Greek Heritage Activity Alexander the Great

Alexander was only twenty years old when he became king of Macedon, a little-known kingdom located north of the peninsula of Greece. Alexander's father, Philip II, had been a brilliant general and ruthless politician who had become the dominant power in Greece.

Alexander had been carefully trained for leadership. The great philosopher Aristotle tutored him in science, geography, and literature. Alexander especially enjoyed Homer's description of the heroic deeds performed by Achilles during the Trojan War. Since his mother claimed to be descended from Achilles, Alexander also wanted to be a great hero. His father, King Philip, encouraged his son in the art of war. As a young boy, Alexander learned to ride a horse, use weapons, and command troops.

Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C., and his son Alexander immediately became King of Macedon.

Once he became king, Alexander promptly demonstrated that his military training had not been wasted. When Thebes rebelled, he destroyed the city and sold the survivors into slavery. Intimidated by this ruthless action, the other Greek cities quickly fell in line. With Greece now secure, Alexander was free to expand his empire.

In 334 B.C., Alexander invaded Persia with 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. Though outnumbered, Alexander's forces repeatedly defeated the Persians. Shaken by early defeats, the Persian king Darius III tried to negotiate a peace settlement. Alexander rejected Darius' offer and confidently announced that he intended to conquer the rest of the Persian Empire. Within a short time, the Macedonian army occupied areas from Egypt to southwest Asia.

Alexander's rule in these areas was now unchallenged. He continued to push eastward. During the next three years, Alexander's army fought its way east through Central Asia. In 327 B.C., they crossed into India. Alexander's army had fought for seven years and marched more than 11,000 miles. The Macedonians were eager to return home. On the return to Macedonia, Alexander suddenly became ill. He died on June 10, 323 B.C. at the age of 32.

Although he only ruled for 12 years, Alexander had a profound impact upon history. His conquests ended the era of independent Greek city-states. In addition, as he and his army marched through the Persian Empire, thousands of Greek artists, merchants, and officials followed and settled there. They built new cities containing temples, gymnasiums, and theaters. As time passed, Greek settlers married Persian women and adopted Persian ways. A vibrant new culture called Hellenism emerged from this blending of Greek and eastern customs.

Greek Heritage Activity Aristotle

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was the son of the court doctor of Macedon. As a young man, he went to Athens to study at Plato’s Academy. He was a student of Plato himself, and learned a great deal from the master philosopher. His lifetime of research in marine biology also influenced his beliefs. In 342 BCE, Philip, the king of Macedon, appointed him tutor to his son, the young Alexander.

Aristotle believed that there was room for both reason and experience in studying human behavior. In order to have a good life he thought that people needed to contemplate their life-- to be willing to criticize themselves. But he also understood the need for moderate wealth, comfort, and pleasure. Actually, he tried to be a moderate person in all parts of life.

Unlike his teacher Plato, Aristotle was not very interested in trying to design the "best" government. He thought it was a waste of time to seek a perfect place, a utopia that required philosophers to rule it. He was more interested in the best state that was practically possible. In order to achieve that he believed that governments needed to combine justice with stability. Calling this state Politeia, he described it as moderate. This government gave power to neither the rich nor to the poor but to the middle class. The middle class; because of its moderate wealth, was free of the arrogance of the rich and the angry resentment of the poor. For this reason, Aristotle thought it was the most stable class.

In his own school, The Lyceum, students worked on gathering, ordering and analyzing knowledge. He and his students prepared many collections of information to serve as the basis for scientific works. Of these, only one of 158 constitutional treatises survived to today. The subjects in this work are broad, including logic, physics, astronomy, biology, ethics, rhetoric, literary criticism, and politics.

Greek Heritage Activity Art & Architecture

What makes Greek art and architecture so special is not an unusual size or unique style but rather its excellent craftsmanship and design.

The qualities that exist in Greek art reflect the Greek’s beliefs and values. The sculptures are graceful, strong, and perfectly formed. Their faces showed neither laughter nor anger, only peaceful serenity. Their values of order, balance, and proportion became the standards of what is called classical art.

The largest Hellenistic sculpture was the Colossus of Rhodes. This bronze statue was located on the island of Rhodes and was 105 feet high. It was considered one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". Unfortunately, this wonder of the ancient world was destroyed by an earthquake.

Athenians were very proud of their city. They spent great wealth on marble, bronze, and gold for their public buildings and temples. This display of wealth was not for private homes. These were expected to be modest and moderate to avoid appearing arrogant. Even during times of war and disease, building temples continued. For example the temple of Athena was built while Athens was fighting Sparta.

During their Golden Age the Athenians displayed pride through their artwork. Later on, the artwork also showed evidence of their decline. After their defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian war, Athens experienced military destruction and division. The government was divided and weakened. This crisis was reflected in a change in artistic style. The faces of bronze and marble statues began to show emotion. Dramatic works also changed. Plays called comedies were created which made fun of the politics, people, and ideas of the time. Perhaps Athenians needed to laugh during the hard times.

Greek Heritage Activity Athens

Around 750 B.C., Greece saw the rise of city-states, of which Athens was one of the most powerful. By 594 B.C, the future of Athens was threatened by a struggle between rich aristocrats and poor farmers. Although the rich had great power, the poor farmers made up most of the population. A civil war was avoided by making reforms. Athens created a democracy, a government by all citizens. Bur all the people in Athens were not treated equally. Women and slaves were not considered "citizens".

Two of the leading reformers in Athens were Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon's reforms improved the economy and allowed citizens to play a bigger role in the government. About 60 years later, Cleisthenes introduced more reforms to make Athens a full democracy. Cleisthenes increased the power of the Athenian assembly and created the Council of Five Hundred to propose laws and advise the assembly. Members of this Council were chosen by a lottery, so every citizen had an equal chance of serving.

One of the greatest threats to Greek city-states was the invasion by Persian armies from the east. According to legend, in 490 B.C. the Persians invaded by landing northeast of Athens on a plain called Marathon. There, 10,000 Athenians defeated 25,000 Persians. The casualties reportedly numbered 6,400 Persians and only 192 Athenians. Though the Athenians were victorious, their city was now defenseless. They were fearful the Persians would sail down the coast and reach the city of Athens before the army could march back to defend it.

A message had to be brought to Athens to tell them of the success at Marathon, so the people at home would not surrender the city. A young runner named Pheidippies ran as fast as he could from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news (26 miles). When he arrived at Athens, he gasped "rejoice, we conquer", then died. Persian ships arrived later. But the city refused to surrender and the Persians sailed away. Eventually, the Persian army was completely defeated in Greece, putting an end to the Persian wars.

After the Persian Wars, Athens entered a period of great creativity. Drama, sculpture, poetry, science, philosophy, and architecture, all reached new heights. This time from 480 to 430 B.C., is often called the Golden Age of Athens or the Age of Pericles. The leader of Athens during this time was a man named Pericles. Pericles had three goals: (1) to strengthen Athenian democracy; (2) to build a commercial empire; and (3) to glorify Athens.

To strengthen democracy, Pericles increased the number of public officials who were paid salaries. Now even the poorest citizens could afford to serve if elected or chosen by lot. To achieve his other goals, Pericles strengthened Athens's navy to safeguard Athenian commerce and settle disputes with trading partners. Pericles also beautified Athens. Among the buildings of this time was the Parthenon, the greatest works of architecture in history. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. is based on the design of the Parthenon.

Greek Heritage Activity Hellenistic Achievements

After Alexander’s death, his great empire was divided into three pieces. Three ambitious generals each took control of a part of the empire. Antiginus controlled Macedon, while Ptolemy (TAH-luh-mee) seized Egypt and Seleucus took Asia Minor and the Fertile Crescent.

The city of Alexandria in Egypt became the center of Hellenistic civilization. Mediterranean Sea trading brought many different foods and products into Alexandria. Its location also contributed to its diverse population. People from the Northern Mediterranean had a chance to meet people from sub-Saharan Africa and even India. There was also great architecture, including royal palaces and the lighthouse called Pharos.

The most spectacular buildings were the museum and library. The museum was a temple dedicated to the Muses, the Greek goddesses of arts and sciences. It contained art galleries, botanical gardens, and even a zoo. The nearby library contained half a million papyrus scrolls, including most of the masterpieces of ancient literature. The loss of all these books in a great fire during the time of the Roman Empire was a tremendous disaster for those who study the ancient past.

While researching in that huge library, many significant findings were made. Aristarchus advocated the theory that the earth and other planets revolved around the sun. Unfortunately, many other astronomers chose to support the astronomer Ptolemy who placed the earth in the center of the universe. This theory would go unchallenged until the time of Galileo. Another scholar named Eratosthenes calculated the earth’s true size, using geometry to compute the earth’s circumference at about 25,000 miles.

These scholars were able to do their work thanks to a geometry text written by Euclid (YOO-klihd). This mathematician’s best known book, Elements, contained 465 geometry propositions and proofs. His ancient math book was used right up until the 1900’s by Islamic and European universities.

Several inventions were created using the information stored in Alexandria’s library. The scientist, Archimedes (AHR-kih-MEE-deez) calculated the value of pi (). He also discovered that levers could be used to lift heavy objects. From these ideas came other inventions, a force pump, pneumatic machines, and a steam engine. However, these machines were never produced in large numbers. Because there were so many slaves, there was little need for labor-saving devices.

Greek Heritage Activity Literature

After the collapse of the Minoans, Greece experienced a "dark age" from about 1150 to 750 B.C. Trade came to a stop and the skill of writing was lost.

Because the people had forgotten how to read and write, Greeks relied on the spoken word to keep their culture alive. Bards (wandering poets) told stories that glorified the old heroes of Mycenae and Troy. A single tale might provide entertainment for many evenings to people gathered together around a fire. These long, heroic poems are now called epics. In these stories, the Greeks learned what it meant to strive for excellence, to show courage, and to win fame and honor.

According to Greek tradition, the greatest of all these "bards" was a blind old man named Homer. Little is known about Homer himself. His two great epic poems are the Iliad and the Odyssey.

The Iliad is a story of the Trojan War.

The story begins in the tenth and final year of the Trojan War. A priest of the god Apollo tries to ransom his daughter back from Agamemnon, who has taken her captive on a raid. When Agamemnon refuses, Apollo is angered and brings a plague on Agamemnon and his people. During the rest of the story great heroes such as Achilles and Hector lead the fight for the city of Troy.

Near the end of the story Patroclus, a close friend of Achilles, is killed by Hector. Achilles goes berserk with grief and rage. He charges into battle, slaughtering Trojans left and right, destroying the Trojan army almost single-handedly. He challenges Hector, chases him around the city, and kills him easily. Achilles then drags the body from the back of his chariot, running laps around the city of Troy so that the Trojans can watch as their champion's body is horribly desecrated.

As the epic ends, the future is clear: The city of Troy is doomed. All but a handful of her people will be slaughtered, and the city will be wiped off the face of the earth.

The Odyssey is about the adventures of Odysseus after the Trojan War.

The story begins ten years after the fall of Troy, but the victorious Greek hero Odysseus has still not returned home. Some people start believing that Odysseus is dead. A mob of rowdy men overrun his palace, eating his food, and trying to seduce his wife.

While things keep getting worse at his palace, Odysseus has a running contest with the sea god Poseidon as he tries to make his way back home. Along the way he blinds a giant, is held captive as a love slave by the beautiful goddess Calypso, has to escape the drug-addled Lotus Eaters, gets turned in a pig, and has to avoid cannibal giants. People today still read about these fantastic and amazing adventures.

Greek Heritage Activity Olympics

Ancient Olympics Because they admired the heroes in their epics, Greeks valued honor and glory above wealth. In war, Greek heroes sought glory in battle. In peace, they sought glory in athletic competitions. The most famous games were the Olympics. These festivals were held every four years beginning in 776 B.C. Young men came from all parts of Greece to compete on a grassy field at Olympia. Only men were allowed to compete. The rules required that all competitions be held in the nude. The games lasted five days. During that time all wars between city-states halted. In addition to athletic events, the Olympics included sacrifices honoring Zeus and Pelops, the mythical king of Olympia. The most eagerly awaited event was known as the pentathlon. The pentathlon was considered the supreme contest of athletic skill. Contestants took part in five events: broad jump, discus hurl, javelin throw, stadium sprint (about 200 yards), and a wrestling match. Just like the heroes of Homer's stories, the true prize for victory was honor and fame. In addition, the victor was crowned with the Olympic wreath of olive leaves and honored in statues and monuments.

Modern Olympics Our modern Olympics began in England during the 1900's. The first global games sponsored by the International Olympic Committee were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The Olympic rings represent the unity of the five inhabited continents (America, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe). The colored version of the rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—over a white field forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation at the time had at least one of them on its national flag. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, a Latin expression meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals. A female performer, acting as a priestess, ignites a torch by placing it inside a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun's rays. She then lights the torch of the first relay bearer, thus beginning the Olympic torch relay that will carry the flame to the host city's Olympic stadium. The arrival of the torch plays an important role in the opening ceremony. The flame has been an Olympic symbol since 1928. The torch relay was introduced at the 1936 Summer Games, when the German government hosting the games tried to promote its Nazi ideology. One of the most famous contests in modern Olympic history occurred at that same 1936 Olympics. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler wanted to show the world that the Germans were the "master race" by winning the most gold medals. He was humiliated when Jesse Owens, an African-American, won four gold medals, becoming the most successful athlete at the 1936 Olympics!

Greek Heritage Activity Plato

Plato (429-347 BCE) was the most important of Socrates’ students and is a good example of the pupil who becomes even greater than his teacher.

Plato came from a noble Athenian family and wanted to pursue an active political career. But the tragic death of his teacher Socrates discouraged him from this path. He became a talented writer and teacher instead. Today we still have 26 of Plato's philosophical discussions, which are written in dialogue form. By writing them as short plays instead of essays Plato made them much more entertaining and dramatic.

In 386 BCE, Plato founded a school called the Academy, a center for philosophical investigation and a school for politicians and citizens. The academy stayed open for almost one thousand years until the emperor Justinian closed it in the sixth century CE!

Like Socrates, Plato believed in the importance of good government, what the Greeks called the polis. Good government meant order, harmony, and justice. One of the main purposes of government was to help build a society that would support and produce good people.

Plato believed that a ruler should be a wise person, a person who held certain virtues and knowledge. Only true philosophers, someone whose training, character, and intellect allowed them to contemplate life, would be truly responsible leaders. This concept was known as the philosopher-king. Just as Plato believed that some people were fated to become philosopher-kings he also believed that each person should do only that one thing to which his or her nature is best suited. He used metaphors to describe different social classes, comparing humans to gold, silver, brass, and iron.

Sensing that the polis was under internal stress and divisions, Plato fought for moral and political reform. He began to ask: What is a good man and how is he made? The process Plato used to seek answers to his questions and apply them to politics led to the birth of what we now call "systematic philosophy".

Greek Heritage Activity Socrates

Socrates (469-399 BCE) was committed to the search for truth. He spent his life seeking for the knowledge about human affairs that he thought could be discovered through reason.

Socrates’ goals for humans were very different than traditional Greek goals. He refused to be paid for his teachings; in fact, he claimed ignorance and denied that he taught at all. He did not seek wealth or pleasure or power but simply urged people to seek “the greatest improvement of the soul.”

His method was to go among men, particularly those reputed to know something, such as experts, poets, and politicians and ask them questions. While these people had some information and skills, they seldom knew much about the principles of human behavior. Often they would get embarrassed and angry when being questioned.

Socrates did not hide his contempt for democracy. He did not want to rely on ignorant amateurs to make important political decisions. Because of this, many people began to believe he was trying to undermine the Greek system of government, the polis.

In 399 BCE, Socrates was condemned to death by an Athenian jury on the charges of bringing new gods into the city and of corrupting the youth. While his followers urged him to escape, he refused and drank poison. While Socrates had been a vocal critic of the problems within the polis, he never abandoned the ideals of the polis. He fought for its defense, and obeyed its laws, including the one ordering his death.

Greek Heritage Activity Sparta

Sparta was a city-state located in the southern part of Greece, in the area known as the Peloponnesus. This stretch of land is nearly cut off from the rest of Greece by the Gulf of Corinth. About 725 B.C., the Spartans conquered their neighbors the Messenians. The Spartans treated the Messenians almost as slaves. Messenians were called helots, peasants who were forced to stay on the land they worked. Any Spartan citizen could kill a helot without being guilty of a crime. Around 600 B.C., the Messenians revolted. Even though Messenians outnumbered the Spartans eight to one, the Spartans were just barely able to put down the revolt. After this, the Spartans feared another helot uprising. The Spartans decided the only way to survive was to make their city-state as strong as possible. Sparta basically became a military state. Babies were examined at birth and if they were not healthy, they were left in the hills to die. Healthy male children left their mothers at age seven to live in army barracks and begin their military training. Winter or summer, they wore only a light tunic and usually went barefoot. Their beds were hard benches. They were fed meager rations and were expected to get extra food by stealing, though they would be whipped if caught. Such training produced tough soldiers. At the age of 20, Spartan men were allowed to marry, though they had to continue living in the army barracks until age 30. Spartan girls were also raised to be physically strong. They ran, wrestled, and played sports. As adults, women managed the family estates while their husbands served in the military. Spartan women had every right except to vote. Because of their active public lives and freedoms, other Greeks thought the Spartan women "scandalous". For years, Sparta and Athens had been rivals. Finally in 431 B.C., the Spartans marched into Athenian territory, beginning the Peloponnesian War. Athens was the strongest sea power, but Sparta was the strongest land power. For 27 years, Athens and Sparta battled back and forth. Finally in 404 B.C., Athens and its allies surrendered to Sparta. From about 600 to 371 B.C., the Spartans had the most powerful army in Greece, but because they valued duty, strength and discipline over individuality, beauty and freedom of thought, the Spartans created little literature, art, or architecture.