Greek Gods and GoddessesBegin note for classical

Greece

Greek Gods and Goddesses

Greek people believed that the Gods and Goddesses controlled nature.These deities controlled every aspect of a person life.If a person were to anger the Gods, they would be subject to his or her wrath for the rest of their life. These Gods and Goddesses lived on Mt. Olympus.

Limited PowerGreek gods and Goddesses were not all powerful.Even thought these Gods and Goddesses had special powers, they looked like humans, they married, and they even had children.They also fought wars and played tricks on each other.

SacrificesMost of the Greek people decided that they would like to stay in the favor of the Gods and Goddesses. Therefore, they needed to offer the Gods sacrifices. The sacrifices would be made at a temple that was made specifically for that God.

ZEUSZeus was king of all of the GodsHe was also the God of the sky, rain , and lightningHe also ruled over all of Mt. Olympus

HadesHades was God of the underworld

HadesHades was God of the underworldHe was the brother of Zeus and PoseidonHe was the husband of beautiful PersephoneHe was the owner of human souls

AphroditeAphrodite was the goddess of love and beautyShe was the wife of Hephaestus

ORACLE AT DELPHIThe Greeks believed that each person had a fate or destiny.They also believed that certain people could prophesy about the future of other people.One of the most famous was the Oracle At Delphi.She was located at the Temple of Apollo.

ORACLE AT DELPHI CONT.The Oracle was a woman who sat deep inside the temple in a room where steam hissed from the earth.She sat on a special tripod and listened to questions. Then the priest would interpret her answers. She frequently gave answers in the form of riddles.Many heads of states would send envoys to seek her council.

Greek Poetry and FablesGreek poems ad stories are some of the oldest in the world.The earliest of these is called an epic.These epics were long poems telling of heroes of old and great battles. Homer wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey, about the war between Troy and Mycenaea.

Aesop and his FablesA Greek slave named Aesop began to write his now famous fables around 550 B.C. Each one of the fables ends with a moral or a lesson.One of the most famous is “The Tortoise and the Hair”.

Greek PhilosophersThe word philosophy means “love of knowledge”. Many Greek thinkers believed that the human mind could understand everything on earth and in the heavens.These people were called Philosophers. Most of these philosophers were also teachers.

PYTHAGORASPythagoras was a Greek philosopher and mathematician.He came up with the Pythagorean TheoremA²+B²=C²

SophistThe sophist were teachers in the ancient Greece.They traveled from city to city teaching people.They said there was no absolute right or wrong.

SocratesSocrates was originally a sculptor who loved philosophy.He did not like the Sophist.He invented the Socratic method.He was put to death by the Athenian leaders

PlatoPlato was a student of Socrates.He put forth many ideas about government in his book called the Republic.He also believed that men and women should be very close to equal.He also established a school called the Academy

REPUBLICPlato said government should be set up in levels

Philosopher kings and rulersWarriorsEveryone else.

AristotleAristotle attended Plato’s Academy.He opened his own school called Lycenum.He wrote more than 200 books. He also came up with the golden mean.

HerodotusHe wrote the history of the Persian Wars.He is considered the father of history.He thought that the God’s played a huge role in the course of wars.

ThucydidesThucydides fought in the Peloponnesian Wars.He stressed the idea of having accurate facts.He saw war as the act of humans and politics, not Gods.

ReviewWho is the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi?Who is Zeus and where did he live?Who is Aphrodite?Who is Hades and where did he live?What is a philosopher?Name three philosophers and what they contributed