Touring Athens During the Golden Age

Athens, Greece - The Acropolis
Touring Athens During the Golden Age

Assignments to hand in: Notes About Athens During the Golden Age & Station Notes Packet & Illustrated Scrapbook

Step 1: Introduction - Look at the following pictures and text below and complete the corresponding handout: Notes About Athens During the Golden Age.

Athens is considered one of the most important ancient Greek city-states. Known as the birthplace of democracy, Athens also gave modern society its foundations in art, literature, and philosophy. Athens is on the peninsula landmass called Attica in southeast Greece. It sits on a plain about 4 miles from the sea and is surrounded by mountains. Its location and mild Mediterranean climate allowed farmers in Athens to grow various crops. However, the land was not very fertile, and Athenians had to trade for many of their essential food items.
Greek-speaking tribes first came to Athens around 2000 B.C.E., perhaps from Asia Minor. They named the city after Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom and military victory. During the Mycenaean Period (circa 1600 - 1200 B.C.E.), Athens was a second-rank city, overshadowed by Mycenae, Thebes, and other city-states. Over the next several hundred years, Athenians resisted invading armies from other Greek city-states, and eventually united as a democracy around 500 B.C.E. During the Golden Age that followed, Athens became the center of Greek commercial and cultural power. By the late 400s B.C.E., the Athenian population numbered approximately 150,000 people.

The physical layout of ancient Athens was dominated by surrounding mountains and rocky coasts. Situated on a plain about 4 miles from the Aegean Sea, Athens was a city enclosed by defensive walls. It was close enough to the sea to have the advantages of a harbor, yet far enough from other coastal settlements to discourage sudden naval invasion. The city's location has always provided a strong defensible position, particularly because of its most prominent geographic feature - the Acropolis, or high place in the city, an oval-shaped hill of rock that rises about 300 feet above the city. Over the centuries, Athenians erected religious temples, altars, and statues at the top of the Acropolis. At its highest point stands the Parthenon, the temple of the city's special protector, or patron, the Goddess Athena. Two other important features of Athens were the Theater Dionysus on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis, and the marketplace, or Agora, located at the base of the Acropolis.
Athens was a densely populated city. Its narrow streets and alleyways were not laid out in any formal plan, and wee often dirty and crowded. Outside the center of the city were industrial suburbs. For example, the metalworking district was located on a low hill west of the Agora. The potters' quarter was located northwest of the Agora, outside of the city's gate, in an area known as the Ceramicus. The graveyards of the aristocratic families were also located at the outer edge of this neighborhood.

The Agora, or marketplace, was the center of Athenian life during much of its Golden Age. Reconstructed after the end of the Persian Wars in 479 B.C.E., the Agora contained temples, government buildings, and several columned buildings called stoas. On the walls of the most beautiful stoas, artists depicted various historical vents, such as the Battle of Marathon, and religious scenes.
On any given day the entire Agora was bustling with noisy activity. In the large, open center, merchants sold their wares - haggling with customers over the prices for everything from food, clothes, and animals to pottery, chariots, and furniture. Public officials regularly patrolled the farm stalls and craft displays to check the quality of the goods. Any merchant found to be selling inferior merchandise was fined. Beautiful public buildings and temples lined two sides of the Agora. Citizens used public buildings to debate and vote on important political issues.
The Agora also served as a place for recreation. In the afternoons, men often visited the outdoor sports complex, or gymnasium, to exercise. The gymnasium consisted of a running track, a wrestling court, fields for throwing javelin, or light spear, and discus, or flat circular plate, over long distances. There were also rooms for changing and oiling down the body. In the evenings men remained in the Agora to socialize. One popular gathering place for men was the barber shop. Greek men went there for the latest hair styles, and to pick up the latest news and gossip circulating through the busy city.

Step 2: Touring Stations of the Golden Age of Ancient Greece - Complete the Station Notes Packet by covering each Station below. Look at the visuals (mouse over each for title and click to enlarge) and read the handouts provided for each station. Follow all directions carefully!

Station A: Architecture (The Parthenon)

Informational Handout (Architecture: The Parthenon)

Station B: Commerce and Trade (Shop in the Agora)

Informational Handout (Commerce & Trade) Catalog of Athenian Goods

Station C: Drama (Theater of Dionysus)

Informational Handout (Drama) Excerpt from Hecuba by Euripides

Station D: Education (Gymnasium)

Informational Handout (Education)

Station E: Law (Pnyx)

Informational Handout (Law) Trial Against Socrates

Station F: Pottery

Informational Handout (Pottery)

Examples of Ancient Athens Pottery:

Example A: This is a Black-Figure vase dating to the mid fifth century B.C.E. It shows four men holding musical instruments including a double flute and a drum. This type of vase is called an amphora and was typically used to store grain, oil, and wine.

Example B: This is a Geometric vase dating to 760 B.C.E. The vase shows a stylized funeral scene in which funeral scene in which the deceased is lying down, surrounded by other human figures. This type of vase, called a funerary amphora, typically had a hole in the bottom so that relative of the deceased could place the vase on top of the grave and pour offerings of water or wine through the hole.

Example C: This is a Black-Figure vase dating to the late sixth or early fifth century B.C.E. The vase shows a woman drawing water at a fountain as the women behind her carry water jugs on their heads. This type of vase is called a hydria and was often used to hold water.

Example D: This is a Red-Figure vase dating to the fifth century B.C.E. It shows a groom leading a bride by the hand while another woman adjusts the bride's clothes. This type of vase is called a pynxis and was often used to store toilet articles such as women's cosmetics.

Example E: This is a Geometric vase dating to the late sixth century B.C.E. and measuring about 18 inches tall and 9 1/2 inches wide. This type of vase is called an oenochoe (pronounced EE-no-kee) and was typically used as a wine jug.

Example F: This is a Red-Figure vase dating tot he mid fifth century B.C.E. It shows several women presenting gifts to a bride on the day after her wedding. This type of vase is called a lebes gamikos and was a typical wedding fift for a wealthy bride. The bride, who is seated, holds a lebes gamikos on her lap.