History Notes 9.1 (PDF)

Democracy and Greece’s Golden age 12/12/24 Notes: -​ Democratic principles and classical culture (Roman/Greek culture) flourished in the golden age -​ Art, politics, literature, and philosophy are adhered today -​ Persia had a two pronged invasion plan: navel and on land -​ Q...

Democracy and Greece’s Golden age 12/12/24 Notes: -​ Democratic principles and classical culture (Roman/Greek culture) flourished in the golden age -​ Art, politics, literature, and philosophy are adhered today -​ Persia had a two pronged invasion plan: navel and on land -​ Question: to submit or fight? Athenians decide (novel) to vote (male landowners), decide fight -​ Passion helped bc they fought for themselves and way of life, not a king like Persian conscripts -​ Black and white stones were used to vote -​ All the Greeks go to war and have a technological advantage in armor, weapons, formation, and a home-court advantage The Age of Pericles -​ Victory fuels golden age called the “age of pericles” (pericles= respected Athenian statesman) -​ Weird shaped head so he always wore a helmet -​ 2 goals: strengthen democracy and glorify athens -​ Strengthen democracy: -​ Originally only wealthy citizens could afford to hold public office bc most positions were unpaid -​ Increased paid positions so poor people can serve -​ Resulted in more citizens engaged in self government than any other polis ( more than oligarchy in Sparta 12/16/24 -​ Direct quote from Pericles’ speech: “Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership in a particular class, but the actual ability of which the man possesses. No one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity because of poverty.” -​ Pericles eulogy for Greeks who fell fighting Persia: “The Funeral Oration” -​ No one is discriminated against bc of socioeconomic status -​ “Power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people”= not accurate! -​ Only older males. Conclusion: politicians are liars  -​ Athenian democracy was not in the hands of the whole people 12/18/24 -​ Glorify Athens: -​ By 1. Honor won by notable achievements or 2. magnificence/ great beauty -​ Communal fund was set up after the Persian war and all CS contributed -​ Called Delian League and was basically a communal war fund -​ Close to Pericles so he takes it to build architecture= embezzlement -​ Purchases gold, ivory, and marble and makes doric, ionic, and corinthian columns -​ Build the Parthenon for Athena -​ Doric is basic/ elementary: flat tops and fluted -​ Found in justice hall in NY and in DC -​ They evolve and create swirly Ionic columns -​ Found in Garden Statuary, Stockbridge, capitol hill, the parthenon, Artemis column (in the met), and treasury department -​ Most elegant and detailed are corinthian (all chisel and hammer): NYU and NYC+DC supreme court -​ He then commissions the building of a mysterious building…the Parthenon The Parthenon -​ Temple to Athena: at the highest point of the city (acropolis), surrounded by large columns, walls “hint at grand scenes” with gods, humans, and mythical battles, large 40 foot figure inside (Athena) which is now partially damaged. Symbol of Athena’s protection -​ The pediment (triangular “roof”) of the parthenon depicted the Greek victory over Persia -​ Originally was painted in vivid color but is now white -​ Inside there is a statue of Athena who holds a large shield and Nike (goddess of victory- Nike swoosh modeled after her wings *cultural diffusion*) -​ Video notes: A day in the life of an ancient Greek architect -​ Phidias was chief builder (architekton): 432 BCE -​ Shrine and testament to glory of Athens -​ 5 Epistasis (city officials) wait for him and accuse him of embezzling gold: he has until sundown to prove his innocence and account for all his expenses -​ Pericles (commissioned building) has many enemies and this is controversial bc people are expecting classic style: simple doric columns, horizontal entablature (bar on top), triangular roof  -​ Phidias envisioning more radical design: doric columns with “sweeping ionic freeze” (panorama of a city festival), humans and gods side by side is completely novel. Much more expensive -​ Architects use 3D diagrams instead of blueprint and thus often have to solve problems in real time. Use calculations and instinct regarding symmetry. Which is hard because it's built on a curve with columns facing slightly inwards. They made slight bulging in each column to make it look straighter -​ New pulleys need to be issued to transfer the 2-3 ton stones for the pediment marble -​ Sculpture workshop: 92 mythical scenes to decorate the temple. Mythical representations of Greece’s victory over Persia. Huge number of carvings only adds to expenses -​ Focal point, covered in gold, statue of Athens patron protector: Athena -​ The records don't account for the statue's gold, but Pericles saves the day and tells them to way each part of the gold statue to prove Phidias’s innocence. He assigns laborers to the task and tells the officers to watch them overnight, leaving the men to Athena’s mercy -​ Greek sculptures: two types (early vs new) both were realistic and idealistic 1.​ Archaic style- man is rigid, unnatural, emotionless, and non muscular. This evolves when there is less war and more leisure time (called classical period) to produce… 2.​ New Style- e.g the detailed discus thrower: sporty, dynamic, range of motion, details muscles, veins, and ribs 12/19/24 The Greek Theater (Theatron) -​ Greeks invented drama and built the first ever theaters in the West -​ Seating= 14,000 fit with stadium seating -​ Light= brought from the open space- sunlight (night=torches) -​ Sound= bounced off seats and got louder as it went up -​ Performances and plays were held there. Two main types (both still seen today *CD*): 1.​ Tragedy- a serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of heroic/noble character(s). Hero often possesses a tragic flaw-an error in judgment or a personality defect (e.g hubris-excessive pride). This gives perspective and is relatable/cathartic. Hero typically accepts responsibility for his mistakes by the end: sometimes has a resolution but not always 2.​ Comedy- A humorous form of drama that often includes slapstick (physical-includes actors hurting others as well as themselves. Can be jumpscares. Often political leaders would be made fun of in this way- SNL *CD*). Clear sign of freedom. Greek Tragedy -​ Video Link: Why are tragedies so alluring? -​ Pattern: royal/rich/righteous individual otherwise like us makes a mistake that ruins his life+others lives- classic pattern in Greek and modern tales -​ 3 components to allure 1.​ Elevated in stature, but also relatable- not unusually good or bad 2.​ Flaw (hamartia) like stubbornness, hubris, etc. that causes him to make a mistake that leads to downfall and disaster -​ E.g Sophocles “Oedipus Rex” warned by oracle that he’s destined to kill father and marry mother. Tries to escape fate- kills man who gets in his way (father) and answers riddle, freeing Thebes and marrying the queen (his mother). He finds out and gouges his eyes 3.​ Fall- Beginning- elevated in ability and rank (king): fall= now homeless (wilderness) and blind -​ Flaw of Oedipus=hubris pride: tries to avoid fate which is exactly what makes it happen -​ Hamlet= indecisive Macbeth= ambition modern examples: GOT and Dark Knight -​ Meant to evoke fear and pity, also cathartic- makes us feel better about our own problems Peloponnesian War -​ Athens (with Delian League) vs Sparta (with Peloponnesian League) -​ Athens was strong navally and Sparta on land, but Sparta won after a plague struck Athens and Pericles died. Sparta became the most powerful city-state in the region. -​ Philosophers begin to emerge as Athenians ask questions such as “how did this happen” and “why me” 12/23/24 Philosophy -​ Philo= love Sophy= wisdom -​ Philosophers: thinkers who investigate the nature of the universe, human society, and morality -​ Assumptions/givens of philosophers that they base their philosophies on: 1.​ The universe is put together in an orderly way and is subject to laws that are absolute and unchanging (time has no affect- one thing that is true today will be true forever and in every case) 2.​ People can understand these laws through logic and reason (opposite= opinion and emotion) -​ Major ideas such as Heinz’s Dilemma come from philosophy: Heinz's wife is dying and needs a rare, expensive drug to survive. Heinz can't afford the drug and no one will loan him the money. Heinz breaks into the pharmacy to steal the drug. Should he have done so?  -​ Pre Socratic philosophers were called Sophists -​ Believed there were no standards for truth and justice: success > moral truths -​ Urged students to develop skills in rhetoric- skillful speaking: Socrates is large critic 12/24/24 -​ Socrates: went to the people and asked questions like “what's the meaning of life?” -​ Believed questioning enabled students to examine things logically and determine validity -​ A teacher “acting dumb” pushes students to understand fully what they are saying: promotes independent thinking -​ The Socratic Method: Used Q&A to get ppl to realize they don’t know what they’re talking about -​ “The unexamined life is not worth living” and “Know thyself” -​ Socrates didn’t write his ideas down- his student Plato did -​ “Gadfly” was nicknamed to him which is a fly that sticks to animals (would pester people with questions) -​ Doesn’t give answers just questions: makes you think, removes the ego by getting you to realize on your own -​ Was brought on trial for “corrupting the youth of Athens” and “neglecting the city’s gods” -​ Types of Socratic Questions and Examples: 1.​ Clarification (what do you mean? Could you put that another way? Could you give an example?) 2.​ Questions about an initial response or issue (Why is this question important? Why do you think that? What assumptions can we make based on this question?) 3.​ Assumption Questions (Why would someone make this assumption? You seem to be assuming _. Do I understand you correctly?) 4.​ Reason and Evidence Questions (What would be an example? Could you explain your reason to us? What led you to that belief?) 5.​ Origin or Source Questions (Where did you get that idea? Have you always felt this way?) 6.​ Implication and Consequence Questions (What is an alternative? What effect would that have?) 7.​ Viewpoint Questions (What might someone who believed_ think? How are _ and _’s ideas alike?) -​ The Death of Socrates: Socrates painted in dungeon on a bed. Boy is handing him hemlock to drink. Distraught disciples sit around him, listening. Plato sits by the bedside. Socrates’ wife leans on the wall, wailing. Last words were about repaying a debt. Could have escaped, but remained loyal to the laws of Athens and to his own principles to the end -​ His main defense in court was that the Athenians needed him -​ Considered a “new kind of Greek hero” bc he had intellectual arete -​ Plato: Loyal student of Socrates  -​ Made an allegory called The Allegory of the Cave in his book The Republic with moral and historical implications -​ Historical: Socrates attempted to enlighten the world -​ Prisoners chained in a cave staring at a wall -​ The fire makes shadows as people and objects pass by the raised walkway: this is the only world the prisoners know (only echoes of unseen objects) -​ A prisoner is released and after some time adjusting to the light, the prisoner begins to experience the world outside and it is incredible -​ With his new perception, he wants to return to his friends to share his discoveries but his friends can't understand his distorted words and figure bc they only see him as a shadow -​ Moral implication: The allegory shows that the world we see through our senses is not the real world, and that we can only understand the real world through reason. It encourages people to seek knowledge and truth (not be afraid to question their assumptions), and that the enlightened have a responsibility to help the ignorant -​ Made academy with Ionic columns called Plato’s academy 12/26/24 -​ Aristote: The Lyceum was another academy made by Aristotle -​ Said: “The man is by nature fitter for command than the female, just as an older person is superior to a younger, more immature person” -​ Enormous influence on western culture and science -​ Aristotle came up with the concept of the “Golden Mean” (mean as in average)-Rambam uses -​ For example: if a guitar chord is too tight, it will snap. Too loose, it won’t play. Must be just right Defect Balance Excess Cowardice Courage Rashness Stinginess Generosity Extravagance Moroseness (gloom) Good Humor Buffoonery Diffidence (timidness) Confidence Arrogance Starvation Moderation Gluttony -​ Golden mean also refers to a work-life balance -​ Aristotle: “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit” -​ Was a private tutor to Alexander the Great