Greek Culture Greek Culture

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Greek CultureGreek Culture

• And its Impact on the World

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Alphabet and Language Alphabet and Language

• Greek alphabet was adapted from the Phoenicians
• It uses 24 letters that stood for sounds
• Greek letters are still used in science and
  mathematics and are also the names of fraternity
  and sorority houses on college campuses

• Hundreds of Greek root words are still used as
  the basis of the English language today
• Bio, astro, geo, hydro

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Philosophy Philosophy

• Love of wisdom
• Socrates wandered around asking questions with a
  group of young men following him around
• Socratic method is named after him
• Put on Trial and sentenced to death for
  corrupting the youth of Athens and disrespecting
  the Gods
• Socrates writes nothing but his student Plato
  will write down Socrates ideas
• Plato begins a school of thoughtThe Academyand
  his student Aristotle will continue the tradition
• Aristotle was the tutor of Alexander the Great
• Stoicism, Skepticism and Epicureanism are
  philosophical schools of thought that will
  dominate the Hellenistic Age.

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Architecture Architecture

• The Parthenon in Athens is the ultimate example
  of Ancient Greek Architecture.
• The steps and the entablature both form convex
  curvesthere are no straight lines!
• Names of styles are Corinthian, Dorian, Ionic
• Marble, frieze and sculptures used throughout

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Olympic Games Olympic Games

• Began in 776 BC in the city-state of Olympia
• Held to honor Zeus
• Competitions first included footraces then
  wrestling, boxing, javelin, discus throwing were
  added
• The pankration event combined wrestling and
  boxing and had no rules except scratching the
  facial area
• Winner would receive a wreath of Olive leaves

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Drama Drama

• Comedies

• Tragedies

• Aristophanes
• Plays satirized politics and politicians, poking
  fun at society and ridiculing the rich

• Created to honor the God of Wine and fertility
  Dionysus
• Performed in Amphitheatres
• Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
• Sophocles focuses on the individual
• Oedipus Rex despite doing everything to change
  his fate still ends up killing his father and
  marrying his mother for which he punishes himself
  by stabbing himself in the eye

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Study of History History

• HerodotusHistory of the
• Persian warsoften called
• The father of history
• ThucydidesHistory of the
• Peloponnesian Wars
• Began the scientific analysis of events based on
  actual eyewitness accounts and factual evidence
  and then added their own poetic interpretations

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Mythology Mythology

• In the beginning is Chaos
• Ouranosthe Heavens and Gaeathe Earth create the
  Titans
• Kronos kills his father and marries his sister
  Rhea thus the Olympian Gods
• are created
• Kronos eats his
• Children

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Literature Literature

• Homer
• Rhetoric
• Drama
• Mythology

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Science Science

• EratosthenesCorrectly measures the earths
  circumference, PtolemyGeocentric
  theorycartography, creation of
  latitude/longitude
• ArchimedesDevelops a system of levers and
  pulleys
• MedicineHippocrates
• AstronomyAristarchusproposed
• Heliocentric theory
• Anaxagoraseclipses

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Mathematics Mathematics

• Thalesthe Father of Mathematics
• GeometryEuclid wrote the Elements of Geometry
  used up until the late 1900s
• PythagorasTheorems, Pi

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Sculpture Sculpture

• Ideals of classical artOrder,
• Balance and Proportion
• Sculptures show
• grace, serenity,
• strength and perfection
• Most Greek
• Sculptures exist
• today because the
• Romans copied them

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Discobolos Discus Thrower
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Democracy Democracy

• Tyrants established the first steps to democracy
• Cleisthenes created the council of 500
• Pericles ruled over the golden ageall male
  citizens 18 and older