Democracy Of Ancient Greece

[Music] ancient Greece we think of it as a time of ideas and a place of achievements 2,500 years ago in a golden age artists created the ideals of classical Perfection philosophers taught Harmony and order in life as it was seen in art citizens believed so strongly in their destiny that they built this lasting Monument the Acropolis it means high city and is the perfect climax of Greek [Music] democracy visitors come to look at Art and discover history they ask how could such a small group of people living so long ago influenced the world so greatly a boy tells the visitor of the legendary hero Achilles as he went off to the Trojan War his father advised him always surpass all others and strive only for excellence every small child is taught the belief of Aristotle happiness means that you develop all your talents in the pursuit of Excellence this is our heritage Greek art and thought have inspired the world since ancient times the ideals of democratic Excellence are being rediscovered now in our modern [Music] world democracy was born in the city state an organization of small independent communities whose members were so proud and capable that they demanded the right to govern themselves each city state chose its own form of government and its own way of life there were temples for worship theaters for stimulation of the Mind gymnasiums for physical fitness the center of public life was the agura or Marketplace here citizens met to debate political Affairs which were all important to them self-government proclaimed Freedom within the bounds of law this is a wall in Deli it shows that laws were written on Stone and erected in the public squares for all the citizens to read and Obey laws protecting the people were written even before the Greeks had invented the word democracy which means rule by the people the ancient Greeks observed that nature was governed by Law and Order and they wanted to apply these same principles to their daily life because rugged mountains separated the communities they were forced to become self-reliant the sea inviting travel and trade was always close by this Geographic setting encouraged Independence and Company ition as each Community was striving for excellence the stage was set for a time of [Music] greatness it was Athens Destiny to become the most brilliant of all city states no other could boast of so pure democracy So Many Men of Genius or so high a culture [Music] Athens Golden Age began with an incredible military Victory the defeat of a vastly superior Persian army resulted in a great feeling of Pride it strengthened the confidence Athenians had in their advancing democracy due to the Constitution by kones Athens had become the first state in the world where all male citizens had a voice in government it was during the Age of Pericles that democracy pervaded all forms of public life this produced the Excellence of Athenian civilization in an atmosphere of prosperity and confidence the purpose of life was to serve the city state when the Athenian youth became a citizen he took an oath I swear to leave my country not in a worse but in a better way than I found [Music] it this is the old agura the marketplace of Athens the ruins remind us of the accomplishments under Pericles every citizen was a member of the legislative assembly and received a fee for participating in civic duty with such a unique governing body there was freedom of speech and equality before the law because of economic Prosperity education and culture flourished here in the main road of the agura the statues of the Giants stood at this very spot the citizens met for debate and discussion and then moved onto a hillside to vote the will of the majority determined by a count of raised hands became the law of the city state Athenians were proud of these accomplishments they erected a monument which showed democracy honoring the people by placing a wreath on the head of a citizen all citizens regardless of class or income participated in self-government this is the historic speaker Tribune on which any member of the assembly could voice his opinion reminded of his civic duty by the inspiring sight of the Acropolis with its sacred temples it was the inspiration of Pericles to portray in Stone and Marble the ideal of Excellence only a monument far more magnificent than anything the Greeks had ever built could be a witness to this age of [Music] greatness these aspirations were carried to a logical conclusion in architecture the logic and Order sought after in philosophy and public life was also idealized in art order and balance proportion and Harmony produced a Simplicity which was based on precise mathematical and Technical knowledge the end result a style of such nobility that the world has called it classic ever since [Music] visitors still come to admire this classic harmony though broken and in ruins the paron is more than a perfect style of art its creation expressed an immense civic pride the assembly granted every year a large sum to complete its construction believing in the words of Pericles future ages will wonder at us all art sered to stimulate the mind this theater of dialysis was the drama center of Athens rows of seats were built in a semicircle around the stage with its sculptured backdrop stirring festivals took place here for song drama poetry and dance to encourage creativity festivals were held as contests a jury of citizens selected the plays to be performed and the prizes to be awarded during the Golden Age even the great playwrights escalus and Sophocles were judged in this Democratic manner the superb Acoustics the excellent Actors and The Genius of Greek playwrights made for great excitement during the 3-day drama Festival the people crowded the theaters from sunrise to sunset public affairs and business came to a standstill all festivals were competitions for divine favors to compete and to excel in any field of art literature or sport was the best way to please the gods every city participated in the athletic contests the first Olympic Games took place s centuries BC they are still an International Event there was running and jumping wrestling discus and Javelin throwing and all kinds of races the athletic games were held even in times of War fighting temporarily ceased so that athletes from all city states could compete not for material gain but for honor and fame like Homer's Heroes the winners were Larger than Life and therefore worthy of immortality this is the famous bronze charioteer of Deli his noble bearing signifies the solemn meaning of the games Heroes and gods were made Immortal in art and gods were portrayed in idealized human form Poseidon lord of wind and waves Reveals His power Apollo described by Homer as the god of song was much worshiped these are the ruins of Apollo's temple in Corinth each Temple was devoted to one deity and designed so that the exterior view was the most impressive site the largest of all was the Temple of Zeus in Athens honoring the mighty king of Gods and Men the Legendary Power of the Gods was revealed in the works of sculpture which decorated the temples this marble freeze in Deli depicts a tremendous battle in which the gods defeated an army of giants Athena Patron deity of Athens was a great warrior this reproduction of aanon freeze illustrates the legend of her birth she sprang fully armed with a triumphant Cry of Victory from Zeus's forehead all the gods were filled with awe and even the Earth trembled many of the legend have survived in the art of vase painting Greeks believe that their gods like humans laughed and suffered they were vengeful cunning and even fought with one another some historians claim that ancient Greeks were Democratic even in their religious concept gods were never truly certain of their position also their power was limited to one specific responsibility here helos who personified the sun is seen rising at dawn from the sea the demigod Hercules was the personification of physical strength and courage here he is ready to strangle the lion always Gods demanded unfailing reverence from Mortal man and urged him to strive for excellence in this life rather than being concerned with the hereafter even in the face of death Greeks prefer to think of the beauty of life as can be seen in this famous gravestone and then a tragic War changed the Greek world after a bitter struggle with her ancient rival Sparta Athens Was Defeated which brought to a close her Golden Age service to the country became less important than personal gain and the old gods in this time of change the Greeks began to suspect that perhaps they had failed only the laws of nature were [Music] unfailing tragedy which originated in ancient Greek literature became their own fate and fate decided against them their Democratic way of life did not endure though during the Golden Age men had pursued and accomplished [Music] Excellence but nothing in the history of man is ever lost each great work of art influences generations to come each Noble ideal is a seed that bears multiple fruit thousands of years hence thousands of miles away [Music]