Humanities Test 1

Define what the author means by culture

"Communities left signs and symbols deep inside caves; others constructed stone sanctuaries and burial sites. The sum total of those things created and transmitted by humankind, we call culture." Cultures are depicted by the art, music, language, beliefs/religion, and writings created by communities.

Define sympathetic magic and its import

"Such rituals of 'Sympathetic Magic,' virtual hunts that included chant, mime, and dance, were believed to ensure the success of the hunt." Scholars believe "cave drawings" were rituals which were carried out by Shamans (mediators between the natural and spiritual world) before a hunt. They believed that, by drawing the hunt beforehand in the "holy caves", would ensure a successful hunt

Justice

- All harmonies based on nature - The good life - Use your reason yo better your life + world

Concept of the Soul

- Soul= Personality - Spirit, Appetite, & Reason / Reason must guide spirit and Appetite - Spirit= Drive to Action/ (Soldier) - Appetite= The desire for things of the body/ ( craftspeople artisan farmers producers) - Reason= Awareness of the good/ (philosopher King) *stability

Doctrine of the Form

- it is not material - internal, absolute - beginning to the end - changeless, will never change, an idea

Parthenon

- symbol of the golden age - The Frieze: Athenians, History and the gods

Can you seek justice without Just ?

-Just person doesn't lie, take advantage - Justice means oneself operating in one way that is just

Moral Fullness

-To be the Goal - Only way to achieve the "Good Life" is too explore yourself

Religious Systems

1) Fragmented mythology throughout city states. 2) Its intent to illuminate their own lives

Functions of Religion

1) To Control People 2) Means by which to control other people 3) Idea in each and every human being there is a quest, Metaphysical

Classical Period (480-323 B.C.)

1. Increasing realism with movement and idealism 2. Greek idealism to reflect intelligence, superiority and beauty 3. Examples A. Delphi Charioteeer B. Poseidon C. Discobolus D. Hermes with the infant Dionysus E. Parthenon

Archaic Period (700-480 B.C.)

1. Influence of the Egyptians 2. Kore and Kouros 3. Realism

Hellenistic Period (323-30 B.C.)

1. Last great period of greek art 2. More Emotion, Individualism and intensity 3. Laocoon group, old market women and nike of Samothrace

Trace the course of Athens from oligarchy to democracy

A series of enlightened rules introduced reforms from oligarchy (government controlled by an elite (upper class) minority, introduced authority to the hands of the people

The Writing of History

A) Herodotus, The Historia, and the Persian Wars B) Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War and Human Nature

Homers Odyssey: Literature as a journey

A) Life as a journey in film and novel B) Course of journey to self knowledge 1. Fall of Troy: Arrogance 2. One Eyed Cyclops: Cunning 3. Aeolus, king of winds 4. circle of sorceress 5. Charybdis and scyilla: Leadership 6. Island of calypso: Vanity 7. Land of the Phoecians 8. Penelope 9. Telemachus

Plato

A) Significance to Western Tradition B) Theory of Knowledge 1. Allegory of the cave 2. Doctrine of the form 3. Concept of the Soul: Spirit, Appetite and Reason 4. The Republic

Why did the poet Shelley proclaim "We are all Greeks"?

Because modern humankind bears the stamp of ancient Greece though influence by Hellenic notions of reason, beauty, and the good life

Define animism, polytheism, and the significance of the ziggurat

Animism - The belief that the sun, wind, and rain (forces of nature) was inhabited by living spirits........."They looked upon the forces of nature - sun, wind, and rain - as vital and alive, indeed, as inhabited by living spirits - a belief known as Animism." Polytheism - Belief in many gods. Ziggurat - "The ziggurat, a massive terraced tower made of rubble and brick, was the spiritual center of the Mesopotamian city-state. Serving as both a shrine and a temple (and possibly also a funerary site), it symbolized the sacred mountain that linked heaven and earth. Ascended by a steep stairway, it provided a platform for sanctuaries dedicated to the local deities honored by priests and priestesses."

For Aristotle how do you achieve happiness? What is the Golden Mean and meant by the search for moderation and balance?

Aristotle says happiness lies in fulfilling one's unique function. Ideal conduct, suggests Aristotle, lies in the Golden Mean - the middle ground between any two extremes of behavior.

What is the difference between the method of representation that is conceptual and perceptual?

Conceptual - "Spatial depth is indicated by placing one figure above the next, often in horizontal registers, or rows." - Artwork is driven by concepts and ideals rather than by realism. Perceptual - "Their love for realistic detail is evident, for example, in the hunting scene from the tomb of Neb-amen at Thebes, where fish and fowl are depicted with such extraordinary accuracy that individual species of each can be identified." - Artwork is driven by how the creator perceives the scene that is being depicted...which in return gives an emphasis on realism. Difference - Conceptual representation focuses on conveying an idea or concept through the artwork. Perceptual representation focuses on realism and how we perceive the world around us.

What were the priorities of the naturalist philosophers such as Thales, Heraclitus, Democritus, Pythagoras and Hippocrates?

Concerned with describing physical reality of unity behind the chaos of human perspective. These intellectuals laid the groundwork and the methodology for the rational investigation of the universe.

How does democracy encourage individualism and freedom?

Democracy allows its citizens to get involved and become educated in its government This involvement and education gives people the freedom to give their opinions in what they feel is right and therefore creates a sense of individualism

How does Pericles describe the greatness of Athens?

Describes the Athenian citizen as the greatest kind of person Links together the values of humanism and individualism to the civic patriotism of the Athenians Describes the Athenians to have great adaptability and power

What is the importance of the battles of Marathon and Salamis?

Displayed Greece's military power and intellect against the once feared Persian Empire Also shows the power of Greece to become unified and work together in order to be successful

Why is the "uniform religious, political, and cultural life" important to the Egyptian long lived culture?

Egypt was invulnerable to foreign invasion due to its location Therefore lasted three thousand years and was able to develop Shared a common language and world view

What is the importance of the epic poem and in particular the significance of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Epic Poem - Was the world's first literary epic. Epic of Gilgamesh - "...is important not only as the world's first epic poem, but also as the earliest known literary work that tries to come to terms with death or nonbeing. It reflects the profound human need for an immortality ideology - a body of beliefs that anticipates the survival of some aspect of the self in a life hereafter."

Define naturalism

Fidelity to nature a style and theory of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail

What was the importance of agriculture and the myths that surrounded its development?

Food production freed people from a nomadic way of life."....."The transition from the hunting-gathering phase of human subsistence to the agricultural-herding phase was a revolutionary development in human social organization because it marked the shift from a nomadic to a sedentary way of life." "The overwhelming evidence of female statuettes found in many Neolithic graves suggests that the cult of the Earth Mother may have become important in the transition from good-gathering to food-production, when fertility and agricultural abundance were vital to the life of the community.

Define how humanism, realism and idealism are hallmarks of Greek art.

Greek art is said to be humanistic not only because it observes fundamental laws derived from the human physique, but because it focuses so consistently on the actions of human beings. Greek art is realistic, that is, faithful to nature; but it refines nature in a process of idealization, that is, the effort to achieve a perfection that surpasses nature.

Identify the content of the Hammurabi's Law Code and its importance in the development of human rights

Hammurabi's Code - a collection of 282 clauses engraved on a 7-foot high stele - is our most valuable index to life in ancient Mesopotamia. represents a landmark advance in the development of human rights in that it protected the individual from the capricious decisions of monarchs. Unwritten law was subject to the hazards of memory and the eccentricities of the powerful. Written law, on the other hand, permitted a more impersonal/objective/impartial kind of justice than did oral law. It replaced the flexibility of the spoken word with the rigidity of the written word...Ultimately, recorded law shifted the burden of judgment from the individual ruler to the legal establishment...it safeguarded the basic values of the community

Why is it important that Herodotus "established a boundary between myth and history?

Herodotus sometimes called father of history Gives historians a view into more than just the myths believed by the cultures in that time period and actually shows some of things that occurred The Persian wars" also remains significant as the Western world's first major work in prose

Describe the Mycenaean civilization.

Militant and aggressive people who's warships challenged other traders for control Constructed heavily fortified citadels and walls;considered "cyclopean walls" Stonemasons buried rulers in beehive shaped tombs Attacked troy in 10 year war providing context for Iliad and part of the odyssey

What are the characteristics of Hellenistic Age art?

More emotion, individualism, and intensity. Examples: Market woman (old age, worn, tired, exhausted right after war), Nike (a sense of boldness, movement, looks like she is about to fly. Queen of Victory), Laocoon (Trojan priest, sense of fear, despair, sense of drama)

What are the characteristics of Hellenistic art? How are those characteristics revealed in the Head of Alexander, Apollo Belvedere and Laocoon and His Sons?

More emotion, individualism, and intensity. Head of Alexander manifests the new effort to capture fleeting mood and momentary expression. Apollo Belvedere is a landmark example of the new sensuousness in this male nude. Laocoon and His Sons introduced new carving techniques that produced dynamic contrasts of light and dark, dramatic displays of vigorous movement, and a wide range of expressive details.

Describe the emphasis the Egyptians placed upon death and its importance to art, architecture and religion.

Most of the art we've found is believed to be created for the purpose of guiding the dead to eternity. The pyramids were created as tombs - to house the Pharaoh's as they travel from the living to the dead. The Egyptians "believed that political power was linked to spiritual power and superhuman might. They held that divine power flowed from the gods to their royal agents...They believed that on his death, the pharaoh would join the sun to govern Egypt eternally.

What are the characteristics of Classical Period art? Pay particular attention to the Zeus, Kore from Chios, Discobolus, Aphrodite of Knidos and the Parthenon and how they emphasize the balance of extremes.

Natural position of the human body: The human torso turns on the axis of the spine, and the weight of the body shifts from equal distribution on both legs to greater weight on the left leg - a balanced opposition that is at once natural and graceful. The new poised stance, with a complete mastery of human anatomy and proportion. Greek idealism to reflect intelligence, superiority and beauty

Identify the contributions of the Persian Empire

Persian craftsmen brought to perfection the art of METALWORKING: their UTENSILS and JEWELRY display some of the most intricate techniques of GOLDWORKING in the history of the medium. Persia's powerful monarchs, aided by efficient administrators, oversaw a vast network of ROADS that aided in operating an imperial POSTAL SYSTEM. The Persians devised a MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster....would come to influence the evolution of three great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

What is the two level reality of Plato? What is Platonic idealism? Outline the allegory in the "Allegory of the Cave"? What is the role of law and the guardian in the community?

Plato asks two central questions: "What is the meaning of justice?" and "What is the nature of a just society?" Two level reality: one consisting of constantly changing particulars available to our senses, the other consisting of unchanging eternal truths understood by way of the intellect. Plato's idealism - the theory that holds the reality lies in the realm of unchanging Forms, rather than in sensory objects. Those who have most fully recovered a knowledge of the Forms are obliged to act as "king-bees" in the communal hive.

The Republic

Plato is coming to truth with the self

The Rise of Greek Civilization: Polis/Oikus

Polis: City/State... A reflection of order Oikus: order through the family

Identify those ideas central to the Greek experience that are revealed in the Iliad and the Odyssey making those epic poems the "national" poems.

Reinforced ideas of Greeks interest in humanistic features and emotions as well as the influence of the gods Homer represents the culmination of a long tradition of oral recitation

What was the impact of geography upon the evolution of the independent Greek city-state? What separated the city-states? What bound them together?

Rocky terrain with mountains, rivers , valleys, etc. made travel and trade difficult Therefore encouraged the evolution of independent city-states All Greek city-states(also called polis) shared the same language, traditions, and religion Polis however had its own government, own coinage, and provided its own military defenses Fostered fierce competition however united when confronted with non-Greek issues such as the persians

The Golden Age (460-430 B.C. Age of Pericles)

Search for order through knowledge: 1) Existence can be ordered and controlled using reason 2) Individuals achieve order through knowledge of the world and, most importantly, of the self 3) Understanding the self in relationship to others 4) Life as Equilibrium where "Nothing in excess": Self Discipline

The focus of our examination of greek culture has been to explore their extraordinary preoccupation with celebrating a broad definition of what it means to be human... A quest for "self knowledge". Describe how that quest for self knowledge is revealed in their: Polis/Oikus Religious Systems Historiography: Writings of Herodotus and Thucydides Homer's Odyssey Sculpture & Architecture Writing of Plato

Self knowledge word refers to know yourself or to gather the information about yourself. it is also called "Know Thyself". it's also considered as a highest knowledge form. Oikos refers the family, family property and the house. house and other properties are transferred from one generation to another, like this process we can also transfer our knowledge to another generation if one person transferred our knowledge to his son or his daughter or other generation which is gained by his experience then that knowledge will increased by his next generation. Religious system includes beliefs , ceremonies, and rules which are used by people to worship the god. if we analyse them we can know the real reason behind these beliefs or ceremonies. its a part of to knowing yourself by using of religious beliefs. Historiography mainly refers about writing of history, history affected all of us. if we analyze it and interpreting it also by the history books and we tried to understand its effect on our present life then we can understand about our nature, origin, and culture as well as. in lastly, we will know about our self. Odyssey refers the ancient poem, poems of any era represents that time consequences and conditions by emotions, abhor, or anger of the poet. sometimes poems show us mirror image of us. at this time we can know about our quality, our weakness. Sculpture refers the three dimensional work of art and architecture refers the design of building. if we know about yourself then we can complete our work with more efficiency and more accurately because that time we know our strength and weakness. it will give us accuracy to our work in three dimension and designing of the building. Plato said that to knowing yourself exactly what self control is. he compared self knowledge with self control. according to him, self knowledge is directly related to the acknowledgement.

How do the Hellenistic schools of thought emphasize the individual rather that the quest for universal truth?

Skeptics- argued for the suspension of all intellectual judgement Cynics- held that spiritual satisfaction was only possible if one renounced societal values, conventions, and material wealth. Epicureans- taught that happiness depended on avoiding all forms of physical excess; they valued plain living and the perfect union of body and mind Stoics- to bring the individual will into complete harmony with the will of nature, which they believed was governed by an impersonal intelligence

What were the important advances in technology developed by the Paleolithic people and the purpose(s) of that technology?

Technology: "The earliest Paleolithic tools and weapons, found in Africa and East Asia, included cleavers, chisels, spears, harpoons, hand-axes, and a wide variety of choppers." - Landmarks in Humanities Purpose(s): "The making of tools-humankind's earliest technology-was prehistoric peoples' primary act of extending control over nature and a fundamental example of problem-solving behavior."

Platonic Virtues

Temperance, courage, wisdom = Justice =What is the "Good Life" = To choose the right moral

What was the influence of iron upon society?

The combination of war chariots and iron weapons gave the Hittites clear military superior over all of Mesopotamia. Iron tools contributed to increased agricultural production, which in turn supported an increased population. In the wake of the Iron Age, numerous small states and vast empires came to flower.

How does Greek drama address "the dynamic relationship between the individual, the community and the gods."?

The literary genre that tells a story through the imitation of action. Recitation and chant, music, seance, and mime animated the enactment of myths that celebrated rites of passage or marked seasonal change. Ceremonial drama was designed to bring about favorable results in warfare, farming, and in ensuring the survival of the community.

What are the virtues of the Athenian citizen according to Pericles?

The state is the most important thing for an Athenian and shall not be neglected Actually use wealth instead of simply talking about it Power to adapt when necessary

Describe the influence of the Sophists.

They turned their attention from the world of nature to the world of the mind, from physical matters to moral concerns, and from the gathering of information to the cultivation of wisdom. Argued that truth and justice were relative: What might be considered just and true for one individual or situation might not be just and true for another

Describe how Thucydides defined history in the History of the Peloponnesian War.

Thucydides went beyond merely recording the events to instead provide insights into why as well as firsthand assessment of the consequences His terse graphic descriptions and detached analysis of events differ from Herodotus style

How does tragedy deal the relationship between events in one's life and character?

Tragedy deals not so much with catastrophic events as with how these events work to affect individuals in shaping their character and in determining their fate. The protagonist becomes a tragic hero not because of what befalls him, but rather as a result of the manner in which he confronts his destiny.

Why is the Parthenon "symbolic of Greek achievement"?

Unites balance, regularity and geometric simplicity in harmonious design known to Classical style Serves as a reference and foundation of many of the buildings still seen present day

What is meant by Socrates' quest for virtue? Define the psyche, dialectical method and inductive reasoning. How does discourse humanize the individual?

Virtue was a condition of the psyche, the seat of both the moral and intellectual faculties of the individual. Understanding the true meaning of virtue was preliminary to acting virtuously: To know good was to do good. Pursued "What is the greatest good?" Socrates employed a rigorous question and answer technique known as the dialectical method. The process of his analysis moved from specific examples to general principles, and from particular to universal truths, a type of reasoning known as inductive. One must be just before he can act with justice

What is the importance of cultural commonalities (such as writing, a focused spiritual quest and technology) in creating a sense of community?

We need one another to survive and thrive. We cannot go about our life alone. When you have things in common it makes it easier to connect with one another. When people share the same commonalities, it is easier to create a stable community because they all can come to agreement on things to maintain order

Describe the network of Greek gods

Zeus(lightning) and Hera are the ruling deities Poseidon(sea), Apollo(light,medicine and music), Dionysus(wine and vegetation), Athena(wisdom and war), Aphrodite(love,beauty and precreation)

Define the empirical method

a method of inquiry dependent on direct experience

Courage

being brave, understanding the dangers and going forward self control

Temperance

discipline/ your appetite discipline oneself quality we all strive for

Describe the human quest for balance or equilibrium in relationship to the world of nature.

equal, Balance, ones personal life,

Describe the Minoan civilization

flourished around 2000 and 1400 bce until it was absorbed or destroyed by the Mycenaeans Absence of defensive walls suggested sense of security Ritual game prefigures the modern bullfight Earthquake brought devastation to Minoan civilization

Utopia

perfect society

What are the characteristics of archaic art?

reflects increasing refinements to realism and idealism: All imperfections (wrinkles, warts, blemishes) have been purged in favor of a radiant flawlessness

wisdom

the application of our intellect