Western Civilizations Lecture 1课件.ppt

Western Civilizations—Literature ;Historical Periods (3 sweeping historical periods) ;The Ancient World (3000 B.C.-A.D.500);The Medieval World (500-1500): the Age of Christian Faith;The Modern World (1400— );1. Mesopotamian and Egyptian Civilizations (Precursors of Greece);Answers:;Mesopotamia:a Greek word means “the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers”;Mesopotamia’s gifts to Western civilization;蘸诧跋吴激屡蔑讣北膊鼎台单了劳仅时解纬集熊莆泪弹滞娶碗殷汽它步火Western Civilizations Lecture 1课件Western Civilizations Lecture 1课件;Egypt’s contributions to the Western civilization;Mesopotamian Literature ;The Epic of Gilgamesh;Influences of Gilgamesh on later literature ;Egyptian Literature;2. Greek Civilizations (Aegean);With the new way of thinking, they surged forward in all areas of creavity, ultimately reaching heights that some think have never been equaled. In essence, through their human-centered consciousness and their cultural achievements, the Greeks laid the foundation of Western Civilization. ;Ancient Greece Map ;Greek Archaic (800-479 B.C.);Greek Mythology;Demeter and Dionysus: The two most important crops in Greece—grains and grapes, the source of bread and wine ?the cults of the two Demeter: a harvest goddess, Persephone: the cycle of the seasons Dionysus: the god of the wine, representing the irrational, emotional, and uncontrolled aspects of human nature Dionysia ?ceremonies, civic festivals, competitive performances of tragic dramas in Athens Dionysus and Apollo: the rational, conscious, controlled aspects ;Epic Poetry;Lyric Poetry;Classical Hellenic (479 Defeat of Persians-323 B.C. death of Alexander the Great);4) the balance between the opposite extremes in human nature: symbolized by Apollo, god of moderation and Dionysus, god of excess. Apollo: god of light, rational thought, ethical ideal, aesthetic balance Dionysus: god of wine, drunken revelry, sexual excess, madness ? maenads: women following and worshipping him, blind frenzy By the Hellenic Age, these exces