Civ golden age terms

Architecton

someone who was a “master builder” or “chief craftsman” who oversaw the process of design and construction

Stages of Greek Architecture:

Doric:Simple, squat, sturdy, functional

Ionic: Elegant, thinner columns, scrolled volute, had a base

Corinthian:

much more elegant(showing off), thinner, acanthus leaf capital

Cornice

Highest of the three entablature components that rest upon the columns

Triglyph

A tablet with three vertical grooves alternating with the metopes on the frieze

Architrave

Lowest main horizontal beam of the entablature that rests directly on the top of the column capitals

Capital

The topmost, somewhat decorative part of the column

Metope

Rectangular panel that fills the space between triglyphs in the frieze

Flute

a shallow, vertical groove or channel carved into the shaft of a column, typically running the full length of the column

Pediment

the triangular-shaped roof of temples

Coffered

ceiling that looks like it's open but still holds up the roof

Amphitheater

type of theater/auditorium, open

Arches

architectural structure that has a shape like an arch

Sculpture

took inspiration from Egypt and Near Eastern monumental art, sculptors carved lifelike marble statues and decorated them with brightly

archaic smile

the archaic smile that ancient greek sculptures obtained because they did not have the capability of capturing the same level of emotion that they did in later eras, it was meant to show emotion, although it just looks creepy

kouros korai

male and female statues/sculptures, boy is naked and girl has a covering draped over her, both are meant to represent a human

“weight shift”

contrapasto – unbalanced weight that shows dynamism (movement)

Kritian Boy

famous early Classical Greek sculpture, first statue to use contrapposto

Platonic canon of proportions

Plato’s idea that there was balance in all things, if you could find balance in all things, you were considered ideal

Phidias

A renowned Athenian sculptor, painter, and architect, artistic director of Pericles, famous for designing the colossal chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statues of Zeus at Olympia

Doryphoros

the spear

Apoxyomenos

philosophical term talking about the highs and lows of experience

Theatron

Greek for a place of viewing, refers to the seating area in ancient Greek theaters (amphitheaters)

Orchestra

the circular or semicircular, flat, open

Skene

the structure directly behind the orchestra, serving as a backdrop, dressing room, and storage for props and costumes

Dionysus

Ancient Greek god of wine, winemaking, grape cultivation, fertility, ritual madness, and theater

Satyr

Greek mythological woodland spirits, part-human and part-animal, known for their unruly, mischievous, and pleasure-seeking nature as companions of Dionysus. Goatmen and drinking buddies of Dionysus. Mock people to get them to follow them during parties which showed that humor was valued and that joy is unique to humans

Tragedy

Tackled the heavy themes such as love, power, justice, pride, and loss. Relationships between the humans and gods, 3 great playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Aristotle claimed that tragedy cleansed the heart through pity and terror, purging us (Catharsis)

Comedy

Usually mocked men in power for their vanity and foolishness, mainly satirical, first master of comedy was Aristophanes, and later came Menander

komos

Ritualistic drunken procession (comedy)

Maenads

Worshipper of Dionysus, female priests

Satire

Type of play that would expose the problems with power through mockery, usually at other’s expense, Meaning: to speak the truth to power is to limit the impact of power

Aristophanes

the most celebrated comic playwright of ancient Athens, widely regarded as the “Father of Comedy”.

Sophocles (496-406 BCE)

one of ancient Athens’ three great tragic dramatists, alongside Aeschylus and Euripides, famous for works such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone, aristocrat and Stragos of Athens, won Dionysia (Dramatic festival of Athens) 18 times, 123 plays (only 7 left), explores human will, not just predetermined fate

Aeschylus (525 BCE)

an ancient Greek playwright known as the “Father of Tragedy”, 90 plays, only 7 existing, Myth: men's actions leading to divine retribution, Oresteia; series of three plays

Euripides (485-406 BCE)

92 plays (18 left), more human and relatable characters, Madea; Jason’s wife; kills to punish Jason’s infidelity, Hippolytus: Aphrodite punishes falsely accused,

Masks

large head-covering props–often called prosopon– worn by male actors to portray diverse characters, ages, genders, and intense emotions

Antigone

Human law vs. Divine law, psychological drama, centered on a woman’s defiance of a tyrant to bury her traitorous brother

Oresteia

series of three plays, tells the tale of the Royal family of Atreides (Bronze Age), 1. Agamemnon, 2. Libation Bearers, 3. Eumenides, man must yield to the gods

Protagonist

the so-called “hero” of the story

Antagonist

the so-called “villain” of the story

chorus

Narrators, analysts, and commentary that helped tell the actual story

“tragic flaw”

fatal errors in judgement or internal character defects, such as excessive pride (hubris), that caused a noble protagonist’s downfall

Panathenaic Festival

the premier ancient Athenian festival, held annually, and emphasized or held specially every four years, in July/August to honor the city’s patron goddess Athena

The Bacchae

a famous ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides in 406 BCE, tells the story of Dionysus who returns to his birthplace in Thebes to avenge his mother’s reputation by punishing King Pentheus for refusing to honor his divinity, Themes: divine retribution, the danger of suppressing human emotions, and the blurring of boundaries between gender and sanity

Philosophy

defined as a rational, systematic, inquiry into the nature of existence, knowledge, and ethics

Philosophers

three most famous ones are Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus

Sophists

influential teachers in 5th-century BCE Greece who specialized in rhetoric, politics, and philosophy, usually charging a decent amount of money to educate wealthy young men

Pre-Socratics

6th and 5th century BCE Greek thinkers/philosophers, primarily from Ionia and southern Italy — sought out for rational, naturalistic explanations for the cosmos as opposed to mythological, divine, or supernatural explanations

Milesian School

the first century BCE Greek school of philosophy, founded in Miletus by Thales — initiated Western philosophy by replacing mythological explanations with rational, naturalistic ideas/explanations

The Cynics

a school of ancient Greek philosophers who believed that the purpose of life was to achieve virtue by living in agreement with nature and rejecting all material possessions (also rejecting wealth/power)

Socrates

a foundational Greek philosopher from Athens who revolutionized Western thought by shifting focus from cosmology to ethics, virtue, and self

Plato

another foundational Greek philosopher and student of Socrates who shaped Western thought, ethics, and politics — emphasized rational thought and the pursuit of objective truths

The Socratic Method

a form of argumentative dialogue based on asking and answering questions to foster critical thinking, expose contradictions in beliefs, and to help guide students to discover underlying truths, Socrates would basically have sessions of back and forth questioning and people would answer to guide themselves to their own understandings instead of him lecturing them and giving them the answer

Aristotle

an ancient Greek philosopher, scientist, and student of Plato who radically changed Western thought through empiricism (the theory that all knowledge is derived from experience consisting in or resulting from perception by the senses) and logic

The Dialogues

philosophical conversations designed to explore ethics, virtue, and knowledge through informal questioning

Sophistry

a method of argumentation that appears clever and plausible but is actually based on deceptive reasoning

Delian League (478 BCE)

originally created to prepare for the defense against Persia, to liberate the Greeks in Ionia and eliminate Persian control of the Ionian coast, revenge, protection of the Aegean Greek Islands/City-States, and for plunder (reparations for war losses). Sea power was required. Sparta refused leadership due to the fear of a Helot revolt and due to the fact that they had no clear leadership structure as Pausanias was the current embattled leader as he was the regent for child king Pleistarchus. Athens takes control of the league and develops as thalassocracy

Pausanias

regent for child king Pleistarchus and was the embattled leader, no clear leadership structure of Sparta at the time

Thalassocracy

a state with primarily maritime realms, an empire at sea or a seaborne empire focused on commercial endeavors. Many important groups/nations later on reference Athens’ naval power

Eion, Karystos, Naxos, Thasos

campaigns against the Persians through the Delian League, under Athens’ control. Expels Persian forces from Thrace, Macedon and Ionia. Eion (476 BCE): Athens expels Persian Garrison from city-state; forces polis to join League. Karystos (473 BCE): Athens forces polis to pay tribute after islands defaults on payments. Naxos (470 BCE): Tries to leave the league; Athens lays siege to then destroy the city-state. Thasos (465 BCE): Invented rebellion leads to Athens occupying polis for trees for the navy (a lot of great lumber needed for Athenian vessels).

Cleruchies

Athenian colonies in disloyal states, different from Oikos, these were pieces of Athens; not independent. Solves population growth in Athens and rebellious city

Pericles

Strategos 443, member of old, rich, aristocratic family. He was a populist and authoritarian and eventually came to represent the Golden Age of Greece and shaped Athenian policy for decades. He uses Delian League funds to build the Parthenon — he believes that as long as Greece is safe, it does not matter what happens to the money. Promoted arts and education: Architecture, sculpture, theater, literature, philosophy, etc.

Parthenon, Propylaea, Erectheum

All part of Pericles’ building program: 447-438 BCE: Parthenon; temple dedicated to Athena celebrating victory over the Persians. 437-432 BCE: Propylaea; entrance to the Acropolis; grand gate. 435-408 BCE: Erechtheum; housed ancient wooden statue of Athena; glorified city. These were all built to emphasize Athens’/Greece’s power at the time and glorify their nation and time of rule by creating large sculptures and works of architecture.

Cimon

Athenian leader (strategos) who was the son of Miltiades and supported strong relations with Sparta. Sparta requested help due to an earthquake allowing for the Helots to rise up. Cimon argued for Athens to help Sparta and thus led to his ultimate ostracization. This led to an increase in tensions between Athens and Sparta.

Ephialtes

he was the successor of Cimon, and he restricted the power of the old Areopagus by transferring much of its functions to the ecclesia and juror system. He was then assassinated by those advocating for noble supremacy

Artaxerxes

Emperor of Persian empire during the period of Egyptian rebellion

Megabyzus

Persian Military leader, famously drains the Nile to crush Athenianbacked Egyptian revolution, captured the troops and naval vessels

Peloponnesian League

The league led by the Spartans was created so they could have everyone around them under their control, before the creation of the Delian League. Later served as an “anti-Delian League.”

Megara/Corinth

Megara left the Peloponnesian League thus threatening the Corinthian control of the gulf. Corinth and Aegina then join forces against Athens and Athens easily defeats them. Then Sparta joins Corinth and Aegina which increases tensions between Athens and Sparta, contributing to the Undeclared Peloponnesian War.

Pleistoanax

Spartan king who invaded Athens during the Undeclared Peloponnesian War, but diplomacy and bribery convince the Spartan forces to leave

Boeotian League

Thebes' attempt for a big alliance between other city-states, while Athens and Sparta were busy. It was anti-democratic and did not go well for them.

Undeclared War

the period of great tensions between Athens and Sparta that led to the ultimate conflict of the Peloponnesian War but this period did not count as it was only low

Thirty Years Peace

The period of time in between the Undeclared War and the Peloponnesian War, during which Athens lost territory because they were stretched too thin

Ecclesiastes

a book of wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, written from the perspective of "Qohelet" (translated as "Teacher" or "Preacher")

Ostracism

a democratic, non-lethal, ten-year banishment of a citizen designed to protect the state from potential tyranny or excessive personal power

Boule

AKA the Council of 500, 50 people from each tribe who prepared the agenda for the ecclesia. They were an executive council that were created upon guiding principles like collegiality, rotation, and equity. The city-state wanted the upper house to use calm decisions to rule. They could only serve one year, every ten years

Archon, Archon Basileus, Polemarch

the three supreme magistrates (archons) who, along with six juniors, ran the government. Archon (Eponymous Archon): Role: The chief magistrate and titular head of state. Duties: Oversaw civic, family, and inheritance law (orphans, widows), and presided over major festivals like the City Dionysia. Archon Basileus (King Archon): Role: Inheritor of the religious duties of the former Athenian kings. Duties: Superintended religious rites, sacrifices, and specifically handled homicide trials and the Mysteries. Polemarch: Role: Originally the commander-in-chief of the Athenian army. Duties: Led military campaigns and held jurisdiction over cases involving non-citizens (metics).

Thesmothetai

a college of six junior magistrates in ancient Athens, part of the nine archons instituted in the 7th century BCE, responsible for overseeing the legal system (judges of the Popular Tribunal)