Historical and Drama Lit. of 5th Century Week 8

How did the Greeks of Hesiod's day view the earliest state of the universe?

• As a formless void called chaos 

What emerged from chaos? 

• Kosmos = order 

Why were male physicians cut off from info vital to understanding the female reproductive system?

• Women were apprehensive when talking to men

What is the wandering womb?

• medical idea that the uterus could move around inside a woman's body and cause physical and psychological symptoms such as suffocation. 

Document 7.1 - Thyucydides’s Methodology 

• He explains his methodology in his history of the Peloponnesian war and contrasts himself with less reliable reporters. 

• Basically, he is more accurate and reliable with his work 

What is the birth of tragedy?

• Refers to the origins of greek tragic drama 

• Evolved from honouring the god dionysus 

How did the birth of tragedy start?

• Tragedy developed from dionysus religious festivals

• Over time, these performances became more structured:

• A single actor was introduced (the protagonist) 

• A second actor was introduced (Antagonist) (introduced by Aeschylus)

• Dialogue between actor and chorus developed

• Eventually became full dramatic plays

How long was the city Dionysia festival?

• 5 days, held in athens every march 

What was the city Dionysia festival?

• A theatrical competition 

What was the cultural importance of drama?

• Those attending would look to see how an important event occurring currently is addressed by the playwrights 

• It served as topic of discussion and political debate 

What shape was the greek theatre? 

• Semi circular 

What was the orchestra in the greek theatre?

• The space where the performers would dance and sing 

What was the Altar in the greek theatre?

• Place for sacrificed 

What is the theatron?

• Where the audience would be seated

What is the skene?

• The backdrop for the play 

What are the elements of tragedy?

• All performers were male 

• Half-sung, half- spoken 

• There was a chorus (comments on what just happened in the play in a musical way)

• Everyone was masked and stylized

What is peripeteia? 

• A reversal of fortune, usually from good to bad 

What is catharsis?

• Means purification 

• emotional release or “purging” people feel after experiencing a powerful tragedy, especially through fear and pity, leading to clarity

Who are the three great playwrights of greece?

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Euripides

Aeschylus stories

• Wrote The oresteia 

• Added the second character, antagonist 

• Agmemnon is murdered by wife after he sacrifices their daughter. 

• The son avenges his father by killing his mother 

• Athena holds a trial of justice to decide his fate and end the cycle of revenge with justice.

Sophocles stories

• Wrote Oedipus rex, antigone 

• Oedipus: King Oedipus tries to find the murderer of the previous king (his father). He discovers he killed his father and married his mother, fulfilling a prophecy he has been trying to avoid.

• Antigone: A woman defies the king to bury her brother, leading to tragedy for both her and the king's family. 

Euripides stories

• Medea: Jason abandons Medea to marry another woman. Medea takes revenge by killing his new bride, the king, and her own children, leaving Jason ruined. 

• Trojan women: After Troy is destroyed, the women of Troy mourn their losses and face enslavement by the Greeks. The play shows the devastating human cost of war.  

What is satyr play?

• The last performance during the five days 

• A raunchy comedy that made fun of the first three plays by the other playwrights 

Document 7.2 - Excerpts from Sophocles’s Antigone 

• The chorus celebrates the achievements of the human race in a memorable passage

Who was the most famous writer of comedy? What was its purpose?

• Aristophanes 

• Mocked politicians and current events

What was Lysistratra about?

• Women refuse relations with their husbands to force and end to the war between athens and sparta.

What was “the peace” about?

• A farmer travels to the gods, frees the goddess Peace, and restores peace to Greece. The play is a humorous anti-war satire that celebrates the return of normal life. 

Logographers def

• Story teller

• Wrote about various stories from a variety of cultures 

• Ex. like a travel guide 

Who is Herodotus of Halicarnassus?

• Historian who wrote “The Histories” about the greek vs persia wars

• Called the father of histories and the father of lies 

• Tried to explain events with a more mythical aspect to make a good story

What was Herodotus’s theory of history? What did he believe?

1. Blindness - people who are successful become blind

2. Pride - as a result, they become proud and believe they are above 

3. Destruction - as a result, they meet with destruction

Who is Thucydides?

• Historian 

• Wrote the history of the Peloponnesian war 

• Avoided myths, explained events in an analytical and evidence based way with no bias

What is mousike?

• Musical and artistic education which the upper class would pay for their children 

What does Xenophone describe in the oeconomicus?

• Describes how a husband, Ischomachus, trained his young wife to be a successful estate manager.

What was formal education mostly like?

• Listening and reciting from memory 

• Most education went on in informal settings

What are the sophists?

• Sophists were traveling teachers who taught persuasion

• They focused on winning arguments

• Controversial because they didn't believe in truth, but in how well you can persuade

What does Nomos mean?

• Means “customs”

• There is no right and wrong

• It refers to human made laws and customs in greek thought

Epidamnus and Corinth vs Corcyra and Athens:

Key event that helped trigger peloponnesian war:

1. Corcyra is in conflict with Corinth over the city Epidamnus 

2. Corcyra made an alliance with Athens as they feared they may lose the war against  Corinth 

3. Athens accepted alliance to weaken the Corinth, a spartan ally 

4. Peace was broken because athens was now against corinth which caused tensions between athenian empire and peloponnesian league (led by sparta) 

Peloponnesian leagues ultimatum to athens 

• A final warning was given by the Peloponnesian league to Athens 

• Sparta told Athens to end the Megarian Decree (an economic trade ban) and to stop expanding Athenian control by “freeing the greeks”

• Athens, led by Pericles, refused as their militia would weaken

Who is Plataea and what was their role in the beginning of the war?

• Small city-state loyal to Athens

• Its location in hostile territory made it an early target in the Peloponnesian War, symbolizing how smaller states were drawn into the conflict. 

Why was it called the elephant vs the whale?

• Sparta is supreme on the land, considered the land warriors : elephant

• Athens is supreme in the sea, considered the water warriors : whale

The Peloponnesian War

Periclean strategy and the plague

• Perciles (athenian politician) had been preparing the athenians for spartan attack

• said that their strategy should be to remain in Athens and not leave the city since they are surrounded by high walls 

-> dont fight against spartans and just outlast them 

Suddenly, a plague took over and affected most of Athens since they were all jam packed due pericles strategy. 

Perciles also died from the plague 

Revolt of the Mytilene 

• Mytilene tried to break away from the delian league however Athens crushed their revolt 

• Cleon (political leader) wanted to kill all the men and put all the women into slavery. However they changed their mind and only leaders of the Revolt were executed instead

The Spartans at Pylos 

• An athenian fleet occupied pylos 

• Sparta sent troops to remove them but got trapped instead 

• Spartans had to surrender and asked for peace, but Athens rejected it 

Brasidas and Chalcidae 

• Brasidas (spartan general) who campaigned in Chalcidae to get Athenian allies to revolt against Athens 

• Both Cleon and Brasidas died in battle, and that removed the two main leaders who were pushing the war most aggressively

The Peace of Nicias 

• The death of the two aggressive leaders allowed for both Athens and Sparta to be more open for negotiation 

• They both agreed on a temporary peace agreement that didn’t last

• Supposed to last 50 years, lasted only 6 

• Spartan hostages returned 

• Sparta gave up Chalcidice 

Alcibiades, Renegade Aristocrat 

• Nephew of pericles 

• brilliant but untrustworthy Athenian aristocrat 

• Encouraged athens to negotiate with former allies of sparta

• switched between Athens, Sparta, and Persia during the Peloponnesian War, acting mainly in his own interest

The Destruction of Melos

• Melos was neither allied with Athens or Sparta 

• Athens demanded Melos join its empire but they refused 

• Athens then captured Melos and killed all men and enslaved women and children

“The Melian Dialogue”

• Records the debate between Athens and Melos 

• Athens argues that power decided outcomes, not justice 

Invasion of Sicily 

• Athens launched planned an invasion to Sicily which was supported by Alcibiades (general)

• However, Alcibiades was recalled to Athens as he was accused of mutilating the herms 

• Athens underestimated strength of Sicily and Sparta sent military support 

• Athenian army was trapped and suffered a military disaster 

Document 8.1 - Thucydides on the Massacre at the Assinarus River 

• Thycydides is narrating the final collapse of the Athenian effort in Sicily 

War in the Aegean 

Alcibiades advises the Spartans on how to fight:

• Encouraging Athenian allies to revolt

• Challenging Athens' naval dominance in the Aegean

• Seeking financial support from the Persia

Persia and Sparta allied, and caused Athens to surrender

Civil Strife for Peace

What is Strife

Civil strife (stasis) was internal political violence within Greek city-states during the Peloponnesian War. Democratic and oligarchic factions fought each other, weakening cities and increasing the desire for peace. 

What is the council of 400?

• oligarchic government that briefly took control of Athens during the later stages of the Peloponnesian War. 

• It replaced democracy but lasted only a few months before collapsing as many Athenians opposed of it

Battle of Aigospotami 

• Lysander (Sparta) destroyed the Athenian fleet after a surprise attack. Athens lost control of its grain supply and was forced to surrender, ending the Peloponnesian War. 

What is a possible theory for this really lame ending to the war?

• Suspicions that the Athenian commander asked Sparta to capture their fleet in return for favourable returns when they surrender

Terms of Surrender 

• No Delian league 

• Could only have 12 war ships 

• Had to have rulers handpicked by sparta

• Had to tear down their walls

What did corinth and thebes want to happen to athens?

• Demanded that Athens must have their walls destroyed as they wanted to give a much harsher punishment than Sparta did