1. Religion, Philosophy, and Art in Ancient Greece
Lesson 2
Religion, Philosophy, and Art in Ancient Greece

2. I. The Golden Age of Athens
A. Period from BC B. Sources of Wealth 1. Trade (main product sold-olive oil) 2. Silver-mined by slaves 3. Tribute-payment made by allies for protection C. Pericles 1. powerful man in Athenian politics 2. Supported democracy-he worked to make it possible for poor to get involved in government. Each govt. job would have a salary D. Valued people who were wealthy, good-looking and smart

3. II. Ancient Greek religious beliefs
Gods and goddesses
1. Twelve great gods led by Zeus (p. 183)
2. They lived on Mt Olympus
3. God/Goddesses were believed to be immortal and have human emotions
4. Myths about these Gods explained natural events that could not be explained by science in the Ancient world
5. One god was honored by each city-state Athens-Athena

4. 6. Olympics were a series of competitions held in Zeus’s honor
a. The first Olympics were in the year 776 BC. in a valley at the base of Mt Olympus.
b. First recorded event-200 yard dash
c. The games turned into a way to see which polis had the greatest warriors.
d. Only men were allowed to compete in the original games.
e. Women weren’t even allowed to watch the games. (one reason-men competed in the nude)

5. B. The Oracles
1. Sacred sites where gods spoke
2. Heads of state often sought advice there
3. Term used to refer to the priest or priestess who send a message from the gods to mortals who brought requests
4. Arguments on how to interpret
were common

6. III. Science and philosophy
Philosophers Thales and Democritus tried to understand nature
1. Thales believed water was major material of the world
2. Democritus believed everything was made up of small particles he called atoms
B. Sophists cleverly debated topics in public
C. Socrates asked questions that made people think about what they believed
1. He also caused young people to even question the decisions made by the government of Athens

7. 2. He was put on trial. His charge was dishonoring the gods and misleading young people. 3. He was sentenced to death. He drank hemlock juice –poison D. Plato, a student of Socrates, distrusted the democracy 1. He wrote a book called The Republic 2. He wrote about leaders called philosopher-rulers 3. Started a university called The Academy E. Aristotle, taught by Plato, believed reason should guide the pursuit of knowledge

8. IV. Visual and Dramatic Arts
A. The Parthenon (page 187) 1. temple dedicated to the goddess Athena 2. Most significant work of Greek architecture B. Dramas (plays were performed in honor of Dionysus) 1. Athenians were the first to write dramas 2. Greek tragedies were famous (hero always dies) 3. Tragedies were performed as part of religious festivals C. Comedies 1. Made fun of well known citizens and politicians 2. Because of the freedom in Athens, people accepted the humor and jokes