Wednesday, September 12

Architecture-

The Acropoliswas the main group of buildings
- A sacred area that is one of the most recognizable in the world
- Took 9 years to build, finished in 438 BC
- Cost the equivalent of $3 billion today
- The Parathenon and other buildings on the acropolis were all built between 460 and 430 BC under the leadership of Pericles
- Used for political purposes
- One of the biggest construction projects of the ancient world
- The Porch of Carytids
  - Six columns holding up the roof
  - Each female figure was sculpted differently but still looked real
  - Started in 421 BC and was completed in 406 BC
  - Cost equivalent of $130 million today
  - Greek Art
    - The most devine and complex sculptures of this time are the sculptures of the Athenian Acropolis
      - Earliest of these are the Parathanon sculptures
Purpose of Buildings
- To show cultural and political achievements of Athens
- Others were used to honor gods and goddesses
- Some were used for political gatherings
- Athens had walls that would surround the city for protection
- Buildings for praise and worship, buy and sell items, drama, education, and law making
- Parathenon was built for the worship of Athena and celebreate the ending of Athen’s war with Persia
- Agora
  - Townspeople would come to buy and sell food and house items
  - The Theater of Dionysus
    - Meant for dramatic plays
    - Important for social life
    - Most plays were pure comedy
    - Gymnasium
      - Children would go to get educated
      - At age 6 or 7, left homes to go to school, boys and girls were separate, was expensive for the parents
    - Pnyx
      - Athenians would go to this building to gather around and decide as the laws and rules of the town
Key Players
- Pericles’ plan for Athens was to get the greatest Greece architects
- Socrates
  - Lived from 470 to 399 BC
  - Son of a sculptor
  - Short and stout and not very handsome
  - Attracted to a young boy soldier
  - Plato
    - Lived from 437 to 347 BC
    - Student prized student
    - Aristocles real name
    - Pirates captured him and then gave him back
    - Aristotle
      - 384 to 322 BC
      - Born in Stagira
      - Scientist and philosopher and loved nature

Military and Delian League

Phalanx-
- Used in battle of Marathon around 500 BC
- On major downside is its use against cavalry
- Horses could quickly ride around and attack the weak side
- Used mountains and natural habitat to protect
- Naval Warfare
  - Athens used naval warfare during the Peloponnesion War
  - Shipped grain and food into the city
  - Fought by ramming and boarding
  - Called trireme
  - Key Players
    - Pericles
      - 461-429 BC
      - Politician, democrat, general
      - Led victories in the Peloponnesian and Persian wars
Socrates
- Philosopher
- Scrutinized Athens, praised Sparta, (not well liked)
Plato
- Student of Socrates wrote the dialogues of Socrats
Aristotle
- Student of Plato
- Teacher to Alexander the Great
Archemides
- Well known mathematician
- First to calculate Pi
Pythagoras
- Developed the Pythagorean theorem
- Delian League
  - Coalition of Greek states and Athenians
  - Founded in 478 BC
  - Under the control of Athens, HQ was in Delos
  - Goals:
    - Free Ionian Greeks from Persia
    - Protect Aegean Sea
    - Use sea power
    - Athens was the leader
    - Persia was run out of the Aegean Sea
    - Famous Battles
      - Persian War
        Marathon,
        25000 Persians met 10000 Athenians
        Persians fled and lost 6000, Athens lost very few
    - Thermopylae
      - 7000 Greeks and 300 Spartans
      - Stood up to Persia for a very long time
      - Persians found a way around the mountain, all 300 Spartans died
    - Salamis
      - Greeks Abandoned Athens
      - Fought with their naval forces
      - Destroyed most of the Persian fleet
      - Formed the Delian League to protect Greece
Peloponnesian War-431-404 BC
- Battle of Pylos
  - 425 BC
  - Athenian naval forces were out attacking Zacynthus
  - Spartan troops decided to attack walled city called Pylos
  - 2000 Spartan troops
  - Failed to capture Pylos before the Athenian naval fleet could return
  - Tried to block harbor but Athenian naval fleet destroyed them
  - Weaponry and Armor
    - Swords, iron knives, arrowheads, sling bullets-steel and clay, shields-bronze, archery, spears

Blogs

Wednesday, September 12

Comments