西方文化专题-ancient Greek.pptVIP

Western Culture: An Introduction Dr. Wei Session I: Greek Roman Cultures I. Greek Culture 1. The Historical Context a. War fought between Greece and Troy (around 1200 B.C.): destruction of Troy [Homer] b. Culture Reached peak in 5th century B.C. (successful repulse of the Persian invasion; the establishment of democracy; the flourishing of science, philosophy, literature, art and historical writing in Athens) c. 5th century ended with civil war between Athens and Sparta d. Second half of 4th century B.C.: all Greece under the rule of Alexander, king of Macedon (Aristotle’s student); later conquered Europe, Asia and Africa, spreading Greek culture wherever he went e. 146 B.C., the Romans conquered Greece. Greek culture established in eastern and western Europe and northern Africa (Greek learning; Alexandria with its famous library) 2. Social and political stricture a. Athens was a “democracy”. (women, children, foreigners and slaves excluded; only adult male citizens; a set of rights inherited from one’s father) b. Athens rested on an immense amount of slave labor. (farms, workshops, mines; harsh exploitation) c. Love sports. Once every 4 years, a big festival on Olympus Mount (beginning of Olympic Games: revived in 1896 by Pierre Coubertin) 3. Homer (considered as the author of their epics) Lived around 700 B.C.; Iliad and Odyssey; not events about Homer’s own time, but great men and wars of a remoter age (1200-1100 B.C.) Iliad: the alliance联盟 of states the southern mainland of Greece, led by Agamemnon阿伽门农 in the war against Troy. Hector (Trojan) VS Achilles Odysseus奥德修斯 (Greece): Hector killed by Achilles; Troy sacked and burned by the Greeks Odyssey: return of Odysseus after the Trojan War to his home island Ithaca 4. Lyric Poetry: Sappho Pindar Sappho: woman poet of Lesbos; love poem of passionate intensity; 10th century the Christian Church burned her works some fragments: (1) I could not hope