1. Religion, Philosophy, and the Arts
Greece
Chapter 6 Section 2
Religion, Philosophy, and the Arts

2. Tribute: a regular payment made to a powerful state of nation by a weaker one.
Ancient Athens collected tributes from weaker or defeated cities.

3. Oracle: in ancient Greece, a sacred site
where a god or goddess was consulted;
any priest or priestess who spoke for the gods.

4. Philosopher: someone who uses reason to understand the world; in Greece, the earliest philosophers used reason to explain natural events

5. Tragedy: a type of serious drama that usually
ends in disaster for the main character.

6. The Golden Age of Athens
*Lasted from 479 – 431 B.C.E
*Arts and Philosophy flourished
*Democracy in Athens became a model for future civilizations

7. During the Golden Age, Athens grew rich from trade and silver mined by slaves.

8. *Athens collected tribute, or a regular payment made to a powerful state or nation by a weaker one.
*The people who conquered by Athens were forced to pay tribute and Athens became rich.

9. Pericles *Was the most powerful man in Athens politics
*He was well-educated and intelligent
*He acted in the best interests of his city and was a powerful speaker
*He came from a wealthy family
*Supported Democracy
*He introduced reforms and strengthened Democracy
*One of Pericles’ reforms was to pay a salary to city officials
*This meant poor citizens could afford to hold public office

10. Religious beliefs in Ancient Greece
*Greeks were polytheistic.
*Greeks worshipped Gods and Goddesses called the 12 Olympians.
*Each ruled different areas of human life in the natural world.

11. In order to honor Zeus, the city-states came together every 4 years for an Olympic festival and games .
The modern Olympic Games are based on this tradition.

12. The Oracles
The ancient Greeks wanted the gods to show them how to behave and how to live. The Greeks visited oracles, or sites where a god or goddess was consulted
Greek Oracle at Delphi

13. Philosophers
Philosophers believed that people could use the powers of the mind and reason to understand natural events.
One of the first philosophers, Thales,
believed that water was the basic material of the world. He thought everything was made from it.

14. Democritus, who lived in the 400s B. C
Democritus, who lived in the 400s B.C.E, thought everything was made of tiny particles called atoms.

15. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle had a lasting effect of modern learning
and thinking.

16. *Socrates discussed wisdom and goodness with the people of Athens.
*He asked questions that challenged people’s beliefs which frightened and angered
some Athenians.
In 399 B.C.E. Socrates was brought to
trial for “dishonoring the gods and
misleading young people.”
*He was sentenced to death by
forced suicide; drinking
poisonous Hemlock
Poison Hemlock plant

17. Socrates

18. Plato: Student of Socrates
*The death of Socrates made Plato mistrust democracy.
*Plato wrote The Republic which states that society should
be made up of three groups: workers,
soldiers, and philosophers/rulers
*Plato founded the Academy which is a school in Athens
where Plato taught Aristotle.

19. Aristotle: Student of Plato
*Aristotle believed that reason should guide
the hunt for knowledge.
*He was the founder of his own school
called the Lyceum.

20. Acropolis: the religious center of AthENS
*Destroyed in 480 B.C.E during the many wars
*Pericles decided to rebuilt the Acropolis and the Parthenon was their most magnificent piece of architecture.
Athena Statue in Parthenon
*The Parthenon is the temple to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens and built in 438 B.C.E

21. Drama
Athenians were the first people to write dramas, or stories written by actors performing the stories.
* A tragedy is a type of serious drama that usually ends in disaster for the main character.
* Between scenes, a chorus chanted or sang songs
* The chorus was used to give background information
* Chorus also used to comment on events or praise gods
*Aeschylus and Sophocles were
important authors of tragedies.

22. Plato, Aristotle, and Socrotes