After studying this chapter, students should understand and be able to discuss the following:
The general characteristics of Hellenic civilization
The Greek examples and images of balance and harmony
The causes, phases, and results of the Peloponnesian War
The reasons for and results of the coming of the Macedonians
The definitions of Classic, Classical, and Classicism
The origins and characteristics of Greek drama, the names of the major playwrights and their contributions, the sources of the plots, and the varied functions of the plays in Athenian society
The origins and characteristics of Greek comedy, and the name of the chief comic playwright and his contributions
The origins and moral purpose of Greek music
The writing techniques and contributions of the first Greek historians
The leading thinkers, their contributions, and the phases of philosophy in Hellenic Greece
The characteristics of the Ionic order of Greek architecture and its similarities and differences from the Doric order
The characteristics of Greek Hellenic sculpture, its various phases, and examples of sculptural works from each phase
The historic "firsts" of Hellenic civilization that became part of the Western tradition: humanism; a school curriculum based on humanistic studies; Classicism; the literary genres of tragedy, comedy, and dialogue; written secular history; the Ionic temple; the open-air theater; the Hellenic art style; the idea of democracy; the skeptical spirit rooted in scientific knowledge; and Platonism, Aristotelianism, and Atomism
The role of Hellenic civilization in transmitting the heritage of Archaic Greece: redirecting philosophy away from the study of nature and into humanistic inquiry, redefining sculpture along more realistic lines, and elaborating the basic temple form
