...Introduction The time period between the Persian and Peloponnesian was the golden age of Athens and was the height of their control and influence in their world. Athens was a polis on the Balkan Peninsula. It ruled through direct democracy and had a strong navy. Pericles led them into their golden age and strengthened Athens as an empire. A golden age is the time where an empire has the largest stretching influence and the highest capability to extend their intellectual, philosophical and political ideas. Their golden age took place between the Persian Wars and Peloponnesian Wars, since this was their greatest time of achievement with their spreading ideas. Topic Sentences Topic sentence #1: This time period displays Athens at their highest...
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...The Influence of Ancient Greece on Western Civilization Of all the cultures that have come and gone throughout human history, it was the achievements of ancient Greece that have left the most indelible imprint on Western civilization. In particular, it was greek achievements in the realms of art, democracy, medicine, philosophy and literature that has influenced the modern world the most. It is interesting to note that the loss of Greek thought after Roman civilization inducted a period popularly characterized as the Dark Ages. During this time human life was, in words popularized by Thomas Hobbes, “nasty, brutish and short.” Superstition, disease and a short life span were the hallmark of the age. It is crucial to understand that the middle “dark” ages finally ended with the re-discovery of greek texts to usher in the re-birth of civilization, ie: the Renaissance. It was the Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas that set Western civilization on its current track by reintroducing Greek thinkers to European intellectuals. The popularizing of Greek philosophers renewed Western interest in Greek achievements, specifically within the realms of art, democracy, medicine, literature, and philosophy. While some of these subjects remained underdeveloped in Greek times, such as the discipline of medicine and democracy, others were so advanced as to set a standard to this day in the realm of art, philosophy, and literature. Discussed herein is a brief exploration of those Greek achievements...
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...Introduction: The period of Greek history from the last years of the Persian Wars until the beginning of the first Peloponnesian War, the strong influence of Sparta started to decline while Athens was gaining popularity and influence amongst Greece. Athens was a place that had heavy emphasis on arts, architecture, and literature. The Athenians are responsible for building thousands of temples and statues that embodied their culture and style of art. The economy of Athens was also very productive based upon farming, manufacturing and trade. Athens made a lot of wealth in the trade of wool, grapes, olive oil and wheat with the other Geek city-states. And where there is trade there is a need for shipbuilding and finances, this led to Athens becoming a spotlight for financial business such as loans and investments. The role and wealth increase of the trade market led to the change of the Athenian society and politics. Slaves became a big part of Athenian life; slaves were found everywhere usually made up of non – Greek foreigners captured in...
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...One of them, Socrates, had many beliefs including we have all the knowledge in the world in our souls and good is not good because the gods say so. He is quoted as saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Document Two). He would try to explain his thoughts to his students, for example the quote, by using the Socratic Method. This teaching style is used in education today. The teacher will ask a series of questions to lead the student’s thoughts, while not having a particular “correct” answer in mind. This allows students to think for themselves. The Socratic Method influences education today and has been carried on since Socrates death for corrupting the minds of Athenian children. Another important philosopher, named Aristotle, is quoted as saying “Since human reason is the most godlike part of human nature, a life guided by human reason is superior to any other… For man, this is the life of reason, since the faculty of reason is the distinguishing characteristic of human beings” (Document Five). Aristotle believed in three souls: plant, animal, and human. He also believed in three forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and constitutional monarchy. However, he is most known for the system of classification (the “ologies”), which are still used by scientists today. He also wrote the first book on psychology, which is read by many people worldwide, especially...
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...or developed them further, causing a major upheaval in ancient Athens. Major leaders from many diverse backgrounds grew in prominent power to forever change the influence of their people. Democracy in Athens’s didn’t consist of just an evolutionary or revolutionary transformation alone, but a combination of both. Significant leaders consisted of Solon the law giver, tyrant Peisistratus, democrat Cleisthenes, Athenian statesmen Pericles and Cimon. Prior to the build-up of democracy, Athenian government was ruled by an aristocratic council called the Areopagus. Soon to follow a man named Solon erected a new upheaval in political government to forever...
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...as we know it. With Philosophy comes questions, with questions come many great answers that impact societies and even the earth. I want to study how Greece’s political economy impacted philosophic thinkers and people alike. In order to help readers understand whether or not outside forces like society’s political economy impacts deeper thinking like philosophy I will dive deep into Athenian Democracy, documents certain philosophers wrote in the day and time in which they lived, and even look into some other people of the time who had strong opinions on what exactly was going on them. Philosophy impacted more than most people think and I am sure in my research I will be able to back that up with primary sources to prove my argument. In writing this research paper I will be exploring the political economy of Classical Greece between 510 – 323 BCE. In addition, the geographic region I will be diving into will be Athens, Greece. I chose this mainly to enlighten myself (and hopefully the readers) on Athenian Democracy. In doing this I plan to ride the historical roller coaster in the time that Athenian Democracy first set its teeth into the minds of the people who lived in that era. Once establishing a good sense of the...
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...Athens, the Original Eternal City They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Athens. Though the Athenians never managed to build an empire the size of Rome’s, they did spread their culture and ideas throughout the Mediterranean. Athens during the Classical, or Hellenic, period (500-340 B.C.E) can easily be compared to Rome at its height in terms of art, and architecture, and far surpassed it in philosophy. While Rome was still struggling for independence from its Etruscan masters, Athens was the center of the Hellenic world. While Alexander the Great was learning from his Athenian tutor, Rome was putting down Latin rebellions. Even under Roman rule, Athens was favored for its ancient accomplishments. Rome may be the Eternal City, but it is simply a backwater pretender to Athens. Democracy is probably Athens most well known characteristic, but it was not always that way. Like every other Greek city during the Mycenaean period (1500-1200 B.C.E.), Athens was once ruled by a king. Little is known of Athens during this period, though the archeological record combined with popular myth from later periods may give us an insight. The names of several legendary kings of Athens have come down to us: in particular Erectheus, the first king, who was believed to have established the worship of the goddess Athena on the Acropolis, and Theseus, killer of the Minotaur, who (according to the Greek historian Plutarch) unified Attica (Connolly 10). Legend tells of...
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...There are several similarities between Athens and modern civilization as political and culture. Athens has been influenced our ancient and modern world with its political and culture. Athens was one the first city state, and each city was independent states. It made a great impact on the way our society live at present. Political was a way that ancient Athens has made in western cavitation. Around 682 B.C, Athens had its first King which named Cecrops. All male citizens elected the general assembly. The Athenian assembly debated administrative, military and societal difficulties. Athens was ruling by people. The “agora” was a space near to the market and common midpoint of Athens. Athens was the birthplace of democracy where several people had to say about state concerns and measures. The fifth century BC in the Grecian City-State of Athens was the Democracy's roots be able to found such as far back in Ancient history. On the other hand, Athenians and U.S have the same type of Political...
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...that two related civilizations preceded Hellenic Greece: the Minoan and Mycenaean (was also known as the early Aegean civilizations). The Minoan or Cretan were the oldest non-Greek civilization that had an influence on mainland Greece. The Minoan society lasted about 1,350 years, from 2600-1250 B.C., and reached its peak during the period from 1700 to 1450 B.C. The center of Minoan civilization had brilliant palaces as evident by the kings wealth and power. Inside the palaces, there were workshops that produced daggers, pottery, and decorated silver vessels. The Minoan’s were also a peaceful civilization, and had no defensive walls to protect themselves. Because they had no fortifications,...
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...18th century brought an increasing interest in classical buildings to both the United States and Europe. This was first based on Roman models (Federal style), but archaeological investigation in the early 19th century emphasized Greece as the Mother of Rome which, in turn, shifted interest to Grecian models. The style is an adaptation of the classic Greek temple front employing details of Doric, Ionic or Corinthian order To the popular mind the Greek temple was associated with the origins of American democracy in ancient Greece. Greece's involvement in a war for independence (1821-30) aroused much sympathy in the newly independent United States. Further, the War of 1812 fought against England diminished American affection for British influence, including the still dominant Adam ("Federal" in U.S.) style in domestic architecture. The popularity of Greek Revival led it to be called the National Style. Newly established towns throughout the country even took names such as Athens, Sparta, and Ithaca. Identifying features: * Most have porticos (either entry or full-width) supported by prominent square or rounded columns, typically of Doric style, but also Ionic and Corinthian * Gabled or hipped roof of low pitch * Cornice line of main roof and porch roofs emphasized with wide band of trim (this represents the classical entablature and is usually divided into two parts: the frieze above and architrave below) * Enormous windows and doors * Front door surrounded...
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...Middle Ages art periods. The Classical art period covered a time frame of approximately 480 BC to 300 AD. We will focus on Greek Architecture during the Golden Era of Athens 460-429 BC (Sakoulas, n.d.). The Middle Ages began after the fall of the Roman Empire around 310 AD and lasted approximately 1000 years; therefore we shall concentrate on the architecture of the 10th and 11th centuries. In order to conduct period architecture comparisons we will select the elegant Parthenon to represent the Classical era and the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris to represent the Middle Ages. Let us examine what was going in Athens, Greece during the Golden Era. The Greek people of this period were cultured, religious, thinkers, and industrious in their expression. The democratic citizenry of Athens, in particular, were fond of literature, philosophy, theater, arts and above all their gods. Athens was a democracy lead by a senior politician named Pericles, workers were mostly freeman, slaves were few, craftsmen and wealth abounded (Durant, 1939, p. 110). The people of Athens worshiped all of the gods of Olympus, but none more than Athena the Goddess of Wisdom. Athena was the patron goddess and defender of Athens. Worship and prayers for protection were a strong part of the culture as the populace was in constant peril from wars within Greece and without. Wars with city states, such as Sparta, and from the Persians made the philosophic Athenians very religious. The Athenians believed the...
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...created in ancient times. The intricately chiselled basalt pillar (or Stele) upon which the codes are written is considered an historical work of art, history and literature which is now housed in the Louvre in Paris, France (André-Salvini, 2003). It towers over 7.5 feet tall and the text is chiselled into solid stone. King Hammurabi (c. 1792 – 1750 B.C.E.) commissioned its construction to create a sovereign authority of universal laws throughout the Babylonian empire and as a demonstration of his duty to the gods and the citizens (Roth, 1995). It is a collaboration of pre-existing laws gathered from around the Babylonian Empire. The Hammurabi code served as not only an educational tool to “enlighten the land [but also created legal precedent] to further the well-being of mankind” (Hammurabi, 1752 B.C.E). The sheer height and shape of the structure alone is a testament to his...
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...Greek culture began to develop around 1150 BC with the emergence of Greek religion, drama, and Athenian values coming together to create a common value of individualism and pride. Ancient Greece relied heavily mythology, which functioned as religion in Greek society and was comprised of stories, or myths, that explained their beliefs about life, the world and their gods. As a polytheistic culture, they believed in many gods, examples being Apollo the sun god and Zeus the god of the sky. These gods were important to Greek culture as they were the center focus of worship for the Olympic Games, which still carry on to this day, even though they are not directly connected with pagan worship any more. The Olympic Games were culturally impactful...
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...There was an abundance of art, monuments, and worshipping of Dionysus and his satyrs in ancient Greece. It was also known that Greeks loved to write plays about Dionysus and satyrs. Greeks went so far as too dress up their entire casting crew as furry, half-horse creatures - even the chorus. The Athenians built an entire theatre in honor of Dionysus. It is known that the Greeks loved their and therefore worshipped Dionysus accordingly. The Greek satyr is a spirit of the wilderness and countryside. They are depicted as men with horse features such as nose, hair, legs, tails, and ears. They were companions of Dionysus, so they are almost always shown drinking wine, dancing, or playing Dionysus’ instruments like the flute and tambourine. Satyrs mated with mountain Nymphai; another species companion of Dionysus. The satyrs not only mated with nymphai, they also danced and sported with them. In Roman concepts of spirits, the similar “fauns” were men with goat-like features. In “Satyr-plays” that were performed in the festivals of Dionysus, the entire cast and chorus dress up as satyrs. They are characterized with drunkness, impudent sexuality, visual gags, pranks, and general merriment. Still, these plays educated its audiences with the history of the satyrs. Dramas usually included a hero, display the occasional cowardice of satyrs, and their mortal enemy: the Cyclops. Dionysus is the Greek god of wine and patron. It is said that he invented the arts of growing and drinking wine...
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...antiquity, there have been countless influential contributions made to Greek art and culture. Whether made by artists, writers, philosophers or sculptors, each one had an impact on Greek history. The famous Athenian sculptor, Pheidias (ca. 480-430 B.C.), was one of the most significant artists of his time. Best known for his work on the Parthenon and the chryselephantine cult statues of Athena and Zeus, Pheidias was a renowned public figure. It was difficult to become a successful sculptor, but everyone praised a great one. Children were not encouraged to become sculptors, however, as stated by Spivey, “...if one were to become a Pheidias...and produced many great works, everyone may have praised one’s skill.” Pheidias’ greatest achievement was the establishment of the perception of Athena and Zeus, which he conceived from his own visions of the gods....
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