Ch 11 and 12

1. Ch 11 and 12 Ch 11-Cultural Contributions of the Greeks Ch 12- The Hellenistic Period: Alexander the Great

2. Section 1 Religious Practices • Priests and Priestesses served as Oracles, or persons who it was believed could speak with the gods. • Kings went to oracles for advice given in the form of a prophecy, or a statement of what might happen.

3. Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus • 12 major gods and goddesses with own specific duties to carry out. They were believed to control most of human activities. • Most feared their gods; temples were built to each one. • Festivals were observed for each god. • Out of the festivals came two important cultural events: Olympic Games and theater.

4. Olympic Facts • The Olympics, ancient Greek sporting events,began in 776 BC. • Greek wars ceased during the Olympics. • The games were originally held in Olympia, Greece until 393 AD. • During the ancient games, only young men were able to participate. • The competitors were usually naked because the games were, in part, a celebration of the human body. • Major events were chariot races, boxing, wrestling, the pancratium (boxing & wrestling), and the pentathlon(5 events-run, jump, discus, wrestle, and javelin).

5. How did the Olympics get started? • There are different ideas of how the Olympics began. • One myth is that the Greek God Zeus started the games to celebrate his victory over his father Cronus for control of the world. • Another tradition states that the games began after Greek hero Pelops won a chariot race against King Oenomaus to marry the King’s daughter. The Olympic Flame

6. The Games Olympia Stadium • Athletic games were an important part of religious festivals from early on in Greek Culture. • The first 13 Olympiads sole event was the footrace. • Over time, the Greeks added longer footraces and different events. • The pentathlon and wrestling were the first new sports added in the 18th Olympiad. • Today, there are 52 different events between the summer and winter Olympic games.

7. The Games Continued • The ancient Olympics were very different from the modern games. • There were fewer games and only free men who could speak Greek, were allowed to compete. • The games were always held at Olympia Stadium instead of moving around to different cities. • One common link between ancient Olympics and the modern games is thatthe athletes were heroes to their home towns, as our athletes are celebrities today. 1948 Gold Medal Olive leaf Crown

8. Training • Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece. • Greeks believed that developing the body was equally important as improving the mind for overall health. • The Palaestra was the place that the men trained and socialized in ancient Greece. The Palaestra NYC’s Proposed Olympic Stadium

9. Athletes • Ancient athletes competed as individuals, not for national teams, as they do now. • Athletes that won public competitions won permanent glory and fame. • Winning athletes made their town look wealthy and powerful. • In ancient Olympic games women were not allowed to compete. • In today’s Olympics the top three finishers will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for each event. • In ancient Olympics, the winner would receive a crown made of olive leaves and was entitled to a statue of himself at Olympia.

10. The Theater • First Greek plays were tragedies, or stories about suffering. • Second kind of play were comedies, or a play with a happy ending. • Performed only at festivals and went on all day. • Tragedies were in the mornings, comedies in the afternoon. • Players were all men. • Plays were in open air theaters with seats on the hillside. • Official at each Polis scheduled the plays and assigned a wealthy citizen to stage it.

11. Section 2 Science • Greeks placed great importance on intellect, or the ability to learn and reason. • Believed that studying the laws of nature and loving wisdom were the same- called it philosophia. • Today, people who search for knowledge and wisdom are known as scientists and philosophers.

12. Socrates • Socrates was a philosopher of Ancient Greece. • A philosopher is someone who tries to explain the nature of life. • Socrates taught by asking questions. This method of questioning is still called the Socratic method. • Because his questions caused Athenians to become upset, he was tried and sentenced to death by taking poison (Hemlock juice). • Athenians later regretted their actions and erected a bronze statue in his honor.

13. Plato • Plato was a student of Socrates who recorded his speeches at his trial and just before his death. • He started a school called The Academy and taught there for 40 years. The Academy itself lasted for almost 900 more years. • Plato’s writing took the form of a dialogue between teacher and student. • Wrote the first ever political science book, The Republic.

14. Aristotle • Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and student of Plato. • He wrote more than 200 books about science, art, law, poetry, and government. • Added to the Greek scientist Thales of Miletus who created the first 2 steps of the scientific method-Collection of Information and stating a Hypothesis. • Aristotle stated that a Hypothesis must be tested to see if it is correct. • He also developed syllogism, or the method of reasoning that uses three related statements. The third statement is a conclusion based on the first two.

15. Discoveries and Inventions • Key scientists include: • Thales of Miletus, from Ionia: set up first 2 steps of scientific method and predicted an eclipse of the sun in 585 BC. • Hippocrates:Father of Scientific Medicine. Set up the Hippocratic Oath. Believed that illnesses were caused by natural causes. • Greek scientists believed that there were natural causes for many of the events that happened in the world.

16. The Greeks borrowed their alphabet from the Phoenicians. Most European languages, including English borrowed ideas from the Greek alphabet. The Greek Alphabet

18. Chapter 12- The Hellenistic Period and Alexander the Great • Section 1: Phillip II of MACEDONIA, conquered weakened Greek city-states using deceit, political marriages, and bribery. • Turned his part time army into a well trained professional one. • Developed the Phalanx, an infantry formation that was 16 rows deep, with soldiers standing close together. • Made political alliances, or partnerships, that allowed him to take power. • An Athenian orator, or public speaker, by the name of Demosthenes, tried to warn the Greeks that Phillip was a danger, but most did not listen to him. • Armed his soldiers with 14 foot long spears, slingshots, and bows and arrows.

19. Section 2- Alexander the Great • Alexander the Great was the son of King Phillip II of Macedonia. • Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt, the Middle East and Northern India. A total of over 22,000 miles. • Founded about 70 cities, 16 of which were named Alexandria, after himself. • Most famous was Alexandria in Egypt. It became the center of trade and learning throughout the eastern Mediterranean. • End of the Empire of Alexander the Great • He died at age 33 from malaria in Babylon. • Wrapped in Gold and buried in the Royal tombs of Alexandria in Egypt. • His 3 top generals split the empire into separate parts and ruled them. • Greek cultural and trade continued but city-states continued to lose influence as citizens emigrated and great factories were created in other cities.

20. Alexander’s Empire