The Greek Legacy

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The Greek Legacy

• Art
• Drama
• Philosophers

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Greek Styles in Art

• The Greek Parthenon
• 23,000 sq. foot temple built in traditional style
• Inside held giant statue of Athena goddess of
  wisdom and protector of Athens
• 38 feet tall

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Greek Sculpture

• Showed graceful, strong, perfectly formed
• Tried to capture grace and ideal form of the
  human body
• Perfect balance and proportion is known as
  Classical Art

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Greek Drama

• Greeks invented drama and built first theaters
• Stories about justice, leadership, and duty owed
  to gods
• Greek drama was either Tragedy or Comedy

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Tragedy vs. Comedy

• Tragedy dealt with serious topics like love,
  hate, war, and betrayal
• Often dealt with tragic flaw of a character or
  personality defect

• Comedy consisted of funny situations and crude
  humor
• Often included satires, or works that made fun of
  a subject
• Poked fun at customs, politics, and respected
  people

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Greek Philosophers

• Philosophers Lovers of Wisdom Those who seek
  truth.
• Philosophers have two assumptions
• The universe is put together in an orderly way,
  with absolute/unchanging laws
• People can understand these laws through logic
  and reasoning
• Sophists believed in NO universal standard of
  truth

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Socrates

• Believed in absolute standards for truth and
  justice
• The unexamined life is not worth living
• Put on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens

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Plato and Aristotle

• Plato was a student of Socrates
• Wrote, The Republic, which was a vision of a
  perfectly governed society
• All people should be either a farmer, artisan,
  warrior, or ruling class

• Aristotle
• Argued according to rules of logic
• Basis for the scientific method
• Teacher of Alexander the Great

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Philip of Macedonia

• Philip II, King of Macedonia (to the north of
  Greece) dreamed of taking control of Greece.

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People of Macedonia

• Lived in Mountain villages to the north of Greece
• Spoke a language very close to Greek
• Thought of themselves as Greek
• King Philips army invaded and defeated Greece at
  the battle of Chaeronea
• (Why would the Greek city-states be weak and open
  to attack at this time?)

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Alexander the Great

• King Philip II is assassinated at his daughters
  wedding
• Son Alexander proclaims himself King at age 20
• Former student of Aristotle

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Alexander the Conqueror

• Alexander wants to follow his fathers plan and
  invade Persia
• Scores major victories at Granicus River and
  Battle of Issus (now controlled Anatolia)
• Alexander turns down offer to take western third
  of Persian Empire he wants all

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Alexander continues

• Ambitious Alexander marches to Egypt in 332 B.C.
  (Persian territory)
• Crowned Pharaoh, welcomed as liberator
• Founds city of Alexandria
• Alexander then marches to heart of Persia
• Conquers cities of Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis
  Captures HUGE treasures

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Alexander refuses to stop Conquering

• Alexander continues East
• 327 B.C. Alexander marches to India
• Morale of the troops is very low (11 years of
  fighting and 11,000 miles marched, sickness,
  hardship, etc)
• After returning to Babylon, Alexander announced
  plans to invade Arabia
• Very ill with fever, Alexander dies in Babylon at
  the age of 33

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The Legacy of Alexander

• Empire was divided up amongst Alexanders 3
  strongest generals
• Antigonus became King of Macedonia and Greek
  city-states
• Ptolemy seized Egypt and took title of Pharaoh
• Seleucus acquired most of old Persian Empire
• New blending of cultures emerges

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