Lesson+Summaries

Lesson Summary Example The Culture of Ancient Greece // For use with pages 154–163 // ** myth: ** traditional stories about gods and heroes (page 155) ** epic: ** long poems about heroes and heroines (page 157) ** tragedy: ** a drama, or story, with an unhappy ending (page 160)
 * Key Terms **
 * oracle: ** a holy shrine where a priest or priestess spoke for the god or goddess (page 156)
 * fable: ** a short story that teaches a lesson (page 158)
 * drama: ** a story told by actors who pretend to be characters in the story (page 160)
 * comedy: ** a drama, or story, with a happy ending (page 161)

Greek Mythology // (page 155) // The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses. The Greeks told myths about their gods. ** Myths ** are traditional stories about gods and heroes. The Greeks believed the gods affected everyday life. That is why every city built beautiful temples to the gods. The Greeks hoped the temples would make the gods happy because happy gods would not hurt the city.
 * The Greeks believed that gods and goddesses controlled nature and **** shaped their lives. **

** Greek Gods and Goddesses ** The Greeks believed that the gods controlled nature. The god Zeus ruled the sky and threw lightning bolts. The goddess Demeter made the crops grow. Poseidon—one of Zeus’s brothers—ruled the sea. The most important gods lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. They lived above the clouds, where no human could see them. Greek gods were perfect. In many ways, gods were like humans with special powers. The gods got married, had children, made friends and enemies, fought with each other, and played tricks on one another. To convince the gods to be kind, the Greeks had festivals ==of the gods and performed religious rituals, or ceremonies. This included special prayers and giving gifts to the gods. The Greeks also believed in an afterlife. The spirits of the dead lived beneath the earth and were ruled by Hades.==

** What Was a Greek Oracle? ** The Greeks believed that everyone had a fate, or destiny. They also thought that the gods made prophecies, or predictions, to help people plan for the future. People who wanted to know the future, or listen to other advice, visited an ** oracle. ** An oracle is a holy shrine where a priest or priestess talks to one of the gods. People asked the priestess questions. She told her answers to the priests. Then the priests translated the answers. if he should go to war against the Persians. The oracle said that if Croesus attacked the Persians, he would destroy a mighty empire. Croesus attacked, but the Persian army crushed his army. It turned out that Croesus’s own—“mighty empire”—was destroyed! 21. Why did the Greeks have festivals and rituals for their gods?

Greek Poetry and Fables // (page 157) // Greek poems and stories are the oldest in the Western world. Many writers have copied ideas from these old stories. The earliest Greek stories were called ** epics. ** Epics are long poems about heroic deeds. Two great epics are the // Iliad // and the // Odyssey. // Homer wrote them both in the 700s B. C. They tell about a war between cities in Greece and the city of Troy. In the // Iliad, // a prince of Troy kidnaps Helen, the wife of the king of Sparta. The result is a battle to capture Troy. The Greeks eventually capture the city and win the war. The // Odyssey // tells the story of Odysseus, a Greek hero at Troy. On his trip home from the Trojan War, Odysseus faces storms, giants, and witches. It takes him 10 years to get home, which is why we call a long journey with adventures an // odyssey. // The Greeks believed that the // Iliad // and // Odyssey // were not just stories. They thought the epics were real history. These poems gave the Greeks a history filled with heroes and brave deeds. Homer’s epic poems taught that friend- ship and marriage should be valued. Homer’s heroes became role models for Greek boys.
 * Greek poetry and fables taught Greek values. **

** Who Was Aesop? ** About 550 B. C ., there was a Greek slave called Aesop. He made up ** fables, ** or short tales that teach a lesson. In most of Aesop’s fables, animals talk and act like people. Fables always have a point, or moral. Fables point out human flaws as well as strengths. One of Aesop’s best-known fables is “The Tortoise and the Hare.” In it, a tortoise, or turtle, challenges a hare, or rabbit, to a race. As the hare oversleeps, the tortoise continues at a slow but steady pace and wins the race. The moral of that fable is “slow and steady wins the race.” Today, we still use sayings from Aesop’s fables. Aesop’s fables were part of Greece’s oral tradition for about 200 years. That means that people told the stories out loud. Eventually, people started writing down the fables. Since then, fables have been retold in many languages. 22. What are the characteristics of a fable?

Greek Drama // (page 160) //
 * Greek drama still shapes entertainment today. ** A ** drama ** is a story told by actors who pretend to be characters in the story. They speak, show emotion, and imitate the actions of those characters. Movies, plays, and television shows are all drama. Greek dramas dealt with big questions, such as the nature of good and evil, the rights of people, and the role of gods in everyday life.

** Tragedies and Comedies ** The Greeks put on plays during religious festivals in outdoor theaters. These outdoor theaters were called amphitheaters. We still use that word today. The Greeks developed two types of drama— ** tragedy ** and ** comedy. ** A tragedy has an unhappy ending. People cannot solve their problems no matter how hard they try. Early Greek tragedies were about people who fought against fate. Later tragedies were about people who made bad personal choices. A comedy ends happily. Today we use // comedy // to mean a funny story. But comedy actually means any story with a happy ending. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides wrote tragedy. Aristophanes wrote comedy. Early Greek plays had only one actor. The actor stood on a bare stage and gave speeches. A chorus stood behind the actor and sang songs to describe what was happening. Aeschylus added a second actor to his plays. This let him write a story about problems that can happen between two people. Aeschylus also added costumes, props, and stage decorations. In 458 B. C ., Aeschylus wrote a group of three plays called the // Oresteia. // They describe what happened after the Trojan War. They teach that evil acts can cause more evil acts. The moral of the plays is that people should not try to get revenge. Euripides wrote after Aeschylus and Sophocles. Euripides wrote about everyday people. He challenged traditional thinking. The comedies of Aristophanes poked fun at politicians and local scholars. Aristophanes’ plays included jokes, and they encouraged the audience to think while they laughed. 23. What two types of drama did the Greeks create? Greek Art and Architecture // (page 162) // Greek artists hoped that their art would help teach people about reason, moderation, balance, and harmony. Greek artists painted murals and made pottery. Large vases often have pictures from myths. Small pieces, like cups, have pictures from everyday life. The Greeks were also skilled architects—people who design buildings. The most important buildings were the temples, like the Parthenon. Temples contained rooms that housed statues of the gods and the gifts that people offered to the gods. Large columns supported the roofs of Greek buildings. At first, the columns were made of wood. Then, in 500 B. C ., they were marble, or stone. We still use marble columns in churches and large buildings today. For example, the White House and the Capitol building both have columns. Many Greek temples were decorated with sculpture. Sculpture, like all of Greek art, expressed ideas. Greek artists liked to copy the human body, but they did not copy it exactly. They did not include flaws. Instead, artists tried to show their ideas of perfection and beauty. 24. What was the most important type of building in ancient Greece?
 * Greek art and architecture expressed Greek ideas of beauty and **** harmony. **