9. Classical Period I: Atheanian Culture and the Intellectual Revolution

Question 1

What was Atheanian leadership?

Answer 1

! Internal politics
! Status quo vs further ‘democratization’
! Cooperation vs competition with Sparta
! Themistocles (populist democrat, anti-Spartan)
! Ostracized c. 471 BCE
! Cimon (conservative aristocrat, pro-Spartan)
! Son of Miltiades
! Ostracized 461 BCE
! Pericles (Alcmaeonid clan)
! Led radical democratic party
! Strategos 461-429 BCE

Question 2

What was the democratic government based on?

Answer 2

! Based on:
! Pay for public service
! Lottery for offices
! Direct participation

Question 3

What does demokratica mean?

Answer 3

demos (the people) + kratos (power)

Question 4

What some examples of democracy in action?

Answer 4

Effective participation
! Equality in voting
! Informed citizens
! Control of agenda
! Citizenship Law of 451 BCE
! Importance of public speaking
! Rhetor (pl. rhetores)

Question 5

Why did the percilies building program begin?

Answer 5

Beginning 450 BCE
! Restore buildings destroyed by Persians
! Display Athenian power and cultural achieveme

Question 6

Who was the Atheanian acropolis honoring?why was it built?what is a key feature?

Answer 6

Parthenon – to Athena
! Reused base of destroyed temple
! Convenience and cost
! Reminder of Greek power
! Extra tall platform for temple
! Chryselephantine statue of Athena
! Sculptor - Phidias
! Lots of decoration
! Glorify Athens and Athena

Question 7

What did classical sculptures emphasis? What was it supposed to accomplish ?

Answer 7

Emphasis on Athenian hegemony
! Renewed sense of Panhellenism
! Technial innovation from late Archaic
! New interests in lifelike images
! Greek ideals shown through art

Question 8

How did the greek structures look? (Colours)

Answer 8

False understanding of appearance of Greek world
! Pentelic marble in Athens = too bright
! Intentionally toned down
! Colour to emphasize details
! Blue and red, some golds, greens, etc.

Question 9

Who was considered the greek intellectual?what were their views? What did they discuss?

Answer 9

Athens as center of arts and intellect
! Upper classes – time for learning
! Intellectual freedom
! Tolerance of religious views and debate

Question 10

Who were Sophists?

What type of eduction is given here?How were they viewed

Answer 10

Informal education
! Quality and quantity by what you could pay
! Sophists
! Professional lecturers
! Teach skills of rhetoric (reasoning, argument, speaking)
! Explore questions of the world
! Nomos (law, custom) and phusis (nature)
! Challenge older beliefs and traditions
! Mixed view of sophists

Question 11

Who is socrates? What did he think? Who inspires him?

Answer 11

c. 470-399 BCE
! No one clearly formulated philosophy
! Asked a lot of questions
! Socratic Method
! Social and moral critic of Athens
! Tried for “corrupting youth”
! Sentenced to death
! Inspired later key figures
! Plato
! Aristotle

Question 12

When was Plato alive? What did he create? How did it work?

Answer 12

428/7-348/7 BCE
! Academy (c. 387-83 BCE)
! Academic club
! No set doctrine
! Plato and colleagues posed problems to be studied 
and solved
! Geometric laws, Pythagorean idealism

Question 13

What was Socrates question about a just or unjust man?

Answer 13

Socrates
! Meaning of justice
! Who is happier? A just or unjust man?

Question 14

Who would be the ideal king according to philosophers?

Answer 14

Ideal ruler = philosopher king
! Philosophers:
! Aim to determine the ideal polis
! Have no interest in power or ruling
! Have access to ‘ideas’
! = can be trusted to rule well, morally and intellectually

Question 15

Who was Aristotle? Where did he study? What did he do?

Answer 15

384-322 BCE
! Educated in Athens
! Studied at Academy
! 342 BCE – tutor to Alexander
! 335 BCE – founded Lyceum in Athens
! Ideas based in empirical evidence
! Theories to explain observations
! Did not see the perfection and order that Plato did

Question 16

How was drama introduced?

Answer 16

Oral tradition and performance
! Entertainments at symposia
! Recitation in school
! Annual festivals
! City (Great) Dionysia = best documented

Question 17

What kinds or plays were there? How many actors? Who else was involved?

Answer 17

Tragic or comedic playwright
! Three actor rule
! Masks
! Chorus

Question 18

How was the winning play selected?

How many plays were included?

Answer 18

Compete with a tetralogy – trilogy (3 plays) 
and a satyr play
! Trilogy per day, last day for all 3 satyr plays
! Jury of ten – chosen by lot
! Vote
! Five votes read
! Luck
! Best: Chorus, Actor, Playwright
! Choregos = technical winner

Question 19

Who were the 4 major playwrights? What were they? How many times did they win?

Answer 19

Aeschylus (c. 525/4-456/5 BCE)
! ’Father of Tragedy’
! Plays reperformed after his death
! 7 out of c. 80
! Sophocles (c. 497/6-406/5 BCE)
! First place on first try
! Never lower than second place
! 7 out of c. 200
! Euripides (c. 480-406 BCE)
! First competed in 455 BCE 
! No wins until 441 BCE
! Only won 5 times
! 19 out of c. 92 plays
! Too daring for Athenian audience?
! Aristophanes (c. 446-386 BCE)
! “Father of Comedy”
! Old Comedy/Aristophanic
Comedy
! 11 out of 40

Question 20

Talk about actors at this time.

Answer 20

5th c. BCE – semi-professional actors
! Increase in importance of competitions
! More professional opportunities
! Leading actors well respected
! International involvement
! Increased prestige c. 4th c. BCE
! Many perks

Question 21

What are greek tragedy origins? What did they show?

Answer 21

Origins in choral odes
! Plots based on myth
! Oral traditions of epic
! Voice for contemporary life
! Mythic past as a metaphor

Question 22

What was different about the satyr play? What type of humor did it used? Who is credited orginally? Setting?

Answer 22

! Comic writing by tragedian
! Limited info. on style
! Pratinas credited for origin (c. 534-500 BCE)
! Only complete example – Euripides’ Cyclops
! Chorus of satyrs
! Led by Silenus
! Burlesque, crude humour
! Rural setting

Question 23

What did comedy’s discuss? Some examples

Answer 23

Last dramatic form to be officially recognized
! Accepted in City Dionysia 487/6 BCE
! All 5th c. BCE examples by Aristophanes
! = Old Comedy (Aristophanic Comedy)
! Highly topical
! Expect audience to get the references
! Contemporary satire
! E.g., Knights – Cleon
! Lysistrata – Peloponnesian War

Question 24

Who would the audience consist of?

Answer 24

E.g., Theater of Dionysus, Athens
! 15,000-20,000
! Attendance = right and privilege
! Seating regulations
! Prohedria = front rows 
! Officials, dignitaries, festival jury
! Unruly comedy audience
! Rhabdouchoi (‘rod holders’)

Question 25

What is the function of the theater?

Answer 25

! Social functions
! Religious functions
! Political functions
! Personally for choregos
! For politicians in the audience
! For polis at large

Question 26

When was Aeschylis written?what was it about? What did it win?

Answer 26

472 BCE
! Soon after Second Persian Invasion (480-479 BCE)
! Plot focused on Greek victory, Persian failure
! Athenian veterans in audience
! Play won first prize at City Dionysia

Question 27

When was Euripidies?What was it about?

Answer 27

! 415 BCE
! Trojan women and children post-Trojan War
! Enslaved, married off to Greek captors
! Queen Hecuba
! 416 BCE – Athenian siege of Melos