Greek Art and Philosophy: Classical to Hellenistic Eras

Flashcards defining core vocabulary terms, historical figures, and philosophical concepts from lecture notes covering Classical and Hellenistic Greece.

Pathos

The Greek concept representing emotion and grief, which became a unique element in Greek religious art and personal identity.

480 BCE

The pivotal year marking the end of the Archaic period and the conclusion of the Persian War when the Greek city-states united.

Delian League

A secure financial alliance created by Pericles in Athens that used spoils of war and taxes to rebuild destroyed Greek monuments and secure future resources.

Peloponnesian War

The conflict between Sparta and Athens over the allocation of Greek wealth and military priorities, which brought an end to the Greek Golden Age.

Philip of Macedonia

The leader from the north who ended the Peloponnesian War, united the Greek city-states, and initiated the expansion of Greek influence.

Alexander the Great

Son of Philip of Macedonia who expanded the Greek empire to the Indus River; his unexpected death ended the classical timeframe.

Hellenistic Timeframe

The historical period following Alexander the Great's death, characterized by uncertainty and fear replacing the optimism of the Classical era.

Syncretism

The process of adapting, blending, and integrating practices and skills from conquered or encountered cultures into one's own civilization.

Classical

A term designating the best, most iconic, and highest standard of achievement within a specific time or culture.

Historias

The practice of recording history during the Classical Age, established for the first time in Greek civilization.

Herodotus

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

Sophistry

A period and mode of philosophical thought focused on skepticism, criticism, and questioning established logic and reason.

Cynicism

A philosophical view asserting that humans are animals, and that a good life consists of satisfying basic animal instincts while disregarding societal conventions.

Skepticism

The philosophical belief that human senses are unreliable, nothing is absolute or certain, and one must question everything.

Socratic Method

A method of debate and inquiry in which a stated assertion is systematically questioned and must be defended using proof.

Aesthetics

The study, research, and philosophical inquiry into the nature, definition, and purpose of beauty.

Theory of Forms

Plato's philosophical stance that pure ideas are perfect reality, while physical objects and artworks are merely imperfect copies of those ideal forms.

Techne

The technical skill and craftsmanship involved in making an object, which Plato identified as the primary measure of value in physical art.

Aristotle

The philosopher who established formal logic, rejected Plato's separate world of forms, and proposed that art serves a moral purpose through emotional release.

Catharsis

The purging or purging reaction of intense emotion experienced through engagement with the arts, such as sculpture, theater, or poetry.

Kritos Boy

A 480 BCE sculpture that bridged the Archaic and Classical styles by shifting away from rigid Egyptian-style poses to a naturalistic human posture.

Contrapposto

An asymmetrical sculpting pose meaning 'against posture,' where weight is shifted to one engaged leg while the other remains relaxed, creating a dynamic, lifelike appearance.

Idealization

The artistic practice of altering or exaggerating features beyond real perfection to match a cultural standard of ultimate perfection.

Canon

A classical Greek sculpture and accompanying set of mathematical rules created to demonstrate ideal human proportions.