Lecture 6: Classical Greece

1. Lecture 6: Classical Greece

2. -- Greece reached its height during the “Classical Period” c. 500 – 338 BCE, after which it is conquered by Philip II of Macedon -- Sparta and Athens represent two extremes of the Greek poleis -- 740 BCE Sparta invades Messenians, who become serfs (“helots”); harsh revolt of Messenians turns Sparta into military state -- Spartan boys put under control of state at age 7, after which they live in military-style barracks until age 20, when they enroll in the army -- Men only marry at age 30, are in military until age 60 (aristocrats may join “gerousia” or ruling council instead) -- Gerousia advises the king and acts as criminal court

3. -- Spartan women freer than others in Greece; marched naked in processions, exercised in nude; raised to believe in complete loyalty to the State above all -- To promote military, Spartans gave up many cultural amenities; were discouraged from traveling abroad -- Athens: by 600’s BCE, a prosperous port city of 150,000 ruled by oligarchy of aristocratic elite who owned best farmland -- Aristocracy controlled political and religious life through council of nobles, the “Areopagus” lead by an assembly of all citizens (“Ecclesia”) -- Only adult males who were citizens took part in politics; slavery common -- Role of women was to bear children; could parti- cipate in religious life and festivals but could not own property, except personal items and had guardian if unmarried

4. -- Religion was part of everyday life; piety meant participating in festivals and state cult, rather than belief -- Greeks believed in 12 main gods who lived on Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece -- No sacred books or doctrine, other than belief in the existence and pre-eminence of the gods -- Gods and goddesses had both animal and human forms and their behavior arbitrary, thus belief in fate or “fortuna” – life was dictated by whims of the gods -- Greek culture supported bisexuality, both men and women allowed to have lovers of the same sex -- Rivalry among elites created economic problems which lead to revolt and election of Solon, as sole archon in 594 BCE

5. -- Solon canceled all land debt, encouraged export of olive oil, allowed non-aristocrats into government -- Mid-6th century Ionian Islands and Greek cities in Asia Minor conquered by Persians -- When Greeks revolt, Persians under Darius attack the Greek mainland; Athens asks for help from Sparta, which arrives too late -- Athenians able to defeat Persians with help of another polis at battle of Marathon -- 478 BCE Athens and its neighbors form the Delian League and attack the Persians, liberating Greek colonies across the Aegean -- Solon’s rule followed by two tyrants who lead Athens into war against Spartans from 431 – 404 (Peloponnesian War) and make Sparta predominant polis

6. -- Thucydides, first modern historian, describes the Peloponnesian War, notes that events of the past are often repeated in much the same way in the future -- Opposition to Peloponnesian War in Aristophanes’ play, Lysistrata, in which wives of Athenian soldiers go on sex strike until their husbands renounce the war -- By 371 Sparta is defeated by polis of Thebes; by 339 BCE Greeks conquered by Philip II of Macedon -- Expansion of democracy leads to growth of philosophy -- Greek philosophers attempt to discover true nature of things, correct action, ideal society and government

7. Pericles [Roman copy of a Greek bust]

8. Athenian Acropolis: Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheum, Parthenon

9. Socrates, 470 – 399 BCE “Question Authority”

10. -- Socrates left no writings, but his pupil, Plato recorded many of the dialogues between Socrates and his students -- Socratic method: posing a question and then challenging the answer so as to raise another question until the pupil comes to the ultimate truth through his own thought process -- Socrates believed that all real knowledge was within each individual and that critical examination by the individual would reveal the truth -- Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” -- Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens by inciting atheism -- Believed fervently in democratic principles, refused, as a citizen of Athens to accept the exile offered by his judges, and drank hemlock in prison after being sentenced to death

11. Plato, 427 – 347 BCE

12. -- Plato became extremely critical of Athenian society after the death of Socrates and tried to determine the ideal society -- The Republic is a dialogue describing the ideal society; believed individuals could not live ethical lives unless they lived in a just and rational state -- The ideal state would consist of a ruling elite of philosopher kings and courageous warriors -- The masses, who are only concerned with desire, become artisans, tradesmen and farmers -- Believed in equality between men and women, “ideal forms” as represented in mathematics, and the idea of the soul -- Established the Academy in Athens in order to train the new political elite

13. Aristotle, 384 – 322 BCE

14. -- Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, would become the tutor of Alexander the Great -- Believed in Plato’s ideal forms, but as a marine biologist, believed that form and matter were inseparable and that everything had a purpose in the universe = “teleology” -- “Teleology” = an oak is the purpose of the acorn -- Aristotelian logic criticized for confusing function with purpose -- At its extreme, teleology suggests that any action exists because it is meant to exist

15. Discobolos [Roman copy of original bronze by Myron]

16. Belevedere Apollo, c. 450 BCE

17. Theater at Epidaurus, c. 350 BCE (Polyclitus the Younger)