One of the basic themes of the book is that the thought and the art of classical Athens is full of meaning for people of later generations. It is the full of meaning for nations, cultures and societies beset by broad-scale and profound social and political change and the accompanying confusion and fear produced in the minds and souls of human beings.…
The “Athenian Golden Age” can best be explained as the peaceful time when Athens was under Pericles’ rule (about 495-429 B.C.). During this time, Athenian culture flourished. Art, socialism, and architecture was thriving. One example was when Pericles delved into the city-state’s funds to do things, such as create temples and buildings, such as the very famous Parthenon. It was said by the great historian Thucydides, that Pericles’ speeches “celebrate the greatness of a democratic Athens at its peak” (“Pericles”, n.d.).…
Pericles became the leader of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and was responsible for the rebuilding and reconstructing of this city. He became very powerful and well known through out the age of the 5th century, so powerful that this became known as the age of Pericles. He was the son of Xanthippus and Agariste. His father, Xanthippus was a military leader during the Peloponnesian Wars and was the victor at the Battle of Mycale. He would later ostracize himself in the spring of 484. Pericles came from a line of royalty which made it all the more easier for him to come to power. The helots revolt in Sparta and the current leader of Athens, Cimon lead troops to aid Sparta which the people…
Pericles is considered to have been the first politician to attribute importance to philosophy. He enjoyed the company of the philosophers Protagoras, Zeno of Elea, and Anaxagoras. Anaxagoras and Pericles became close friends. He also influenced him greatly. Many believed that Pericles’ calmness and self-control are because of Anaxagoras' emphasis on emotional calm in the face of trouble and skepticism about divine phenomena.…
It is true that his period had many achievements, but in the light of the…
Pericles was the leader of Athens and was born in 495 BC and died in 429 BC. His father, Xanthippus was a political leader and military commander for Athens who grew up in the family of the Alcmaeonids. His mother, Agariste provided Pericles with political value and a religious background. Growing up Pericles was very bright, his family was wealthy which meant he had access to the best teachers in the whole of Athens. This meant he was able to fully pursue his education. As a young man, Pericles used much of his wealth to support the arts, at school he studied politics, ethics, philosophy and music. He learnt music from the masters of the time, Damo or Phyhocleides and was considered to be the first politician to have such a great influence…
After Pericles’ death, Thucydides foreshadows the plight of all later leaders, noting they were unable to rule the people as Pericles had, instead they “managed all these affairs in the opposite way” and “resorted to handing over affairs to the people’s pleasure” (2.65), resulting in frequent missteps. Although this is presented to the reader, they still search for hope as the later leaders struggle to find the perfect balance of rationality and wisdom Pericles had achieved. There are frequent similarities between Pericles and his successors, but for Kleon, those similarities do not align him closer to the greatness of Pericles but rather highlight their differences.…
In this famous Funeral Oration, Pericles gave voice to the ideal of democracy and the importance of the individual. It was the Greeks who created the intellectual foundations of our Western heritage. They asked some basic questions about human life, philosophy, education and religion that still dominate our own intellectual pursuits , such as :…
In ancient times Greece was divided into city states, with Athens and Sparta being the most powerful and important. Much is known about Athens because it produced many writers and artists, whose work has survived to this day. Athens was the largest and most powerful Greek state. It was a city full of beautiful public buildings, shops, and public baths. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, was the patron of Athens. Ancient Athens didn’t have a king but was ruled by the people as a democracy. Just like many children of noble class, Plato was taught by some of Athens’ finest educators He studied at a gymnasium owned by Dionysios, and at the palaistra of Ariston of Argos. He was educated in philosophy, poetry, grammar, music, painting, and gymnastics by renowned Athenian teachers including the philosopher Cratylus. According to Aristotle, Plato developed the foundations of his metaphysics and epistemology by studying the doctrines of Craylus, and the work of Pythagoras and Parmenides. Plato also had wrestled at the Isthmian games and performed…
Pericles was one of the best known statesmen that Greece ever had. He studied under the Sophist and master of Music Damon, and the philosopher Anaxagoras as well as Zenon of Elea. Pericles was a very patriotic man as well as dignified and upright, that was why he got so much recognition. Pericles was also friends with Sophocles, Herodotus, Phidias, Socrates and Protagoras, that being another reason on how he came to be known. Not only was Pericles a popular social light, he was also considered an inspirational and powerful speaker…
Part of Pericles’ plan for Athens was to increase the number of public officials with paid salaries and use direct democracy. Pericles plan for democracy was also for the poor to not be discriminated for social rankings. He also wanted the citizens to serve his country at any position on the social scale but you have to be a defined citizen. Pericles once stated “…power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people”. Athens went through a period of time of power struggles between the rich and poor. Today there are many countries that use democracy as a form of government.…
Along with their personal traits, Athens had freedom. This freedom involved the individual more than the city and this made their imperialism possible. This freedom will create en energy in the city but will lead to problems and decline for Athens. Athens will have troubles with factions and the internal conflicts that come with. Pericles will be able to prolong the problems for Athens. He was able to do this by appealing to the passion and love for glory and the need for ultimate devotion. These more individualistic people will be able to connect with something other than themselves with this passion. The connection is there because it tends to be egoistic and leads to a more intense devotion and increased willingness to sacrifice. When this…
Greece is known for its great art and architecture during the Golden Age. The Golden Age was a time period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished.The Parthenon is an example of an architecture built on the Acropolis between 447 B.C. and 432 B.C. and until now it is one of the most important and great buildings in Greece. The history and culture of Ancient Greece have been a great influence in the modern world. A lot of these influences have been very beneficial; however, some of these masteries have harmed and might keep harming the society. It is important to acknowledge, understand, and embrace the positive domination while at the same time, you should work towards strippig the western world of the negative and its…
Ancient Greece is considered to have made some of the most influential art ever, their architecture being one of the utmost successful forms. Much of the Greeks’ art was meant to honor their gods, however, they were created in the same image of humans. The government sponsored a majority of the art in Greece and intended it to be for public display. The Greeks were always trying to reach excellence, which they found in art and took a great deal of pride in it.…
The Italian Renaissance was a reawakening of literature and art, as well as many of the ideas of previous cultures (“The Impact,” 2016). Although they were not the only ideas to be revived, Greco-Roman Classical beliefs were perhaps the most prominent. The revivification of ideas such as humanism and Platonism and their effects on art make the influence of the Greco-Roman Classical period blatantly obvious in the philosophy of the Renaissance period.…
