435 B.C.Herodotuswrites historyof Persian Wars

399 B.C.Socratessentenced to death

500 B.C. 400 B.C. 300 B.C.500 B.C. 400 B.C. 300 B.C.335 B.C.Aristotle opensthe Lyceum in Athens

Greek Philosophy and History

HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH6.4 Studentsanalyze the geographic,political, economic,religious, and socialstructures of the earlycivilizations of AncientGreece.

Looking Back, Looking AheadSection 1 discussed early Greek

artists and writers. Many of themmade the years between 500 and350 B.C. the Golden Age for Greece.Greek thinkers and historiansproduced works that shape peoplesviews of the world today.

Focusing on the Greek philosophers developed ideas

that are still used today. (page 393)

Greeks wrote the first real historiesin Western civilization. (page 397)

Meeting PeoplePythagoras (puhTHAguhruhs)Socrates (SAHkruhTEEZ)Plato (PLAYTOH)Aristotle (ARuhSTAHtuhl)Herodotus (hihRAHduhtuhs)Thucydides (thooSIHduhDEEZ)

Content Vocabularyphilosophy (fuhLAHsuh fee)philosopher (fuhLAHsuh fuhr)Sophist (SAH fihst)Socratic method (suhKRAtihk)

Academic Vocabularyreject (ree JEHKT)accurate (Akyuhruht)

Reading StrategyCategorizing Information Usediagrams like the one below to showthe basic philosophies of Socrates,Plato, and Aristotle.

Socrates

392 CHAPTER 8 Greek Civilization

WH6.4.8 Describe the enduring contributions of important Greek figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates, Plato,Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides).

Greek PhilosophersGreek philosophers developed ideas

that are still used today.Reading Connection What is right? What is wrong?What makes a government good? Read to learn how theancient Greeks tried to answer similar big questions.

The word philosophy (fuhLAHsuhfee)comes from the Greek word for love of wis-dom. Greek philosophy led to the study ofhistory, political science, science, and mathe-matics. Greek thinkers who believed thehuman mind could understand everythingwere called philosophers (fuhLAHsuhfuhrs).

Many philosophers were teachers. OneGreek philosopher, Pythagoras (puh THA guh ruhs), taught his pupils that the uni-verse followed the same laws that governedmusic and numbers. He believed that allrelationships in the world could beexpressed in numbers. As a result, he devel-oped many new ideas about mathematics.Most people know his name because of thePythagorean theorem that is still used ingeometry. It is a way to determine thelength of the sides of a triangle.

Who Were the Sophists? The Sophists(SAH fihsts) were professional teachers inancient Greece. They traveled from city to

CHAPTER 8 Greek Civilization 393

This artwork shows Greek philosophers involved in adiscussion. Where does the word philosophy come from?

Scala/Art Resource, NY

394 CHAPTER 8 Greek Civilization

Greek PhilosophersGreek Philosophers

Main Idea

Thinker or Group

ImportantContribution

Influence on Today

Sophists like Libanius(above) thought that people should use knowledge to improvethemselves. They believed that there is no absolute right or wrong.

He rejected the ideaof democracy as a form of government.Plato believed that philosopher-kings should rule society.

Aristotle taught the idea of the golden mean. He believed observation and comparison werenecessary to gainknowledge.

The importance of public speaking can be seen in political debates between candidates.

His methods influenced the way teachers interact with their students.

He introduced the idea that govern-ment should be fair and just.

His political ideas still shape political ideas today.

They developed the art of public speak-ing and debate.

He created the Socratic method of teaching.

He described his vision of the ideal government in his work the Republic.

He wrote over 200 books on philoso-phy and science. He divided all govern-ments into threebasic types.

He was a critic of the Sophists. Socrates believed that there was an absolute right and wrong.

Sophists Socrates Plato Aristotle

city and made a living by teaching others.They believed students should use theirtime to improve themselves. Many taughttheir students how to win an argument andmake good political speeches.

Sophists did not believe that gods andgoddesses influenced people. They alsorejected the concept of absolute right orwrong. They believed that what was rightfor one person might be wrong for another.

The Ideas of Socrates One critic of theSophists was Socrates (SAH kruh TEEZ).Socrates was an Athenian sculptor whosetrue love was philosophy. Socrates left nowritings behind. What we know abouthim we have learned from the writings ofhis students.

Socrates believed that an absolute truthexisted and that all real knowledge waswithin each person. He invented the Socratic method (suh KRA tihk) of teachingstill used today. He asked pointed questionsto force his pupils to use their reason and tosee things for themselves.

Some Athenian leaders considered theSocratic method a threat to their power. At one time, Athens had a tradition of ques-tioning leaders and speaking freely.However, their defeat in the PeloponnesianWar changed the Athenians. They no longertrusted open debate. In 399 B.C. the leadersaccused Socrates of teaching youngAthenians to rebel against the state. A juryfound Socrates guilty and sentenced him todeath. Socrates could have fled the city, but

(l)Mary Evans Picture Library, (cl)Scala/Art Resource, NY, (cr)Museo Capitolino, Rome/E.T. Archives, London/SuperStock, (r)Reunion des Musees Nationaux/Art Resource, NY

he chose to remain. He argued that he hadlived under the citys laws, so he had toobey them. He then drank poison to carryout the jurys sentence.

The Ideas of Plato One of Socrates stu-dents was Plato (PLAY TOH). Unlike Socrates,we are able to learn a lot about Plato fromhis writings. One work Plato wrote is calledthe Republic. It explains his vision of gov-ernment. Based on life in Athens, Platodecided that democracy was not a goodsystem of government. He did not thinkthat rule by the people produced fair or sen-sible policies. To him, people could not livegood lives unless they had a just and rea-sonable government.

In the Republic, Plato described his idealgovernment. He divided people into threebasic groups. At the top were philosopher-kings, who ruled using logic and wisdom.Warriors made up the second group. Theydefended the state from attack.

The third group included the rest of thepeople. They were driven by desire, not bywisdom like the first group or courage likethe second. These people produced thestates food, clothing, and shelter. Plato alsobelieved that men and women should havethe same education and an equal chance tohave the same jobs.

Who Was Aristotle? Plato established aschool in Athens known as the Academy. Hisbest student was Aristotle (AR uh STAH tuhl).Aristotle wrote more than 200 books ontopics ranging from government to theplanets and stars.

In 335 B.C. Aristotle opened his ownschool called the Lyceum. At the Lyceum,Aristotle taught his pupils the goldenmean. This idea holds that a person shoulddo nothing in excess. For example, a person

should not eat too little or too much but justenough to stay well.

Aristotle also helped to advance science.He urged people to use their senses to makeobservations, just as scientists today makeobservations. Aristotle was the first personto group observations according to their sim-ilarities and differences. Then he made gen-eralizations based on the groups of facts.

Like Plato, Aristotle wrote about gov-ernment. He studied and compared thegovernments of 158 different places to findthe best form of government. In his bookPolitics, Aristotle divided the governmentsinto three types:

Government by one person, such as amonarch (king or queen) or a tyrant

Government by a few people, whichmight be an aristocracy or an oligarchy

Government by many people, as in ademocracy

Aristotle noticed that governments runby a few people were usually run by therich. He noticed that most democracieswere run by the poor. He thought the bestgovernment was a mixture of the two.

Aristotles ideas shaped the wayEuropeans and Americans thought aboutgovernment. The founders of the UnitedStates Constitution tried to create a mixedgovernment that balanced the differenttypes Aristotle had identified.

Contrast How didAristotles idea of government differ from Platos?

Web Activity Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com andclick on Chapter 8Student Web Activity tolearn more about ancient Greece.

CHAPTER 8 Greek Civilization 395

http://ca.hss.glencoe.com

6.4.6. Compare and contrast life in Athensand Sparta, with emphasis on their rules inthe Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.

PLATO AND ARISTOTLEPlato c. 428347 B.C.Aristotle 384322 B.C.Plato was from a noble Greek family and had planned a career

in politics. However, he was so horrified by the death of his teacher,Socrates, that he left politics and spent many years traveling andwriting. When Plato returned to Athens in 387 B.C., he founded anacademy, where he taught using Socrates method of questioning.His academy drew bright young students from Athens and otherGreek city-states. Plato looked for truth beyond the appearances ofeveryday objects and reflected this philosophy in his writing andteaching. He believed the human soul was the connection betweenthe appearance of things and ideas.

Plato and Aristotletwo of the greatest ancient Greekphilosophersmet as teacher and student at Platos Academy in Athens. Aristotle left his home in Stagira and arrived on the Academys doorstep when he was eighteen years old. He remained at Platos Academy for 20 years, until the death of his teacher. Unlike Plato, Aristotle did not come from a noble family. His father was the court physician to the king of Macedonia. At an earlyage, Aristotles father introduced him to the topics of medicine and biology, and thesebecame his main interests of study. Aristotle sought truth through a systematic, scientificapproach. He liked to jot down notes and details about different topicsfrom weather tohuman behaviorand arrange them in categories. He did not trust the senses ability tounderstand the universe.

After Platos death, Aristotle traveled for about 12 years.He also tutored the future Alexander the Great. Later in hislife, he returned to Athens and opened his own school, theLyceum. He made his school the center for research in everyarea of knowledge known to the Greeks.

396

Aristotle spent 20 years at Platos Academy.What present-day careers or subjects of studyrequire lifelong learning?

WH6.4.8 Describe the enduringcontributions of important Greek figures inthe arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates,Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides).

Aristotle

Plato

(t)SEF/Art Resource, NY, (b) Scala/Art Resource, NY

WH6.4.8 Describe the enduring contributions of important Greek figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates, Plato,Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides).

Reading SummaryReview the The ideas of Greek philosophers,

including Socrates, Plato, andAristotle, still affect modernthinking about education, gov-ernment, and science.

Herodotus and Thucydides areconsidered western civilizationsfirst historians. They believedthat people could understand thepresent by studying the past.

1. Who were the Sophists andwhat were their beliefs?

2. Before Herodotus, how didGreeks explain the past?

Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information

Draw a diagram like the onebelow. Use the diagram toorganize Platos ideas about anideal government.

4. Science Connection Howare Aristotles teachings relatedto the scientific method usedby scientists today?

5. Contrast What is differentabout the works of Herodotusand Thucydides?

6. How did the ideasof Greek philosophers affectGreek society?

7. Persuasive Writing Do youagree with Platos vision of theideal state in the Republic?Write an editorial expressingyour viewpoint. CA 6WA2.5

CA HI2.

CA 6RC2.2

CA 6RC2.3

CA 6RC2.4

What Did You Learn?

CHAPTER 8 Greek Civilization 397

Greek HistoriansGreeks wrote the first real histories in

Western civilization.Reading Connection How would the United States bedifferent if we did not know our history? Read to learn howthe Greeks began to write history.

In most places in the ancient world, peo-ple used legends and myths to explain theirpast. No one tried to explain the past bystudying events. Then, in 435 B.C., a Greeknamed Herodotus (hih RAH duh tuhs)wrote the history of the Persian Wars.

In his book, Herodotus tried to separatefact from legend. He asked questions,recorded answers, and checked the truthful-ness of his sources. Although his historyincludes some errors and uses gods and goddesses to explain some events, manyEuropean and American historians considerhim the father of history.

Many historians consider Thucydides(thoo SIH duh DEEZ) the greatest historian ofthe ancient world. Thucydides fought in thePeloponnesian War. Afterward, he wrotehis History of the Peloponnesian War.

Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides saw warand politics as the activities of humanbeings, not gods. He also stressed theimportance of having accurate facts:

Either I was present myself at theevents which I have described orelse I heard of them from eye-witnesses whose reports I havechecked with as muchthoroughness as possible.

Thucydides, History of thePeloponnesian War

Identify How didThucydides view war and politics?

Study Central Need help with Greek philosophy and history? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.comand click on Study Central.

http://ca.hss.glencoe.com

Discovering Our Past: Ancient CivilizationsTable of ContentsA Guide to California Content StandardsCorrelation to the California StandardsPreviewing Your TextbookScavenger HuntReading Skills HandbookNational Geographic Reference AtlasWorld: PoliticalWorld: PhysicalEurope: PoliticalEurope: PhysicalMiddle East: Physical/PoliticalAfrica: PoliticalAfrica: PhysicalAsia: PoliticalAsia: PhysicalNorth America: PoliticalNorth America: PhysicalMiddle America: Physical/PoliticalSouth America: PoliticalSouth America: PhysicalPacific Rim: Physical/PoliticalWorld's PeopleWorld: Land UsePolar Regions

National Geographic Geography HandbookHow Do I Study Geography?How Do I Use Maps and Globes?Understanding Latitude and LongitudeFrom Globes to MapsCommon Map ProjectionsParts of MapsTypes of MapsUsing Graphs, Charts, and DiagramsGeographic Dictionary

Tools of the HistorianMeasuring TimeOrganizing TimeHistory and GeographyWhat Is a Historical Atlas?How Does a Historian Work?Making Sense of the PastLinks Across Time

Unit 1: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and IsraelChapter 1: The First CivilizationsReading Skill: Previewing Section 1: Early HumansSection 2: Mesopotamian CivilizationSection 3: New EmpiresChapter 1 Assessment

Chapter 2: Ancient Egypt and KushReading Skill: SummarizingSection 1: The Nile ValleySection 2: Egypt's Old KingdomSection 3: The Egyptian EmpireSection 4: The Civilization of KushChapter 2 Assessment

Chapter 3: The Ancient IsraelitesReading Skill: Making ConnectionsSection 1: The First IsraelitesSection 2: The Kingdom of IsraelSection 3: The Growth of JudaismChapter 3 Assessment

Unit 1 Review

Unit 2: India, China, and the AmericasChapter 4: Early IndiaReading Skill: QuestioningSection 1: India's First CivilizationsSection 2: Hinduism and BuddhismSection 3: India's First EmpiresChapter 4 Assessment

Chapter 5: Early ChinaReading Skill: MonitoringSection 1: China's First CivilizationsSection 2: Life in Ancient ChinaSection 3: The Qin and Han DynastiesChapter 5 Assessment

Chapter 6: The Ancient AmericasReading Skill: Taking NotesSection 1: The First AmericansSection 2: The Mayan PeopleChapter 6 Assessment

Unit 2 Review

Unit 3: The Greeks and RomansChapter 7: The Ancient GreeksReading Skill: Comparing and ContrastingSection 1: The Early GreeksSection 2: Sparta and AthensSection 3: Persia Attacks the GreeksSection 4: The Age of PericlesChapter 7 Assessment

Chapter 8: Greek CivilizationReading Skill: VisualizingSection 1: The Culture of Ancient GreeceSection 2: Greek Philosophy and HistorySection 3: Alexander the GreatSection 4: The Spread of Greek CultureChapter 8 Assessment

Chapter 9: The Rise of RomeReading Skill: Making InferencesSection 1: Rome's BeginningsSection 2: The Roman RepublicSection 3: The Fall of the RepublicSection 4: The Early EmpireChapter 9 Assessment

Chapter 10: Roman CivilizationReading Skill: Making PredictionsSection 1: Life in Ancient RomeSection 2: The Fall of RomeSection 3: The Byzantine EmpireChapter 10 Assessment

Chapter 11: The Rise of Christianity Reading Skill: Identifying Cause and EffectSection 1: The First ChristiansSection 2: The Christian ChurchSection 3: The Spread of Christian IdeasChapter 11 Assessment

Unit 3 Review

AppendixWhat Is an Appendix?SkillBuilder HandbookCalifornia Standards HandbookGlossarySpanish GlossaryGazetteerIndexAcknowledgements and Photo Credits

Feature ContentsPrimary SourceAnalyzing Primary SourcesWorld LiteratureBiographySkillBuilder HandbookNational Geographic: History MakersLinking Past & PresentNational Geographic: The Way It WasYou Decide . . .Primary Source QuotesMaps, Charts, Graphs, and Diagrams

Student WorkbooksActive Reading Note-Taking GuideCalifornia Standards Practice WorkbookReading Essentials and Study GuideSpanish Reading Essentials and Study Guide

HelpInternet LinkPrevious DocumentSearch - DocumentSearch - FullPage NavigatorExit

Button1: