Sept.+19+-+22+Classical+and+Hellenistic+Greece

Classical and Hellenistic Greece Before 490 BC the Greeks had developed a highly sophisticated culture, but it pales in comparison to the Athenian Golden Age that began with the Athenian defeat of the Persians in 479 BC and ended in 404 BC when Athens fell to Sparta. This Golden Age sparked a Classical period in Greece that extended until the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Classical Greek civilization was crucial to the development of Western civilization. The Greeks developed a rich culture which excelled at pottery, sculpture, architecture, poetry, and drama and also excelled at medicine, philosophy, athletics, and government. Classical Greece was the first civilization to explore the human condition and their ideal of political freedom served as the basis for the belief in individual expression.

As early as 621 BC, Draco published the first comprehensive code of laws in Athens. Solon (640-558 BC) thought that even the lowest class of citizen had the right to take part in the debates in the political assembly and sit on juries. Prior to 508 BC, Cleisthenes divided Athens into demes (neighborhoods) and allotted fifty seats from each neighborhood to serve on a Council of Five Hundred, creating the first democracy. Beginning in 490 BC, Persia invaded the Greek mainland. The Persians were defeated at the battle of Marathon, which symbolized the triumph of civilization over barbarian hordes and of democracy over tyranny. When the Greeks deserted Athens, it was destroyed by the Persians. But when the Greeks retreated by sea, the Persian fleet was unable to maneuver in the difficult sailing and was completely destroyed. Within a year, the Persian land forces were also driven from the mainland and Greece was free.

**Key Points in Greek History:**
The sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was done under the direct supervision of Phidias.
 * Greeks developed a rich culture which excelled at pottery, sculpture, architecture, poetry, and drama.
 * Greek culture led the development of medicine, philosophy, athletics, and government.
 * Classical Greece was the first civilization to explore the human condition and their ideal of political freedom served as the basis for the belief in individual expression.
 * Draco published the first comprehensive code of laws in Athens.
 * Solon thought every citizen has the right to take part in the debates in the political assembly and to sit on juries.
 * Cleisthenes divide Athens into demes (neighborhoods) and allotted fifty seats from each neighborhood to serve on a Council of Five Hundred, creating the first democracy.
 * Ancient Greeks developed three orders of architecture. Doric column was the simplest and most frequently used. Ionic column is characterized by the scroll/volute capital. Corinthian column is the most ornamental and delicate of the three.
 * The Parthenon is the only Acropolis building that was actually finished and is a perfect example of the Classical Doric temple.
 * There are no straight lines to the Parthenon.
 * The most architecturally complex building on the Acropolis is the Erechtheion which was never finished.
 * Sculpture most often featured a human figure.
 * Praxiteles was known especially for his Aphrodite figures.
 * In the fifth and sixth centuries BC male nudes were commonplace but it was only due to the influence of Praxiteles that the female nude became a major subject for late Classical and Hellenistic artists.
 * Sculpture continued to flourish between the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC and the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
 * In the first half of the fifth century BC the white-ground technique was introduced into Greek Ceramic production. This technique is associated in particular with Lekythoi, the small cylindrical oil jugs.
 * Greek drama developed from choral celebrations honoring Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and fertility..
 * Greek plays were performed in huge outdoor amphitheaters built into the slope of a hillside. The words were mostly sung to music.
 * Aeschylus is the earliest dramatist whose works have survived.
 * Sophocles is the most widely read and performed Greek tragic drama performed today.
 * Sophocles focused on individual concerns rather than broad civil and religious issues. His most famous plays are Oedipus the King and Antigone.
 * Euripides plays showed humankind at its worst.
 * Comedy was also very popular on the Greek stage.
 * Greeks were among the first to ponder the nature of human existence and to wonder about individual will, the nature of love, and the meaning of freedom.
 * Socrates is the most famous of Western philosophers. He was executed in 399 BC after being put on trial for impiety and corruption of the young. Socrates was concerned with how we live in the world and promoted vigilant self-examination. His famous maxim was "Know thyself."
 * Socrates emphasized spiritual, the intellectual and the moral and provided Western thought with a new philosophical direction.
 * Plato had a philosophy which extended key elements of Socratic thought. His model for reality was mathematics. And he believed that human beings should be less concerned with the material world and more concerned with unchanging spiritual "realities."
 * Plato's ideas are advanced in his best-known work, The Republic.
 * Aristotle studied in Plato's school for twenty years. His most famous pupil was Alexander the Great.
 * Aristotle's logic is based on an analysis of argument through use of the syllogism.
 * Aristotle differed from his Greek predecessors, believing that there were no absolutely unchanging ethical norms.
 * Music was an important part of Greek life and was associated with festivals and banquets, as well as marriages and funerals.
 * Basic elements of Greek music derived from mathematics.
 * Music was so important that all Greek philosophers made a point of discussing it.
 * Greek music was primarily concerned with melody, with little concern for harmony.
 * Alexander the Great took control of the Greek mainland at age 20. He died in 323 BC and following his death began the Hellenistic era.
 * Hellenistic art focused on the individual and on emotional states.
 * Corinthian columns were popular in the Hellenistic era.
 * Known as gigantomachy, the subject of the revolt of the giants against the gods was popular with Hellenistic artists. The Hellenistic Nike of Samothrace, also known as Winged victory, is one of the artistic treasures of the ancient world.
 * The schools of Greek philosophy were Stoicism, Skepticism, and Epicureanism. Although none of them has had the long-term impact of Platonism or Aristotelianism, Stoicism and Epicurianism dominated Greek philosophy during the Hellenistic period.
 * Stoicism argues that human beings must accept whatever fortune brings.
 * Epicureanism argues that the way to achieve lasting pleasure is to avoid kinetic pleasure in favor of static pleasure.
 * Skepticism requires an attitude of questioning. It emphasized achieving a state of unperturbed equilibrium through suspending judgment about nearly everything.
 * According the Skeptics, peace of mind can only be achieved by abandoning the search for knowledge and accepting uncertainty.
 * All three philosophies were embraced by the Romans, with Stoicism also later finding a home in Christian philosophy.

Discussion Questions
Students will make an initial post to two Discussion Questions for each week. Students will also post a minimum of two responses to Discussion Questions. The use of Discussion Questions allows for students to exchange ideas and knowledge to certain subjects. It is also important that students read each of the entries, even if it doesn't pertain to the questions that they addressed. The reasoning for this is that the exchange of information allows for further learner and a better understanding of the material. You are to go to the "Discussion" section to find the Discussion Questions for this week.

**Performance Objectives**
Each week students will be required to perform one of the Performance Objectives that has not been answered by another student. The purpose of the Performance Objective is to take the information you have learned to another level through researching the material through online sources and posting the additional information in your answer. This means that you will become the expert on this subject so when questions are raised by your peers you will need to answer them to the best of your ability. Students will also be required to post a response to two of your peers Performance Objectives giving you a chance to ask questions and comment on the material so that you can learn more about the subject. Students are to go to the "Discussion" section and post their answers in the Performance Objectives section.

**Performance Objective Questions**
Students are to answer one Performance Objective. You are also responsible to respond to a minimum of two Performance Objectives by your peers. You are to go to the "Discussion" section to find the Discussion Questions for this week.

4.1 Explain the chief differences between the three principal Greek tragic dramatists. Illustrate with episodes in particular plays. 4.2 Discuss the contributions of Plato and Aristotle to the development of philosophy. 4.3 Describe Greek musical theory in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. 4.4 How was sculpture used to decorate the buildings on the Athenian Acropolis? What is the significance of the myths it illustrates? 4.5 What are the features of a work of art that indicate it is Hellenistic? How does the Hellenistic style contrast with that of the Classical Period?

Reflections
Reflecting on what you have learned is a very important step in the learning process. The student is to write a 1 to 2 page paper telling about their learning experience and the material that was covered that week. This is an excellent time for the student to ask questions about areas they had difficulty understanding, that wasn't answered in their discussion questions. You can post your reflections in the Discussion section look for "Reflections" to post you thoughts to.

Museum Web Link
After reading the material for the week students are to do a web search to find additional information on a subject that was covered in the reading. Example would be the Mona Lisa by Leonarda da Vinci. The student could take a tour of the Louve and tell about the experience of this virtual tour of the museum and seeing the Mona Lisa on display. The student will be required to share this information by posting their thoughts about the tour and also post the web link for others to have an opportunity to take the tour. Invariably, students will post the same link from time to time, but your interpretations should be different as each of your opinions will reflect the likes and dislikes of the individual. Students are to post your museum web link with your opinion by going to the Discussion section and look for "Museum Web Link" to post your link and response.