European Culture An Introduction

1. European Culture An Introduction Carrie TANG 27th, Feb 2011

2. European Culture An Introduction • Greek Culture and Roman Culture • The Bible and Christianity • The Middle Ages • Renaissance and Reformation • The 17th Century • The Age of Enlightenment • Romanticism • Marxism and Darwinism • Realism • Modernism and Other Trends

3. Division OneGreek culture and Roman culture • Greek Culture • Roman Culture

4. Greek Culture • Philosophy & mythology • Aesop’s Fables • Homer’s epics • Art • Architecture • Sculpture • Athena • Constellation

5. Greek Culture • The Historical Context • Social and Political Structure • Homer • Lyric Poetry • Drama • History • Philosophy and Science • Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • Impact

6. The Historical Context • Around 1200 B.C. • The 5th century B.C. • The end of 5th century B.C. • The 2nd half of the 4th century B.C. • In 146 B.C.

7. Social and Political Structure • Democracy “the whole people” • Economy slave labour • Sports the Olympic Games

8. Homer • Homer (around 700 B.C.) • Two epics - Iliad - Odyssey

9. Lyric Poetry • Sappho woman poet, love poems • Pindar odes

10. Drama • religious festivals • open-air theaters • wearing masks • a big chorus

13. Drama • tragedy - comedy • “tragedy”：high-born people Chinese drama：the common people

14. Drama - Tragedy • Aeschylus (525-456B.C) Prometheus Bound, Persians & Agamemnon • Sophocles (496-406B.C) Oedipus the King, Electra & Antigone • Euripides (484-406B.C) Andromache, Medea & Trojan Women

15. Prometheus Bound

16. Drama • Comedy Aristophanes (about 450-380B.C.) Frogs, Clouds, Wasps, and Birds - clever parody - acute criticism - Coarse language

17. History • Herodotus (484-430 B.C.) - “Father of History”, - anecdotes digressions lively dialogue unaccurate

18. History • Thucydides (about 460-404B.C.) - accurate - imaginative - powerful

19. Philosophy and Science • Socrates (about 470-399B.C.) - founder of Western philosophy - dialectical method - executed by the government for “corrupting the youth”

20. Philosophy and Science • Plato (428B.C. – 348B.C.) - influenced by his mentor, Socrates - The Dialogues - Iealism (p27) - founder of the Academy in Athens

21. Academy in Athens

22. Philosophy and Science • Aristotle - A student of Plato - He wrote on many subjects, especially in logic and zoology. - “Father of science and knowledge”

23. Plato (right) and Aristotle (left)

24. Philosophy and Science • the differences between Aristotle and Plato A. direct observation (subjective thinking) B. realities are made up of “form” and matter (ideas were more real than the physical world) C. happiness is the aim of life (happiness is in a vulgar and low sense)

25. Philosophy and Science • Contending Schools of Thought Cynics: virtue, self-control Sceptics: doubting, questioning Epicureans: the pursuit of pleasure Stoics: believing in “duty”

26. Philosophy and Science • Science Plato Aristotle Democritus Euclid: Father of geometry (Elements) Archimedes：(Principle of the lever) - “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.”

27. “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.”- Archimedes

28. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • Architecture the Doric style - Parthenon monotonous, unadorned the Ionic style graceful, elegant the Corinthian style luxurious

29. Parthenon（438B.C.）

31. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • The Parthenon in Athens - symbol of Greek culture - nearly 2,500 years - Temple of Athena the Virgin

32. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • Architecture Doric styleIonic style Corinthian style (masculine style) (feminine style) (ornamental luxury)

33. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • Scupture Discus Thrower - beauty - strength - balance

34. Discus Thrower Myron (active 480-440 B. C.)

35. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery Venus de Milo (sculptured between 150 B.C. and 50 B.C.) - discovered in Milo in 1820 - in the Musée du Louvre - the beautiful countenance - the grace and loveliness of a female - the symbol of love and beauty

36. Venus de Milo (sculptured between 150 B.C. and 50 B.C.)

37. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery Lacoon group - scuptured in the 1st century B.C. - unearthed in Rome in 1506 - 184 centimeters high - also named “the Laocoon and his sons”

38. Lacoon group (about 125B.C.) The sculpture depicts vividly the Laocoon’s desire to save his sons, twisted bodies, the fear and pain on their faces.

39. Art, Architecture, Sculpture & Pottery • Pottery - jars and other utensils - vases

40. red-figure painting (--50B.C.)

41. Impact • Spirit of Innovation - They invented many subjects - They first wrote history - They speculated freely about the nature of the world and the ends of life

42. Impact • Supreme Achievement The Greeks achieved supreme achievements in nearly all fields of human endeavor

43. Impact • Lasting Effect - an example to understand the world - influence in literature

44. Impact Greek Philosophers Quotes • Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat. – Socrates • I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies. – Aristotle • Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil. – Plato

45. Roman Culture • Romans and Greeks • Roman History • Latin Literature • Architecture, Painting & Sculpture

46. Romans and Greeks • Common - the citizen-assembly - the religions - the Indo-European language family • Difference the Romans built up a vast empire, the Greeks didn’t.

47. Roman History • Pax Romana - 200 years’ peaceful time • Roman law - the core of modern civil and commercial law • Division of the capital - from Rome to Byzantium (Istanbul) • Deposition of the West Roman Empire - in 1453

48. Latin Literature • Prose • Poetry - profound, powerful and beautiful

49. Architecture, Painting & Sculpture • Architecture the Pantheon Pont du Gard the Collosseum • Painting • Sculpture

50. The Pantheon (built in 27B.C)