Greek Achievements

Art, Philosophy, & Science

Statues and Paintings

 People were portrayed in their ideal form, paying close attention to details.

 Marble and stone were realistically carved, showing muscle and detail of fabric.

 Painting on pottery were usually only done in two colors (red and black)

Orders of Architecture

 Greek architecture had Doric three orders: Doric, Ionic, (simple) Corinthian.

 Each of these orders is clear when you look at the building’s columns.

Ionic (scrolls) Corinthian (acanthus leaves)

Temples

 Were designed using columns on the exterior  The Parthenon is the most impressive of temples still standing  The exterior and interior were decorated with carvings  Phidias created a large statue of Athena on the inside

Writing

 Greeks created new forms of writing (drama and history)  Drama was part of religious ceremonies.

 Scenes were performed by actors and singers to honor the gods.

 Attending these plays became one of the most popular form of entertainment

Writers of Tragedies

 Described hardships faced by Greek heroes  Famous writers of tragedy  Aeschylus - the father of tragedy  Sophocles wrote the famous play “Oedipus the King,” about a man who unknowingly kills is his father.

Comedies

 Made fun of people and ideas  Aristophanes - used comedy to make serious points about war, courts of law, and famous people

History

 Thucydides was an Athenian who wrote about the Peloponesian War.

 He tried to keep his account neutral.

 Other historians after Thucydides wrote in a similar style.

Philosophy

 A group of people who began to question the explanations about life that Greek mythology gave  Believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain, and understand life.

Socrates

 The greatest philosopher  Socratic method - would teach by presenting a question and then challenging the answer  He encouraged students to question their own beliefs  This made leaders angry and he was tried and found guilty of corrupting the youth  His friends and students watched on as Socrates was given hemlock, drank it, and died

Plato

 Was a student of Socrates  Started a school - The Academy  His most famous writing was

The Republic



The Republic

talked about Plato’s idea for an ideal society based on justice and fairness, and run by philosophers

Aristotle

 A student of Plato  Believed everything should be done in moderation (not too greedy nor too giving)  Believed moderation was based on reason (clear and ordered thinking)  Made great advances in logic. He argued that you could use facts to figure out new facts.

 Aristotle inspired Greek scientists to look closely at the world we live in.

Mathematics

 Euclid - was a mathematician who focused on geometry  Many of the geometry rules you study in math comes from him  Hypatia - female who taught mathematics and astronomy

Medicine

 Doctors studied the human body to understand how it worked.

 Hippocrates - wanted to find ways to cure disease.

 Best known for the Hippocratic Oath - how doctors should behave.

Engineering

 Made discoveries that we still use today. (especially the methods in which we build large structures)  Archimedes - a scientist who invented the water screw still used by farmers to bring water from a lower level to a higher one to water crops.

 Some inventors even came up with mechanical toys.

Review

 What were the two main types of art? (Describe)  What were the three orders of architecture?

 Who were the three main philosophers?

 Who were Euclid and Hypatia?

 What discoveries were made in engineering?