Alexander The Great Macedonian king Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) was born to parents King Philip II and Queen Olympia. Tutored by Aristotle, the prince took charge of the Companion Cavalry at age 18 and aided Philip in defeating the Athenian and Theban armies at Chaeronea. After the death of his father, Alexander garnered the support of the Macedonian Army and eliminated his enemies to become king and leader of the Corinthian League. Alexander went on to conquer Persia and Egypt, his kingdom ranging from the Mediterranean to the border of India. Just 32 when he died from (malaria, poison, typhoid fever?) he is regarded as one of history’s brilliant military leaders and most powerful rulers. Religion Greece was a Polytheistic region …show more content…
The finest buildings the Greeks erected were their temples; and the most famous of these is the Parthenon, in Athens. The Parthenon is dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy, and western civilization,and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The temple is astronomically aligned to the Hyades. While a sacred building dedicated to the city's patron goddess, the Parthenon was actually used primarily as a treasury. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. The center of each temple was space known as the "cella". Here was located the statue if the god. In front of the cella was the porch, and both porch and cella were surrounded by a colonnade of columns. Each column was topped by a "capitals", a carved block of stone. On top of these rested the …show more content…
1200-750 BC), when they produced their greatest poet, Homer. Most modern scholars think that Homer's two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were composed around 750 BC. It was almost certainly first composed in oral form before being written perhaps a hundred years later. He was believed to be the first and greatest of the epic poets. Author of the first known literature in Europe, Homer’s importance and work has carried on to become treasured pieces of writing that will be cherished forever. Later poets included Hesiod (7th century BC), whose "Works and Days" portrays the tough life of an ordinary farmer; Sappho (6th century BC), whose love poetry uses beauty of language to explore intense personal feelings; This piece was a big step in Greek Poetry because usually poems would be about higher ranked people, like the Monarch, wealthy politicians and acclaimed Gods. Pindar came in the (late 6th century - early 5th century BC), who expressed emotion in lyrical poems praising famous athletes or gods, and mourning the dead. The Greeks were the first to pioneer the art form of drama. This had its origins in the dances and songs of sacred rites, and was always associated with religious festivals. A chorus chanting words or singing songs replaced the dancers, and originally only one solo actor stood out from the rest. Actors wore different masks to depict various standard moods or