Unit 21: the Art of Greece
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The Artios Home Companion Series Unit 21: The Art of Greece Teacher Overview The arts reflect the society that creates them. Nowhere is this truer than in the case of the ancient Greeks. Through their temples, sculpture, pottery and literature, the Greeks incorporated the concept of reaching for excellence and one’s full potential. Reading and Assignments In this unit, students will: Complete six lessons in which they will learn about Greek literature, art, philosophy, religion, and myths, journaling and answering discussion questions as they read. Define vocabulary words. Explore the following website: ▪ Gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece http://www.ancientgreece.co. uk/gods/explore/exp_set.ht ml Visit www.ArtiosHCS.com for additional resources. A recreation in modern materials of the lost colossal statue by Pheidias, Athena Parthenos is housed in a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park. She is the largest indoor sculpture in the western world. Photograph by Dean Dixon, Sculpture by Alan LeQuire (1990), work of art is free according to the terms of the Free Art License. Leading Ideas In Acts 17, Paul gives a sermon that makes it evident that he understood Greek philosophy. However, he did not stay there in his conversation. He presented the gospel to them. This is a great demonstration of not being “of the world” but being “sent into” the world. — Acts 17 (Read this chapter in ESV at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17&version=ESV) Ancient: Middle School Unit 21: The Art of Greece Page 314 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:2 Vocabulary Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Lesson 3: Lesson 4: polytheistic satyr nymph none pedagogue faun disreputable dryad Lesson 5: revel errant none savory frolic negotiable maim Lesson 6: lyre nimbus none dissent Key People, Places, and Events Zeus Poseidon Hera Plato Homer Hades Narcissus The Republic The Iliad Charon Aeschylus Aristotle The Trojan War King Midas Homer Hippocrates The Odyssey Silenus The Iliad Pythagoras Odysseus Bacchus The Odyssey Euclid Aphrodite Apollo Sophocles Archimedes Hera Pan Oedipus Rex Athena Echo Euripides Hermes Diana Socrates Ancient: Middle School Unit 21: The Art of Greece Page 315 L e s s o n O n e History Overview and Assignments Flawed Gods Cameos in raised relief of the Olympic gods. The seven gods depicted are the gods of the planets in correct order to their relationship to the seven days of the week. From left to right they are: Diana the moon for Monday, Mars for Tuesday, Mercury for Wednesday, Jupiter for Thursday, Venus for Friday, Saturn for Saturday, and Apollo for Sunday. Reading and Assignments Review the discussion questions and vocabulary, then read the article: Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes. Narrate about today’s reading using the appropriate notebook page. Be sure to answer the discussion questions and include key people, events, and dates within the narration. Define the vocabulary word in the context of the reading and put the word and its definition in the vocabulary section of your history notebook. Read more about the different gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. Then play the game on the website to see how much you remember. ▪ Gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/explore/exp_set.html Be sure to visit www.ArtiosHCS.com for additional resources. Vocabulary Key People, Places, and Events polytheistic Zeus Homer The Iliad The Trojan War The Odyssey Odysseus Aphrodite Hera Athena Hermes Poseidon Hades Charon Ancient: Middle School Unit 21: The Art of Greece Page 316 Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think the Greeks created 5. Each god was a type of ruler of gods in the image of humans? something specific. Tell what each god 2. What were some of the human qualities below was considered to be a god of. that the Greek gods had? Zeus Hera 3. Who was Pandora? What was her story? Aphrodite Athena Hermes Poseidon 4. Was Hercules a god or a hero? What was Hades the difference? Adapted for Middle School from the book: Ancient Civilizations source: ushistory.org Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes The ancients Greeks were polytheistic— Many stories about how the Greek gods that is, they worshiped many gods. Their behaved and interacted with humans are major gods and goddesses lived at the top of found in the works of Homer. He created Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in two epic poems: “The Iliad”, which related Greece, and myths described their lives and the events of the Trojan War, and “The actions. In myths, gods often actively Odyssey”, which detailed the travels of the intervened in the day-to-day lives of hero Odysseus. These two poems were humans. Myths were used to help explain passed down orally over many generations. the unknown and sometimes teach a lesson. “Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilleus and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians, hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of A family portrait of the 12 Olympians. Zeus was accomplished But wait—who’s that crouching by Zeus? since that time when first For example, Zeus, the king of the gods, there stood in division of carried his favorite weapon, the conflict Atreus’ son the lord thunderbolt. When it rained and there was of men and brilliant.” thunder and lightning, the ancient Greeks - “Achilleus,” by Homer, Iliad believed that Zeus was venting his anger. (1951 translation by Richard Lattimore) Ancient: Middle School Unit 21: The Art of Greece Page 317 anywhere with great speed. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was the most beautiful being in the universe. Her brother, Ares, the god of war, was sinister, mean, and disliked. Poseidon, ruled the sea from his underwater place and Apollo rode his chariot across the sky, bringing the sun with him. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Zeus was the ruler of the gods, the lord of the skies, and the father of countless deities and demigods of the Greek pantheon. Feidias' statue in gold and ivory was in Olympia's main temple. The statue was 12 meter high and decorated with paintings and precious stones. Woodcut, 1880 Many Greek myths explained the mysteries of nature. The Greeks created gods in the image of The myth of Apollo, for example, describes how the humans; that is, their gods had many sun moves across the sky to rise and set each day. Courtesy NASA and Cislunar Aerospace, Inc. human qualities even though they were gods. The gods constantly fought among Hades was in charge of the dead in the themselves, behaved irrationally and underworld. Almost all people went to unfairly, and were often jealous of each Hades after they died, whether they were other. Zeus, the king of the gods, was rarely good or bad. To get there, the dead had to faithful to his wife Hera. Hera plotted cross the river Styx. Charon was the name of against Zeus and punished his mistresses. the boatman who ferried the souls of the The Greek gods were highly emotional dead across the river Styx to Hades. and behaved inconsistently and sometimes Typically, the gods punished those who immorally. Greek religion did not have a were bad. For example, Tantalus who killed standard set of morals, there were no Judaic his own son and served him to the gods for Ten Commandments. The gods, heroes, and dinner was sent to Hades and made forever humans of Greek mythology were flawed. thirsty and hungry. Although there was a In addition to Zeus and Hera, there were pool of clear, fresh drinking water at his many other major and minor gods in the feet, whenever Tantalus bent down to drink, Greek religion. At her birth, Athena, the the pool would dry up and disappear. goddess of wisdom, sprang directly from the Likewise, over his head hung the most head of Zeus. Hermes, who had winged feet, delicious fruit. However, whenever was the messenger of the gods and could fly Tantalus reached for them, a wind would Ancient: Middle School Unit 21: The Art of Greece Page 318 blow them just out of his reach. The English explains the origins of human misfortune. word “tantalize” derives from the name At the same time, it teaches a moral lesson Tantalus. by warning of the dangers of curiosity. In addition to myths about gods, the ancient Greeks also told stories about heroes. One of the most famous Greek heroes was Hercules, the world’s strongest man. Hercules was the illegitimate son of a mortal woman and Zeus, who tricked the Aphrodite, the goddess of love, sits with the war god, woman by disguising himself as the Ares in this painting by the Renaissance artist woman’s husband. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was Botticelli. Aphrodite is one of several Greek goddesses, angry about Zeus’ affair and sought to and is often referred to by her Roman name, Venus. punish Hercules. Hera tricked Hercules into Pandora’s Box and Hercules’ Labors believing that his entire family were Myths helped explain how the world dangerous beasts, which Hercules then came to be the way it was. In one myth, Zeus proceeded to kill. When Hercules realized created an incredibly beautiful and nearly that he had killed his entire family, he perfect woman named Pandora.