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Ancient Greek PERSIA

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Stinger What do you already know about the arts and culture of Ancient Greece? Why do you think that kind of knowledge is so wide-spread?

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Stations Activity Use the Stations to fill out your PERSIA chart and hand it in at the end of the block. Spend approximately ten minutes at each station.

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Art- Guiding Questions 1. How do the paintings on the pottery illustrate What types of things Ancient Greeks produced or consumed? What ancient Greeks did for recreation or sport? How Ancient Greeks view arts, sciences, or knowledge? The government structure of Ancient Athens? The role of Women in Society? The role of religion in Ancient Greek life. 2. What does the existence of stylized pottery tell you about wealth in Ancient Athens?

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Sculpture- Guiding Questions 1. How is the representation of individual people in Ancient Greek Sculpture different from that in previous ancient cultures? 2. How do the sculptures illustrate What types of things Ancient Greeks produced or consumed? What ancient Greeks did for recreation or sport? How Ancient Greeks view arts, sciences, or knowledge? The government structure of Ancient Athens? The role of Women in Society? The role of religion in Ancient Greek life?

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Architecture- Guiding Questions 1. How does Ancient Greek Architecture reflect an understanding of mathematics that was not noticeable in architecture from other ancient societies? 2. What are the purposes of the different structures represented in the photographs? 3. Why has so much Ancient Greek architecture survived? 4. Why would the decorative nature of Greek columns change over time? 5. Why would architects throughout the modern world copy Ancient Greek architecture?

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Philosophy- Guiding Questions 1. How does the conversation reflect the Athenian notion of intellect? 2. Do you agree with Socrates regarding why things should be left unwritten? Why or why not? 3. According to Socrates, how is knowledge built? 4. How does the Socratic notion of knowledge relate to modern notions of scientific discovery?

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Plato, The Phaedrus a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus written down by the pupil of Socrates, Plato, in approximately 370 BC. [Headnote: In reading this excerpt from The Phaedrus which reports a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus, crucial to your understanding of what bothers Socrates about writing is knowing a bit about his history and his own philosophical method. Socrates himself never wrote anything; all his ideas were written down by his student, Plato. Socrates had perfected a kind of oral technology of thought called the "Socratic dialogue." Socrates worked -- that is, he did his thinking work as a philosopher -- by asking questions, interrogating the people who presented him with ideas to find out where those ideas broke down logically into contradictions. So when Socrates wants to be able to interrogate the author of a book, to ask him or her questions, he really wants the opportunity to do some good, hard thought-work with that author, overturning contradictory claims and getting at underlying assumptions through a process of question and answer, of dialogue.] Soc. Enough appears to have been said by us of a true and false art of speaking. Phaedr. Certainly. Soc. But there is something yet to be said of propriety and impropriety of writing. Phaedr. Yes. Soc. Do you know how you can speak or act about rhetoric in a manner which will be acceptable to God? Phaedr. No, indeed. Do you? Soc. I have heard a tradition of the ancients, whether true or not they only know; although if we had found the truth ourselves, do you think that we should care much about the opinions of men? Phaedr. Your question needs no answer; but I wish that you would tell me what you say that you have heard.

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Soc. At the Egyptian city of Naucratis, there was a famous old god, whose name was Theuth; the bird which is called the Ibis is sacred to him, and he was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic and calculation and geometry and astronomy and draughts and dice, but his great discovery was the use of letters. Now in those days the god Thamus was the king of the whole country of Egypt; and he dwelt in that great city of Upper Egypt which the Hellenes call Egyptian Thebes, and the god himself is called by them Ammon. To him came Theuth and showed his inventions, desiring that the other Egyptians might be allowed to have the benefit of them; he enumerated them, and Thamus enquired about their several uses, and praised some of them and censured others, as he approved or disapproved of them. It would take a long time to repeat all that Thamus said to Theuth in praise or blame of the various arts. But when they came to letters, This, said Theuth, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memories; it is a specific both for the memory and for the wit. Thamus replied: O most ingenious Theuth, the parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them. And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a quality which they cannot have; for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality. Phaedr. Yes, Socrates, you can easily invent tales of Egypt, or of any other country. Soc. There was a tradition in the temple of Dodona that oaks first gave prophetic utterances. The men of old, unlike in their simplicity to young philosophy, deemed that if they heard the truth even from "oak or rock," it was enough for them; whereas you seem to consider not whether a thing is or is not true, but who the speaker is and from what country the tale comes. Phaedr. I acknowledge the justice of your rebuke; and I think that the Theban is right in his view about letters. Soc. He would be a very simple person, and quite a stranger to the oracles of Thamus or Ammon, who should leave in writing or receive in writing any art under the idea that the written word would be intelligible or certain; or who deemed that writing was at all better than knowledge and recollection of the same matters? Phaedr. That is most true. Soc. I cannot help feeling, Phaedrus, that writing is unfortunately like painting; for the creations of the painter have the attitude of life, and yet if you ask them a question they preserve a solemn silence. And the same may be said of speeches. You would imagine that they had intelligence, but if you want to know anything and put a question to one of them, the speaker always gives one unvarying answer. And when they have been once written down they are tumbled about anywhere among those who may or may not understand them, and know not to whom they should reply, to whom not: and, if they are maltreated or abused, they have no parent to protect them; and they cannot protect or defend themselves. Phaedr. That again is most true. Soc. Is there not another kind of word or speech far better than this, and having far greater power-a son of the same family, but lawfully begotten? Phaedr. Whom do you mean, and what is his origin?

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Soc. I mean an intelligent word graven in the soul of the learner, which can defend itself, and knows when to speak and when to be silent. Phaedr. You mean the living word of knowledge which has a soul, and of which written word is properly no more than an image? Soc. Yes, of course that is what I mean. And now may I be allowed to ask you a question: Would a husbandman, who is a man of sense, take the seeds, which he values and which he wishes to bear fruit, and in sober seriousness plant them during the heat of summer, in some garden of Adonis, that he may rejoice when he sees them in eight days appearing in beauty? at least he would do so, if at all, only for the sake of amusement and pastime. But when he is in earnest he sows in fitting soil, and practises husbandry, and is satisfied if in eight months the seeds which he has sown arrive at perfection? Phaedr. Yes, Socrates, that will be his way when he is in earnest; he will do the other, as you say, only in play. Soc. And can we suppose that he who knows the just and good and honourable has less understanding, than the husbandman, about his own seeds? Phaedr. Certainly not. Soc. Then he will not seriously incline to "write" his thoughts "in water" with pen and ink, sowing words which can neither speak for themselves nor teach the truth adequately to others? Phaedr. No, that is not likely. Soc. No, that is not likely-in the garden of letters he will sow and plant, but only for the sake of recreation and amusement; he will write them down as memorials to be treasured against the forgetfulness of old age, by himself, or by any other old man who is treading the same path. He will rejoice in beholding their tender growth; and while others are refreshing their souls with banqueting and the like, this will be the pastime in which his days are spent.

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Ancient Greek Theatre- Guiding Questions 1. What does the scene tell you about Ancient Greek Religion? Leadership? Women? 2. How does the scene reflect the ways Ancient Greeks felt about the relationship between the individual and the community?

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Excerpt From Antigone SENTRY: It was like this: After those terrible threats of yours King. We went back and brushed the dust away from the body. The flesh was soft by now, and stinking, So we sat on a hill to windward and kept guard. No napping happened until the white round sun Whirled in the center of the round sky over us: Then, suddenly, A storm of dust roared up from the earth, and the sky Went out, the plain vanished with all its trees In the stinging dark. We closed our eyes and endured it. The whirlwind lasted a long time, but it passed; And then we looked, and there was Antigone! I have seen A mother bird come back to a stripped nest, heard Her crying bitterly a broken note or two For the young ones stolen. Just so, when this girl Found the bare corpse, and all her loves work wasted, She wept, and cried on heaven to damn the hands 340 That had done this thing And then she brought more dust And sprinkled wine three times for her brothers ghost. We ran and took her at once. She was not afraid, Not even when we charged her with what she had done. She denied nothing. And this was a comfort to me, And some uneasiness: for it is a good thing To escape from death, but it is no great pleasure To bring death to a friend. Yet I always say There is nothing so comfortable as your own safe skin! I have seen A mother bird come back to a stripped nest, heard Her crying bitterly a broken note or two For the young ones stolen. Just so, when this girl Found the bare corpse, and all her loves work wasted, She wept, and cried on heaven to damn the hands 340 That had done this thing And sprinkled wine three times for her brothers ghost.

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CREON: [*Slowly, dangerously.*] And you, Antigone, You with your head hangingdo you confess this thing? ANTIGONE: I do. I deny nothing. CREON: [*To SENTRY:*] You may go. [*Exit SENTRY. To ANTIGONE:*] Tell me, tell me briefly: Had you heard my proclamation touching this matter? ANTIGONE: It was public. Could I help hearing it? CREON: And yet you dared defy the law. ANTIGONE: I dared. It was not Gods proclamation. That final Justice That rules the world below makes no such laws. Your edict, King, was strong, But all your strength is weakness itself against The immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be, Operative for ever, beyond man utterly. I knew I must die, even without your decree: I am only mortal. And if I must die Now, before it is my time to die, Surely this is no hardship: can anyone Living, as I live, with evil all about me, Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance; but if I had left my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not. You smile at me. Ah Creon, Think me a fool, if you like; but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly. Licensed to say and do whatever they please! It was not Gods proclamation. That final Justice That rules the world below makes no such laws. Your edict, King, was strong, But all your strength is weakness itself against The immortal unrecorded laws of God. Operative for ever, beyond man utterly. I knew I must die, even without your decree: That a fool convicts me of folly.

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CHORAGOS: Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to reason! She has never learned to yield. She has much to learn. The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron Cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks At the pull of the smallest curb. Pride? In a slave? This girl is guilty of a double insolence, Breaking the given laws and boasting of it. Who is the man here, She or I, if this crime goes unpunished? Sisters child, or more than sisters child, Or closer yet in bloodshe and her sister Win bitter death for this! [*To servants:*] Go, some of you, Arrest Ismene. I accuse her equally. Bring her: you will find her sniffling in the house there. Her minds a traitor: crimes kept in the dark Cry for light, and the guardian brain shudders: But now much worse than this Is brazen boasting of barefaced anarchy! ANTIGONE: Creon, what more do you want than my death? CREON: Nothing. That gives me everything. ANTIGONE: Then I beg you: kill me. This talking is a great weariness: your words Are distasteful to me, and I am sure that mine Seem so to you. And yet they should not seem so: I should have praise and honor for what I have done. All these men here would praise me Were their lips not frozen shut with fear of you. [*Bitterly.*] Ah the good fortune of kings, Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to reason! She has never learned to yield. She has much to learn. The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron Cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks At the pull of the smallest curb. Who is the man here, She or I, if this crime goes unpunished?

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In the News- Guiding Questions 1. What clues from the mosaic did the archeologists piece together to come to conclusions about the meaning of the piece? 2. How did archeologists use what they already knew in order to draw conclusions about the piece? 3. How does this finding reflect Ancient Greek Religion? Knowledge? Social structures? Government? 4. Why do people remain interested in Ancient Greece as a field of study?

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Queen of the Underworld Sheds New Light on Greek Tomb Newly revealed mosaic may hold key to unlocking mystery: Who was buried in the massive mound? TGreek archaeologists have discovered the image of a young, red-haired goddess being swept off to the underworld inside a 2,300-year-old tomb near the ancient site of Amphipolis in northern Greece. Identified as Persephone, daughter of Zeus, the goddess portrayed on a mosaic floor provides a key new clue to what in recent months has become a much publicized mystery: Who was laid to rest in the immense, marble-walled tomb 61 miles (99 kilometers) northeast of the Greek city of Thessaloniki? Monumental in scale and Macedonian in style, the Amphipolis tomb (also known as the Kasta tumulus) lies close to the Aegean port that Alexander the Great used for his fleet. Archaeologists have dated the tomb to the last quarter of the fourth century B.C., likely placing its construction in the fractious period following Alexander's death in 323 B.C. All this has fueled intense speculation that the tomb was built for someone close to Alexander, but clear evidence has been lacking. Greece's Ministry of Culture and Sport announced at a news conference on Thursday that the newly discovered image of Persephone closely resembles one in a painting from the royal cemetery of Vergina, where Alexander the Great's father was buried. This discovery, noted Lena Mendoni, general secretary of the Ministry, links the Amphipolis tomb to the royal lineage of Alexander the Great. "The political symbolism is very strong," Mendoni said. Ministry of Culture and Sport The new find is raising hope that the tomb will add another chapter to the tumultuous history of the ancient Macedonian royal house. "Without doubt," said archaeologist Katerina Peristeri, principal investigator of the Amphipolis tomb, "the deceased was extremely important." The woman featured in the mosaic is shown with fiery red hair and dressed in a white robe. Archaeologists believe the mosaic shows the abduction of Persephone by Pluto.

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Carried Off to the Land of the Dead Peristeri and her colleagues discovered the Persephone mosaic as they cleared the floor of one of the tomb's inner chambers. Extending over some 145 square feet, the finely executed artwork depicts the Greek myth of the abduction of Persephone. According to the ancient story, Hades, the god of the underworld, spied Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and the harvest goddess, working in a field, and decided to make her his wife. So he captured her and took her to the underworld, where she became his queen. The mosaic portrays Hades as a bearded charioteer carrying off the curly-haired Persephone, who looks back wistfully toward her home. Running in front of the chariot is a third figure, the messenger god Hermes, who wears a scarlet cloak and hat and a pair of winged sandals as he leads the way to the underworld. Peristeri was unwilling to speculate on the identity of the tomb's owner based on this new evidence. But Ian Worthington, a classical scholar at the University of Missouri in Columbia, thinks the excavators could be looking at "a female occupant of the tomb, because the mosaic shows a female being led to the underworld." If this proves to be the case, Worthington added, the tomb might hold the remains of Roxane, Alexander the Great's wife, or Olympias, his mother. Both women were put to death by one of Alexander's generals, Cassander, as he secured the throne of ancient Macedonia. Ian Worthington Surviving classical texts record that Cassander put Roxane and her young son to death at Amphipolis in 310 B.C., so it's very possible, said Worthington, that she could lie in the Amphipolis tomb. But other evidence points strongly toward Olympias. Alexander intended to make his mother a goddess, like the female deity in Hades' chariot. Moreover, Olympias continued to hold considerable political power even after Alexander's death. Although she was murdered by Cassander and his allies, "I think she still could have been honored by such a tomb," saidPhilip Freeman, a professor of classics at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.Philip Freeman Only time, and further excavation, will tell.

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Exit Ticket How has Greek thought influenced modern society?