Architecture of the Golden Age of the Athenians
- Key Buildings-
- Acropolis- main group of buildings in Athens that looked over the city.
- Sacred area that’s one of the most recognizable monuments in the world.
- Acropolis-
- 9 years to build, completed in 438 B.C., cost 3 billion in today’s money.
- The Paratheon and other buildings on acropolis were all built between 460 and 430 B.C. under leadership of Pericles.
- Used for political and cultural achievements.
- Paratheon-
- Over 3 billion in today’s money, built between 447 B.C. and 432 B.C.
- One of biggest construction projects of the ancient world.
- The Porch of Caryatids-
- 6 columns holding up roof.
- All female figures were each sculpted differently and engineered so that their slender necks could take the weight of the roof and still look real and elegant.
- Started 421 B.C. completed 406 B.C.
- Cost 130 million.
- Greek Art-
- Most divine, complex structures of this time and the structures of the Athenian Acropolis.
- Earliest of these are the Paratheon sculptures in time soon became a church.
- Built between 442 and 432 B.C.
- Purpose-
- Buildings were built to show cultural and political achievements of Athens
- Others were used to honor gods and goddess- Athena.
- Goddess Nike also had buildings.
- Some buildings were used for political gatherings.
- Athens had walls that would surround the city protecting and defense.
- Used for many reasons- praise/worship, buy/sell items, drama, education, law making.
- The Paratheon-
- Famous buildings to worship goddess- Athena.
- Temple to honor and praise.
- Celebrate ending of Athens’ war with Persia.
- The Agora-
- Town’s people come to buy/sell goods.
- Market place, food and household items.
- Theater of Dionysus-
- Meant for dramatic plays.
- Social life- many big events, pure comedy.
- Either you were an actor or you watched.
- Gymnasium-
- Children would go to get education.
- 6 or 7 homes go to school.
- Boys/girls separate.
- Parents had to pay for private school.
- Big, all kids went.
- Pnyx-
- Athenians go to building to gather around and decide on laws and rules of town.
- Key Players-
- Pericles’s plan for Athens was to get the greatest Greek architects to build things like Paratheon.
- Socrates-
- Lived 470-399 B.C.
- Son of a sculpture.
- Served in army during Spartan clash.
- Short and stout- not handsome.
- Attracted to a young boy soldier.
- Plato-
- 437-347 B.C.
- Prized student in philosophy.
- Pirates captured him.
- Plato made a school in 386 B.C. on property friends bought him.
- Aristotle-
- 384-322 B.C.
- Born- Stagira- small Greek colony.
- Scientist and philosopher, loved nature.
Military and Delian League
- Tactics-
- Phalanx-
- Used in battle of marathon around 500 B.C.
- Major downside- used against cavalry.
- Horses in cavalry could ride around and attack weak side.
- Athenians used mountains and natural habitat to protect weak side.
- Naval warfare-
- Used in Peloponnesian war.
- Shipped grain and food into city.
- Used ships called trireme.
- Fought by ramming and boarding enemy ships.
- Major naval force.
- Pericles-
- Politician- democrat.
- General, Athenian.
- Ruled Athens from 461-429 B.C.
- Led victories in Peloponnesian and Persian wars.
- Socrates-
- Philosopher, Athenian.
- Scrutinized Athens, praised Sparta.
- Not well liked for that reason.
- Plato-
- Student of Socrates.
- Write dialogues that contain most of Socrates ideas.
- Aristotle-
- Student of Plato.
- Teacher of Alexander the Great later in life.
- Archimedes-
- Well known mathematician.
- First to calculate pi.
- Pythagoras-
- Developed Pythagorean Theorem.
- Delian League-
- Coalition of Greek States and Athenians.
- Founded in 478 B.C.
- Under control of Athens.
- Headquarters in Delos.
- What did it do?
- Goals- free Ionian Greeks from Persia and protect Aegean Sea.
- Use sea power.
- Athens was the leader.
- Persia was run out of the Aegean Sea.
- Famous Battles-
- Persian War.
- Major battles- Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis.
- Marathon-
- 25,000 Persians met 10,000 Athenians.
- Persians fled.
- 6,000 Persians died very few Athenians died.
- Thermopylae-
- 7,000 Greeks and 300 Spartans.
- Stood up to Persians for a long time.
- Persians found a way around the mountain.
- Spartans let Greeks flee and stayed to fight.
- All 300 died.
- Salamis-
- Greeks abandon Athens.
- Fought with naval forces.
- Destroyed most of Persian fleet.
- Formed Delian League to protect Greece.
- Peloponnesian War-
- 431-404 B.C.
- Battle of Pylos.
- 425 B.C.
- Athenian naval forces were attacking Zacynthus.
- Spartan troops decided to attack walled city called Pylos.
- Pylos-
- Over 2,000 Spartan troops.
- Tried attacking sea side wall.
- Spartans failed to capture Pylos before Athenian naval fleet could return.
- Tried blocking harbor.
- Weapons and Armor-
- Swords, iron knives- not bronze, arrowheads, sling bullets- steel and clay, shield- bronze, archery, spears.
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