A brief history of ancient Greece

1. A brief history of ancient Greece • 1. The Persian Wars, 499 - 348 B.C. • 2. The Golden Age, or Periclean Age, 480 - 431 B.C. (In art history, this period is referred to as the “Classical Period”) • Socrates was born in 469 B.C., near the beginning of the Golden Age. • Plato was born in 428 B.C., near the end of this age. History of Ancient Greece - 1

2. A brief history of ancient Greece • Ancient Greece was a federation of 150 city-states. • The defeat of the Persians brought a new awareness of the commonness of these peoples in language, religion, and customs. • But they never achieved political unity. History of Ancient Greece - 2

3. A brief history of ancient Greece • The golden side of the Golden Age • Government support for widows and orphans • A high rate of literacy • A great building program • The Parthenon  History of Ancient Greece - 3

4. A brief history of ancient Greece • Great playwrites • Euripides, Aristophanes, Sophocles • The physician, Hippokrates • The historian Thucydides History of Ancient Greece - 4

5. A brief history of ancient Greece • Cleisthenes initiated the democratic form of government c. 508 B.C. (a bit before the Golden Age) • The form of democracy - very direct vs representative • But excluded women History of Ancient Greece - 5

6. A brief history of ancient Greece • The tarnished side of the Golden Age • Slaves made up one-third of the population • Women were not educated, had no property rights, and were for the most part excluded from the public sphere History of Ancient Greece - 6

7. A brief history of ancient Greece • Growing tension between alliances of city states centered around Athens and Sparta History of Ancient Greece - 7

8. A brief history of ancient Greece • 3. The Peloponnesian War, 431 - 404 B.C. • Between alliances centered around Athens and Sparta • Athens lost History of Ancient Greece - 8

9. A brief history of ancient Greece • 4. The Hellenistic Age, 338 B.C. - 200 A.D. • In 338, Philip of Macedonia conquered Greece • When Philip was assassinated in 336 B.C., Alexander took over the empire. • Alexander spread the Greek language and culture throughout his expanding empire. History of Ancient Greece - 9

10. A brief history of ancient Greece • Hence the word “Hellenic,” of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks. History of Ancient Greece - 10

11. Socrates: Life • Socrates (c.470 - 399 B.C.) • Born in Athens to a wealthy family • Married, had several sons • Distinguished himself in the Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 B.C.) • His profession was a travelling teacher • His debates with other members of his profession and the label, “sophist” History of Ancient Greece - 11

12. Socrates: Life • His innovative method of teaching, still known as “the Socratic method” • His interest in teaching ethics and his claim that virtue is a kind of knowledge • Might be called “ethical intellectualism” • It follow that virtue can be taught History of Ancient Greece - 12

13. Socrates: Life • His most famous student - Plato • He wrote nothing! History of Ancient Greece - 13

14. Socrates: Life • His famous trial • The Apology give Plato’s account of the trial • Occurred in 399 B.C. • The charge • Socrates was found guilty • Executed by taking poison • David’s painting of the death of Socrates History of Ancient Greece - 14

15. Socrates: Life • Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748-1825) • The Death of Socrates • 1787 • Oil on canvas • 51 x 77 1/4 in. (129.5 x 196.2 cm) • The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York History of Ancient Greece - 15