Brief contrast of Greek civilization with that of Mesopotamia and Egypt
Human-centered versus god-centered
Protagoras: "Man is the measure of all things"
The Greek foundation of Western civilization
Greek borrowings from the Near East
Prelude: Minoan Civilization, 3000–1100 BCE
The source of the term Minoan
Characteristics of Minoan civilization
Its outstanding architectural creation: the palace at Knossos
Layout
Decorative plan
Cretan script, Linear A and B
Similarities and differences
Religion
Worship of a mother goddess
The bull cult (Figure Caption)
Commerce
Mythology and its later impact on Greece
Beginnings: Mycenaean Civilization, 1900–1100 BCE
A source of legends for Greece
Power center: Mycenae and the Peloponnesus
Political, social, and economic structure
The chief symbol of this militaristic civilization: the fortress-palace (Figure Caption)
Ashlar construction
The Lion Gate, Mycenae
Religion
Burial practices
The Trojan War: Mycenae and the epic tradition
The realities of the war
The inspiration for Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
The Greek Dark Ages
The collapse of one form of civilized order
The emergence of a new civilized order
The Archaic Age, 800–479 BCE
Historical overview: Age of innovation and experimentation
The origin of Hellas and Hellene
Political, economic, and social structures
The rise of the polis
a) The acropolis
b) The agora
c) The goal of the polis
The shift from monarchy to oligarchy
a) Exemplary leadership, civil idealism, and cultural and artistic patronage
b) New military tactics
c) Overseas expansion and colonization
(1) The coasts of Spain and North Africa, and the Black Sea area
(2) Southern Italy and Sicily: Magna Graecia
(3) Social developments
(4) The rise of tyrants
The Greek polis: Sparta and Athens
Sparta, the symbol of Dorian civilization
a) Origins of oligarchic rule and stringent social and military policies
b) Relationship with the Helots
c) Limited cultural achievements
a) The war against Darius
b) The war against Xerxes
The consequences of a Greek victory for the West
a) Political changes in Athens after the wars
Women in Sparta and Athens
Technology in Archaic Greece
Iron Age technology
Improved technology in ship construction
The Emergence of Greek Genius: The Mastery of Form
Archaic Greece as a crucible for artistic and intellectual achievement
The role of the muses in artistic creativity
Religion
a) Olympian and chthonic deities
b) Natures of the Archaic Greek gods
c) The concept of hubris
d) Examples of gods from the Greek pantheon and the traditions of their worship
Epic poetry
a) The Iliad
b) The Odyssey
c) The role of Homer in Greek civilization
Lyric poetry
a) The solo lyric
b) The poems of Sappho
Natural philosophy
a) The emergence of philosophy/science
b) The Milesian school: Thales
c) The Sicilian school: Pythagoras
d) The originator of dialectical reasoning: Heraclitus
The supreme architectural achievement of the Greeks: the temple
a) Post-beam-triangle construction
b) The principal parts
c) The Doric-style temple
Sculpture
a) The chief sculptural forms of this period
(1) Kouros and Kore
(2) Characteristics
(3) Influence from Egypt and Greek innovations
(4) Temple sculpture: The Temple of Aphaia at Aegina and the Trojan War as a decorative theme
b) The shift from the Archaic to the Hellenic style
The Legacy of Archaic Greek Civilization
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