After studying this chapter, students should understand and be able to discuss the following:
How Greek civilization borrowed from Near Eastern civilizations
How the Greeks laid the foundation of Western civilization
The cultural contributions of the Minoans, the makers of the first high civilization in what became the Greek area
The cultural contributions of the Mycenaeans, the makers of the first high civilization on the Greek peninsula
The origin of the Dorians and the Ionians and the significance of these cultural terms for Greek civilization
The significance of the Dark Ages
The characteristics and major forms of cultural expression of Archaic Greece
The meaning of polis and the central role it played in Greek civilization
The evolution of the polis, from monarchy to oligarchy to democracy
The significance of Sparta and Athens, symbols respectively of Dorian and Ionian civilization
How the Athenian victory over Persia laid the groundwork for the Athenian dominance of Greece
How religion helped to shape Greek culture, especially the muses, the Olympian gods and goddesses, and the chthonic deities
The epic tradition as established by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey
The lyric poetic tradition as expressed in the verses of Sappho
The early history of natural philosophy and the contributions of Thales, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus
The Doric style of temple building, recognizing it visually and identifying its components, decorative details, and aesthetic principles
The Archaic style in sculpture, recognizing it visually and identifying its distinguishing characteristics, with special reference to kouros and korē statuary
The changes taking place in Archaic-style sculpture that were leading to Hellenic-style sculpture, recognizing these changes visually and identifying significant changes in this transition period
Historic "firsts" achieved in Archaic Greece that became legacies for later Western developments: the polis, epic poetry, lyric poetry, the post-beam-triangle temple, the korē and kouros sculptures, black-figure style vase painting, natural philosophy, and the humanities
