Class Notes: 51

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Class Notes 5-1

• The Culture of
• Ancient Greece

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Greek Mythology

• Myths are traditional stories about gods and
  heroes.
• The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses.
  They thought these deities affected peoples
  lives, controlled nature, and shaped events.
• According to Greek myth, the god Zeus ruled the
  sky and threw lighting bolts, the goddess Demeter
  made the crops grow, and the god Poseidon caused
  earthquakes.

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• The Greeks believed the 12 most important gods
  lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in
  Greece.
• Zeus
• Athena
• Apollo
• Aphrodite
• Greek myths were stories about gods and heroes.
  In these stories gods had special powers but
  looked and acted like humans.
• Married had kids
• Played tricks on each other
• Fought wars

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The Greeks followed rituals to win the gods
favor. They hoped that the gods would grant good
fortune to them in return.

• The Greeks believed in prophecy, or predictions
  about the future. Many Greeks visited an oracle
  to receive a prophecy. An oracle was a sacred
  shrine where a priest or priestess spoke for a
  god or goddess. The most famous oracle was at
  the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
• Greeks believed that when they died their spirits
  would be sent to the gloomy world beneath the
  earth ruled by Hades.

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Greek Poetry Fables

• Greek poems and stories are the oldest in the
  Western world and serve as models for European
  and American poems and stories.
• Shakespeare borrowed many Greek plots
  settings!!
• An epic is a long poem
• about heroic deeds.

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The first great epics were the Iliad and the
Odyssey, written by a poet named Homer.

• The Iliad is about a battle for the city of Troy.
  
• Prince of Troy kidnaps the wife of the king of
  Sparta
• The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus, a Greek
  hero.
• Based on a war between Greece and the city of
  Troy
• Greeks believed these two epics were real
  history.

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The battle for Troy goes on for 10 years.
Finally, the Greeks came up with a plan to take
the city. They built a huge, hollow, wooden
horse and hide inside it and then captured the
city.
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• A Greek slave named Aesop wrote many fables. A
  fable is a short tale that teaches a lesson.
  These often funny stories point out human flaws
  as well as strengths.
• Fables were passed from person to person by oral
  tradition.

I shouldve known Slow steady wins the race!
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Greek Drama

• Drama is a story told by actors who pretend to be
  characters in the story.
• The Greeks used drama as part of their religious
  festivals.
• The Greeks developed two types of dramas
• Tragedies
• Comedies

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A tragedy is the story of a person who tries to
overcome difficulties, but fails.
Lets try using some costumes for the actors!

• A comedy is a story with a happy ending.
• Aeschylus was a writer who wrote a group of three
  plays called Oresteia. These plays teach that
  evil acts cause more evil and suffering.
• He introduced the idea of using costumes, props,
  stage decorations

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The writer Sophocles wrote the plays Oedipus and
Antigone.

• Euripides wrote plays about real-life people
  instead of gods.

Why don't aliens eat clowns. Because they taste
funny!
Aristophanes wrote comedies that made fun of
leading politicians and scholars.
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Greek Art and Architecture

• Greek artists believed in the ideas of reason,
  balance, harmony, and moderation and tried to
  show these ideas in their work.
• Large vases often had scenes from Greek myths
• Small drinking cups showed scenes from everyday
  life
• Although Greek murals have not survived, examples
  of Greek paintings still exist on decorated
  pottery.

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The most important architecture in Greece was the
temple dedicated to a god or goddess. The most
famous temple is the Parthenon.

• Greek architecture included columns, which were
  first made from wood. Later, the Greeks began
  using marble. Many of todays churches and
  government buildings have columns.
• Greek sculpture expressed Greek ideas.

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Focus Questions

• How did the Greeks believe their gods and
  goddesses were like humans?
• Greek gods and goddesses married, had children,
  played tricks on each other, quarreled, and
  fought wars
• Why were the heroes of Homers epics considered
  role models?
• The heroes in Homers stories had courage and
  honor. They worked to be the best they could be,
  and they fought to protect their honor
• How are plays of today similar to those of
  ancient Greece?
• Actors in pays of today like those of ancient
  Greece wear costumes. Music dance also occur
  in many of todays plays just like in ancient
  Greece