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The Greeks. GREEK CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE. GREEKS. Ancient Greek ideas about art, architecture, drama, philosophy, and government greatly influenced Western Civilization.
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GREEKS • Ancient Greek ideas about art, architecture, drama, philosophy, and government greatly influenced Western Civilization. • Among the most influential of Greek cultural achievements is the Parthenon in Athens, an outstanding example of classical architecture.
GREEKS • Greek dramas set structural and thematic styles emulated by great Western playwrights such as William Shakespeare.
Athens dominated the Greek city-states in the 5th century B. C. Rival Sparta led the smaller Spartan Confederacy. The two sides fought in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B. C.), and Athens lost, leaving it temporarily weakened.
The Greek Theater • 5th Century B. C. • Golden Age of Greek Drama • Dramatic festivals were popular • People witnessed tragic and comic plays
Theater of Dionysus • Dionysia was an annual festival in honor of the god Dionysus • Theater of Dionysus was an open-air Theater with room for fifteen thousand spectators
Theater of Dionysus • carved out of a stone hillside • looked like a semicircle with steeply rising tiers of seats
Theater of Dionysus • At the bottom was the rounded orchestra or performance area where the chorus sang and danced
Theater of Dionysus • Behind the orchestra was an open, almost bare, stage where actors spoke their lines from behind huge masks
Theater of Dionysus • Male actors performed all the roles • Actors switched masks to play a number of roles – both female and male