Classical Age of Greece and The Period of The Persian Discussion
Greek society and culture during its classical period.
What changes took place in Greek society and culture during its classical period? Did the concept of the hero change?
Reply:
In Classical Greek, one of the significant changes took place in the development of democracy. Unlike archaic and ancient Greece, the society was now ruled by a democracy with legislation. Power came to the people who performed justice through courts, and Pericles developed the freest government (Pg. 65 p 2). Another change is the development in art, thought and architecture. The Greeks used to value great accomplishment highly, but in classical Greece, the worry was the impact of overreaching these pride in accomplishments (Pg. 75 p 8). This can also be explained because of the many wars that Athens faced. Religion became more a matter of civic rather than private matter because participation in state religion became more about patriotism and not faith (Pg. 72 p 10). Another change is in poetry in which attic tragedy arose, a form of poetry that acted as a forum for poets raised vital issues of the day and allowed Athenians to discuss and think about them. Philosophy development is an excellent part of classical Greece in which philosophers were mainly concerned about the nature of human beings, their capacities and the limits of nature. Great developments were also made in architecture and sculpture.
In classical Greece, the hero concept developed from individual to collective, with the honor now accorded to soldiers. Before, heroes were mainly the leaders who led the war and won, but in classical Greece, the soldiers were heroes. (Pg. 68 p 1). The virtues upheld by philosophers in classical Greece were harmony, justice and order, aiming to produce good people (Pg. 63 p 6). As a hero in Greek society, Socrates was more concerned about the fate of others and society. Before, the focus was on pleasing the gods, and those who did were termed heroes and rewarded the gods’ mortality. But in classical Greece, the thought started changing; the people’s focus now became on how to live a good life (Pg. 84 p 6).
And here is the second one
There were some great changes happened during the classical period for the Greek society and culture. The ancient Greece’s classical period is a period when Greeks reached a new height in such fields as architecture, drama, art and philosophy. Athenian democracy was perfected under the Pericles’s leadership, which was the war for fighting for freedom, and Greeks would go on fighting to get rid of the rule of Persia. The classical period’s Greeks attributed prosperity and freedom to control of seas surrounding their land, because there was no navy to defeat the Persian invaders in 480 / 479 BC (p54). The ancient Greece’s classical period has produced some outstanding scientific and cultural achievements. Athens introduced the direct democratic political systems to the world. 1000 years later, the governments of western countries such as Britain, France and the United States adopted as well as adjusted such a system.
In history, great changes have taken place in the concept of heroes. In the era of invasion and uncertainty, we need the physical hero who can protect people from demons and enemies. Combat ability and combat skills are the most critical attributes.