Greek legends and fables

Elements of Ancient Greek

Culture: A Legacy that

Shaped the Western World

Greek Literature: Myths and Gods

●Ancient Greek religion was polytheistic (worshiped many gods)

●Greeks believed gods lived on Mount Olympus, Greece's highest mountain

●Important gods included:

●Zeus: king of the gods

●Hera: queen of the gods

●Poseidon: god of the sea

●Greeks believed gods were like humans in actions and emotions

Greek Myths: Explaining the World

●Myths: stories about gods used to explain natural events

●Example: Thunder and lightning explained as Zeus showing anger

●Each city-state chose a god or goddess to protect it

●Legacy: Greek myths often referenced in modern culture today

●Example: "Pandora's box" means something you don't want to explore

Greek Fables: Moral Lessons

●Famous collection: Aesop's Fables

●Characteristics of fables:

●Short tales

●Include animals as characters

●Focus on delivering a simple moral message

●Example: "The Tortoise and the Hare"

●Legacy: Adapted into storybooks, cartoons, and plays

Greek Theater: Comedies and Tragedies

●Greek dramas included both comedies and tragedies

●Used a chorus that sang and danced but didn't speak

●Comedies: Made fun of well-known people

●Famous comedy writer: Aristophanes

●Tragedies: Depicted a person with a tragic flaw

●Famous tragedy writer: Euripides

Greek Theater: Lasting Impact

●Influenced later playwrights like William Shakespeare

●Themes still found in modern books and movies

●Greek plays still performed on stages worldwide

Greek Epics: Homer's Legacy

●Homer: Famous Greek poet (8th century BCE)

●Composed two famous epics:

●The Iliad: Details events of the Trojan War

●The Odyssey: Focuses on Odysseus' journey home

●Originally passed down orally, not written

●Provide insight into Greek values and customs

The Trojan War: A Tale of Conflict

●Lasted 10 years

●Cause: Paris kidnapped Helen, wife of Spartan king

●Greeks couldn't break through Troy's walls

●Greeks left a giant wooden horse outside Troy

●Trojans brought the horse inside their city

●Greek soldiers hidden inside the horse opened the city gates

The Study of History: Greek Pioneers

●Greeks established the study of history

●Started recording events for future generations

●Famous Greek historians:

●Herodotus: "Father of History", wrote about Persian Wars

●Thucydides: Wrote about Peloponnesian Wars

●Differed from modern historians but laid the foundation for historical analysis

Greek Philosophy: Love of Wisdom

●Philosophy means "love of wisdom"

●Greek philosophers wanted to know more about humans and their place in
the universe

●Three most famous Greek philosophers:

●Socrates

●Plato

●Aristotle

Socrates: The Questioning Philosopher

●Considered the founder of Western philosophy

●Teaching method: Ask questions and test every answer

●Did not write down his teachings

●Remembered through the writings of his student Plato

●Legacy: Inspired thinkers to question the world around them

Plato: The Academy Founder

●Philosopher, writer, and mathematician

●Best-known work: The Republic

●Major contribution: Created the Academy in Athens

●The Academy was the first institution for higher learning in the Western world

Aristotle: The Tutor of Alexander

●Student of Plato

●Became a philosopher, teacher, researcher, and writer

●Tutored Alexander the Great as a young boy

●Founded a school called the Lyceum

Greek Architecture: Beauty and Balance

●Greeks loved beauty in any form

●Created buildings expressing beauty, harmony, and balance

●Known for rectangular temples with tall columns

●Most city-states had an acropolis: a high, fortified area for sacred temples

The Acropolis of Athens

●Most famous acropolis in Greece

●Contains finest examples of Greek architecture

●Dedicated to the goddess Athena

●Most famous building: The Parthenon

●The Parthenon features:

●Magnificent marble columns

●38-foot-tall statue of Athena made of gold and ivory

Greek Technological Advances: Astrolabe

●Used to determine positions of stars and planets

●Helped estimate time of year or time of day/night

●Believed to be created by Greek astronomer Hipparchus

●Later used for navigation during the Age of Exploration

Greek Technological Advances: Pulley Block

●Simple machine used to lift heavy objects

●Has a wheel around which a rope or cord is attached

●Can be combined to make compound pulleys for heavier objects

●Greek mathematician Archimedes explained how pulley systems work

Greek Technological Advances: Wood Screw

●Simple machine used to join things together

●May have been created by Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum

●Early use: In a screw press to press clothes, grapes, or olives

●Archimedes created the Archimedes Screw to move water upward

Greek Technological Advances: Ore Smelting and
Casting
●Allowed creation of metal objects including tools

●Process:

●Smelting: Getting metal from rock by heating

●Casting: Pouring heated metal into a mold

●Helped create wealth for civilizations

●Example: Silver mines in Laurium provided wealth for Athens

The Enduring Legacy of Ancient Greece

●Literature: Myths, fables, epics, and dramas still influential today

●History: Established methods for recording historical events

●Philosophy: Laid foundation for Western thought

●Architecture: Influenced government buildings worldwide

●Technology: Developed simple machines still used in modern forms