philosopher-king

28. Aristotle Student of Plato
Questioned nature of world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge
Invented method of arguing according to rules of logic
Invented basis of scientific method used today
Famous pupil Alexander the Great (more information to follow….)

29. Socrates
Alexander the Great
Raphael
Plato
Aristotle

31. Science Archimedes Archimedes screw
War Machines (mainly used to defend his home city-state Syracuse)

32. Science Hippocrates Father of medicine
Did not condone use of leeching (encouraged exercise)
Doctors and nurses have to take Hippocratic oath (will not purposefully hurt patients, will do their best to help)

33. Math Euclid Father of Geometry Pythagoras
Pythagorean Theorem- states that the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.