Sparta and Athens were both dominating powers of ancient Greece, and had many differences, but which one was superior? Spartans were known for their superb military strength while Athens was known for their arts, music and philosophies. Sparta and Athens had many differences, but few similarities. Their view on how they ran society was very different while their militaries had some things in common. A big difference was their government, Spartans had an oligarchy while as Athens had a democracy.…
The Statue of Zeus and the Temple of Artemis are two of the Seven Wonders of The World. They were both magnificent structures, before they were destroyed. The Statue of Zeus One of the most mysterious structures in the world lies in ruins in Olympia, Greece. Near Mount Olympia lies the Statue of Zeus, it was once in the Temple of Zeus. Upon completion it stood forty-three feet tall, with shining, white ivory. The throne of the statue was mainly composed of wooden frames that were outlined with…
long many would have expected it to. In fact, mighty Greece only survived for a short while and remained confined to a geographically minute area. As of the 5th Century BC, mighty Greece was primarily Athens. The state as a whole was Attica but Athens was its driving force at the time. To many, Athens was the “eye” of Greece based on it being a rich artistic hub and highly democratic (Brody et al., 2009). It was by far the main city-state. City-states were basically geographically-based…
influential politician and general in Athens from the late 450s until his death in c.430-29. He was from the prominent noble Alkmeonidae family which gave him status and privilege and he was closely involved at a young age, in the democratic reforms of Ephialtes (In which the power of the Areopagus was weakened and then transferred to the demos) Pericles had been the leader of the democratic faction of Athenian politics since 462 BCE and his leadership meant that Athens was now solely governed…
Among the five Ancient Greek cultures highlighted in the textbook, the culture of Athens is most appealing to me. The Athenian government, specifically democracy, use of sanitary systems, and the belief in the importance of art all play into its appeal. Though the other cultures had their merits, none fit me as well as Athens. Athens was not always ruled by a democracy, for example, the benevolent dictatorship of Pisistratus and the harsher dictatorship under his son Hippias. However, once…
Around the fifth century, about 30,000 to 40,000 people who live in the community of Athens enjoyed equality until they created this new law and so many political rights. Citizenship was granted only for male children and their parents had to be born in the Athens. Males had to complete certain type of military training for the males to be able to vote. But in order for you to vote you had to be a white male landowner with a lot of money. All of this is an example of a Ancient Greek democracy.…
The Parthenon Greek for "maiden" built in 447 BC is the most preserved and highly influential building of the Roman era. This structure really captures the Greek's idea of humanism because it is a physical embodiment of their values and beliefs. The Parthenon, unlike the Egyptians who built pyramids for the dead, celebrated life on earth rather than the afterlife. As a result of the architecture being served as a sacred shrine dedicated to Athena the goddess of wisdom and war, treasury, and a…
Athens and Sparta were two ancient Greek cities with very different sets of values. The Athenians had a democratic form of government with a freer lifestyle while the Spartans had a militaristic form of government and had helots who were treated as slaves as they had to give half of their produce to the Spartiates. Athens had freemen who were male citizens divided into three categories namely, the aristocratic, the middle class and the Thetes who were the lowest class. Metics were those who came…
Is it a building that commemorates a victory over the Persians? Or, is a religious building dedicated to the goddess Athena? Maybe a monument that proclaims the greatness of the Athenian polis mid V century BC?All this and much more is what symbolizes the Parthenon, as well as being a building that, over the centuries, has endured dropouts, bombing (by the Turks) and even looting (by the English educated, who enjoy today in the British Museum a large sculptural repertoire obtained in this…
The Greek Parthenon was built on the Acropolis as the centerpiece of a group of buildings and commissions by Pericles. Construction on these buildings stopped as a result of the Peloponnesian Wars. The Parthenon was a temple to Athena, though it bore no altar; as such, it was not considered a traditional temple. It was constructed to be the Perfect Temple, with its columns and their proportions perfected and spaced evenly. But interestingly, even though mathematical proportions were calculated…