Ancient Greece- Quiz: 2

The architectural style that emerged out of the Golden Age of Athens has been referenced again and again in the centuries that followed. Shown above is the Palace of Versailles in France, The White House in Washington DC, and the M2 Building in Tokyo, Japan. When future civilizations borrow the ________________ style of architecture, they might be doing so for a wide-variety of reasons, such as: to celebrate the humanistic and democratic values of ancient Greece to recognize the innovation, beauty, and excellence of ancient Greece to claim the imperialistic power and cultural domination associated with ancient Greece to comment on the imperialistic power and cultural domination associated with ancient Greece Often the reasons behind the references are ambiguous.

Classical

he Ancient Greek civilization reached its peak around the 5th century BCE. The Golden Age of Athens is also known as the ________________ period. During this period, there were unprecedented achievement in art, architecture, and philosophy that formed the foundation of Western civilization.

Classical

The Ancient Greek civilization reached its peak around the 5th century BCE. The Golden Age of Athens is also known as the Classical period. During this period, there were unprecedented achievement in art, architecture, and philosophy that formed the foundation of Western civilization. During this period, a sculptor named Polykleitos set out to create a life-like replica of the human body in sculptural form. In 450 BCE, he created this well-known sculpture known as Doryphorus (which is also known as Spear-Bearer). Like the Kritios Boy that came before, Doryphorus is standing in contrapposto, which is an asymmetrical arrangement of the human figure in which the line of the arms and shoulders contrasts with, while balancing, those of the hips and legs. One leg is slightly bent, which causes the hips to be slightly bent. The shoulders are moving and the arms are in motion. He's not just standing straight up and down like the kouros with his hands clenched, but rather is is actually in motion. He's taking action. The other name for this sculpture is Spear-Bearer because he was originally holding a spear. He's in a moment of action. The image above shows a marble copy of the statue made during ancient Roman times. The original sculpture (which no longer exists) was made of bronze using this lost-wax casting technique. This technique helped artists like Polykleitos create more detailed and life-like representations of the human body. Bronze also provided more tensile strength, which made it possible for the sculpture to depict his figures in motion. Doryphorus no longer has the archaic smile seen with the kouros. Instead of living in the spiritual realm, he is here on earth. This is not a grave marker like the kouros, but rather a work of art that is celebrating humanity. It's celebrating the human capacity to observe the natural world and replicate it, the foundation of what will eventually become scientific reasoning. Doryphorus is also a celebration of math. The ancient Greeks were particularly concerned with math and perfect mathematical proportions. You are probably familiar with Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the human understanding of math and music theory. For Pythagoras and the ancient Greek culture, finding patterns in numbers was seen as a way to reveal the presence of the divine. This preoccupation with numbers and perfect proportions found its way into many ancient Greek art forms, such as the Parthenon and Doryphorus. When sculping Doryphorus, Polykleitos was very concerned about creating realistic proportions of a human. He created a canon, or a set of guidelines for what he determined to be the "perfect" proportions of a man. Through his mathematical and observational approach to art, Polykleitos reflects the rise of the humanistic philosophy, which embraced human reason over spiritual intuition. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

Doryphorus has an archaic smile, just like the kouros that came before.

The ________________________, named after the sculptor who oversaw the sculptural work on the Parthenon during the Golden Age of Athens in the 5th century BCE. His distinctive style came to embody what later generations considered to be classical. The style is characterized by precise realistic representations of the human form. These idealized human figures project expressions of calm dignity. For centuries, artists have been consciously referencing this classical way of depicting the human form. Shown above is the Alba Madonna painted by Raphael in the 16th century, Death of Socrates painted by Jacques Louis David in the 18th century, and Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps painted by Kehinde Wiley in the 21st century. Artists borrow this classical aesthetic for a wide-variety of reasons: to celebrate the humanistic and democratic values of ancient Greece to recognize the innovation, beauty, and excellence of ancient Greece to claim the imperialistic power and cultural domination associated with ancient Greece to comment on the imperialistic power and cultural domination associated with ancient Greece Sometimes, the reasons behind the references are ambiguous.

Phidian Style

The Parthenon was re-constructed during the Golden Age of Athens in the 5th century BCE. The sculptor ____________________ directed the building's sculptural programs. Constructed of Pentelic marble, which changes hue from white to gold depending on the light, the Parthenon was the most elaborate Greek temple of its day. The Parthenon was a major synthesis of architecture and sculpture. The sculpted decoration of the Parthenon was unique and featured a long continuous frieze. A frieze is a a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling. The sculpture on the Parthenon came to embody what later generations considered to be classical. The Phidian style is characterized by precise realistic representations of the human form. These idealized human figures project expressions of calm dignity.

Phidias

The Ancient Greek civilization reached its peak around the 5th century BCE. The Golden Age of Athens is also known as the Classical period. During this period, there were unprecedented achievement in art, architecture, and philosophy that formed the foundation of Western civilization. During this period, a sculptor named ________________ set out to create a life-like replica of the human body in sculptural form. In 450 BCE, he created this well-known sculpture known as Doryphorus (which is also known as Spear-Bearer).

Polykleitos

The passage below is from Parthenon - Research Starter (Links to an external site.)on the PHSC Library website. Situated atop the Acropolis (high city), the Parthenon is a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos (the virgin), patron goddess of Athens. An earlier, unfinished Parthenon was destroyed in about 480 b.c.e. during the Persian invasion of Athens. In 447 b.c.e., under the direction of the statesman Pericles, the Athenians undertook a massive rebuilding project, which included razing the damaged building and constructing in its place the Parthenon that continues to grace the Athenian Acropolis. To pay for the project, Pericles used funds from the Delian League, an organization of Greek city-states formed for mutual defense in case of future invasions. In response, other Greek city-states, most notably Sparta, accused Athens of imperialism and thus began the Peloponnesian War (431-404 b.c.e.), which ended in the defeat of Athens. The architects Ictinus and Callicrates oversaw the design and construction of the Parthenon. The sculptor Phidias directed the building's sculptural programs. Constructed of Pentelic marble, which changes hue from white to gold depending on the light, the Parthenon was the most elaborate Greek temple of its day. In scale and detail, the Parthenon reflects Greek humanism. The Parthenon's simple Doric columns, typical of the Greek mainland, coupled with its elaborate Ionic elements, typical of Asia Minor, may have symbolized the dominance of Athens over all the Greek city-states, or perhaps these features represented the diverse origins of the Athenians themselves. Following the classical canon of proportions, with modules based on the human form, the Parthenon has eight columns on each end and seventeen columns along each side (x = 2y + 1). Knowing that long, straight horizontal lines appear to sag in the middle, the designers compensated for this optical illusion by incorporating a slight upward curve toward the center of every horizontal element. The architects found that sunlight shining around a column makes it appear narrower, so they made the four corner columns widest. Every column has entasis (a slight bulge in the middle), which gives it the appearance of bearing weight. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to Socrates, a a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy.

The passage below is from Democracy - Research Starter (Links to an external site.) on the PHSC Library website. Democracy is a political system based on majority rule, in which all citizens are guaranteed participatory rights to influence the evolution of government. There are many different types of democracy, based on the degree to which citizens participate in the formation and operation of the government. In a direct democratic system, citizens vote directly on proposed changes to law and public policy. In a representative democracy, individuals vote to elect representatives who then serve to create and negotiate public policy. The democratic system of government first developed in Ancient Greece and has existed in many forms throughout history. While democratic systems always involve some type of majority rule component, most modern democracies have systems in place designed to equalize representation for minority groups or to promote the development of governmental policies that prevent oppression of minorities by members of the majority. In modern democracies, one of the central principles is the idea that citizens must be allowed to participate in free elections to select leaders who serve in the government. In addition, voters in democratic systems elect political leaders for a limited period of time, thus ensuring that the leadership of the political system can change along with the changing views of the populace. Political theorists have defined democracy as a system in which the people are sovereign and the political power flows upward from the people to their elected leaders. As of the end of 2017, the Pew Research Center stated that nearly 60 percent of the world's countries were democracies. However, the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2018 Democracy Index, published a month after the Pew report, stated that there were only nineteen "full democracies" in the world, while the rest were "flawed democracies." All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

The democratic system of government first developed in the United States of America.

In 480 BCE, just before the dawn of the Golden Age of Athens in the 5th century BCE, this sculpture was created. This famous sculpture is known as The Kritios Boy. Part of why Kritios Boy is so famous is because it's the first sculpture to exhibit a sculptural technique known as contrapposto. Contrapposto describes an asymmetrical arrangement of the human figure in which the line of the arms and shoulders contrasts with, while balancing, those of the hips and legs. Notice that Kritios Boy is standing with one leg slightly bent, which is often how people stand in everyday life. The bent knee impacts the rest of the body (the hips, the shoulders, the tilt of the head, etc). All of these small adjustments make the figure look more realistic and lifelike. Unlike the kouros, which were more reflective of a spiritual realm, the Kritios Boy reflects the natural world. While the kouros look more like a stylized representation of a human, the Kritios Boy looks more like an actual human. For example, the muscles look more detailed and realistic compared to the semi-circles on the kouros. This shift in artistic technique reflects a shift in cultural attitudes that was taking place at this time in Ancient Greece and the rise of the humanistic philosophy, which embraced human reason over spiritual intuition. Kritios Boy reflects a desire to capture in stone what can be seen with the human eye. It reflects the human capacity to observe the natural world and replicate it, the foundation of what will eventually become scientific reasoning. This work of art reflects a culture that was trying to make sense of the human body as well as the human experience. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

The use of the contrapposto technique had been used for hundreds of years before the Kritios Boy was sculpted.

In order to fully understand the Golden Age of Athens in the 5th century BCE, it helps to look about a hundred years or so to the Archaic Period of ancient Greece. This statue from that period is known as the New York Kouros. It's from 590 BCE. It's called the New York Kouros because it is currently located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Kouros is a generic term used to describe this type of sculpture from Ancient Greece, a life-size representation of one male nude youth, standing with one foot forward and arms to the sides. It literally means male youth. Kouros had a very spiritual purpose for the Ancient Greek culture. These were grave markers. They were not representing any kind of real person that existed, but rather an ideal man. Commissioning a grave marker like this for a loved one was a way of honoring that person. It was also a way of connecting with the afterlife. This sculpture is viewed somewhat like a link between the material world and the spiritual world. One of the defining characteristics of kouros is the archaic smile. This expression could be described as distant, vacant, and serene. He is looking off into heaven and he's feeling really content and peaceful. Perhaps the sculptures helped bring comfort to the people left behind to know their loved one who has died is in a good place and they're feeling comfortable and peaceful. Clearly, this sculpture is reflecting a concern with spirituality. This is not a real person. He doesn't live here on the earth. He's an ideal version of a person. He's kind of this artificial creation that comes out of the imagination. How do the technical aspects of this sculpture reflect this emphasis on spirituality? First, you will notice the stylized way the features are rendered. All of the pieces of the body are represented in geometrical terms. For example, the hair is not depicted as flowing waves, but perfectly symmetrical balls. Likewise, the shoulder blades do not resemble real shoulder blades, but rather little half-moons semi-circles. These body parts are broken down into the essential geometric shapes. The body is just a little bit too symmetrical and rigid to appear naturalistic or realistic to the human eye. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

This sculpture is known as the New York Kouros because it was created in New York City.

One of the defining characteristics of kouros is the __________________. This expression could be described as distant, vacant, and serene. He is looking off into heaven and he's feeling really content and peaceful. Perhaps the sculptures helped bring comfort to the people left behind to know their loved one who has died is in a good place and they're feeling comfortable and peaceful.

archaic smile

The term _______________________refers to the philosophy that celebrates humanity, specifically the human capacity for reasoning and creativity as it was expressed in the ancient Greek and Roman culture. This time and place is sometimes referred to as antiquity or the ancient world.

classical humanism

Part of why Kritios Boy is so famous is because it is the first sculpture known to exhibit a sculptural technique known as ______________________, which is an asymmetrical arrangement of the human figure in which the line of the arms and shoulders contrasts with, while balancing, those of the hips and legs. Notice that Kritios Boy is standing with one leg slightly bent, which is often how people stand in everyday life. The bent knee impacts the rest of the body (the hips, the shoulders, the tilt of the head, etc). All of these small adjustments make the figure look more realistic and life-like.

contrapposto

The Western world's first ___________________________ had emerged in the city of Athens by the 5th century. In other words, Athens was governed by its own citizens. It's important to note that some portions of the population, such as women and slaves, did not have voting rights.

democracy

The long band of high-relief sculpture that decorates the top portion of The Parthenon is called a:

frieze

_________________ is a generic term used to describe this type of sculpture from Ancient Greece, a life-size representation of one male nude youth, standing with one foot forward and arms to the sides. It literally means male youth. The sculpture had a very spiritual purpose for the Ancient Greek culture. These were grave markers. They were not representing any kind of real person that existed, but rather an ideal man. Commissioning a grave marker like this for a loved one was a way of honoring that person. It was also a way of connecting with the afterlife. This sculpture is viewed somewhat like a link between the material world and the spiritual world.

kouros

Polykleitos sculpted Doryphorus during the Golden Age of Athens. The image above shows a marble copy of the statue made during ancient Roman times. The original sculpture (which no longer exists) was made of bronze using the ___________________ technique. This technique helped artists like Polykleitos create more detailed and life-like representations of the human body. Bronze also provided more tensile strength, which made it possible for the sculpture to depict his figures in motion.

lost-wax casting

When Polykleitos sculpted Doryphorus during the Golden Age of Athens, he was very concerned with creating a _________________ depiction of the human body. Through his mathematical and observational approach to art, Polykleitos reflects the rise of the humanistic philosophy, which embraced human reason and creativity.

naturalistic

When compared to Doryphorus and other sculptures created during the Golden Age of Athens, earlier Greek sculptures like the kouros shown above appear to be more ________________________. In other words, the human body is broken down into basic geometric shapes. This sculpture is reflecting a concern with spirituality. This is not intended to depict a real person, but rather an ideal version of a person that exists in the spiritual realm.

stylized

When Polykleitos sculpted Doryphorus during the Golden Age of Athens, he was very concerned about creating realistic proportions of a human. He created a ______________, or a set of guidelines for what he determined to be the "perfect" proportions of a man. Through his mathematical and observational approach to art, Polykleitos reflects the rise of the humanistic philosophy, which embraced human reason over spiritual intuition.

the canon