Ancient Greek Art, History, and Philosophy

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering Greek historical periods, key philosophers, and classical art vocabulary.

Pathos

The Greek concept representing emotion, which became a core element of ancient Greek identity, art, and religious expression.

Delian League

An offshore treasury system created by Pericles to secure funds, raise taxes, and rebuild Athenian monuments destroyed by Xerxes.

Peloponnesian War

The conflict between Sparta and Athens that destabilized Greece and brought an end to the peaceful Golden Age.

Roman Copies after Greek Originals

Stone reproductions made by the Romans to replicate Greek sculptures before melting down the original bronze statues for practical uses like weapons and roads.

Syncretism

The process of adapting, fusing, and blending skills and cultural practices from conquered foreign populations into Greek civilization during Alexander the Great's expansion.

Hellenistic Period

The historical timeframe following the unexpected death of Alexander the Great, marked by uncertainty, fear, and widespread political instability.

Classical

A term used when evaluating history to denote the best, most iconic, and highest quality period of a culture or art style.

Herodotus

The individual recognized as the first historian, who recorded the history of the Persian War from a Greek perspective.

Sophistry

A philosophical movement marked by skepticism and criticism of logic and reason, asserting that conventional reason could be deceptive.

Protagoras

The philosopher associated with sophistry who taught that man is the measure of all things and that truth is relative.

Cynicism

A philosophical belief system associated with Diogenes stating that humans are animals who should satisfy basic needs while disregarding societal structures and conventions.

Skepticism

A philosophical stance teaching that one should question everything, because human senses are inherently unreliable and absolute truth is unachievable.

Socratic Method

A form of debate developed by Socrates where a fact is asserted, questioned by an opponent, and subsequently defended with logical proof.

Ethics

The branch of philosophy pioneered by Socrates concerning the general nature of morals and individual moral decision-making.

Aesthetics

The formal study, research, and science of beauty and its function within society, formulated by Plato.

Theory of Forms

Plato's philosophical concept stating that the world of pure ideas is the only true reality, and physical objects on Earth are merely imperfect copies.

Techne

Plato's concept of craftsmanship or technical skill, which he used to judge the practical value of artwork rather than relying on abstract beauty.

Catharsis

Aristotle's concept describing the purging or release of intense stored emotions brought on by experiencing artwork or theater.

Kritos Boy

A 480 BCE sculpture that bridged the Archaic and Classical periods by abandoning rigid Egyptian poses in favor of naturalistic weight distribution.

Contrapposto

A naturalistic body stance in sculpture meaning against posture, where weight shifts onto one engaged leg while the opposite leg remains relaxed.

Idealization

The artistic practice of taking a subject that meets a standard of perfection and enhancing or exaggerating features beyond real perfection.

Charioteer of Delphi

A rare surviving original Greek bronze sculpture from the sanctuary of Apollo that escaped Roman destruction because it was buried in an earthquake.

Canon

A Classical Greek sculpture created by Polykleitos (Pauline Fides) to physically illustrate standard rules and mathematical proportions of the human body.