The Classical Period
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From about _________________ centered in the region around the ________________
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Led by two distinct but related culture the Greeks and Romans (Greco-Roman)
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Guiding principles: order, reason, intellect, humanism & discipline
.

.
Greece

Few areas of human thought were not pioneered by Classical Greece:
- Drama, history, city planning, democracy, medicine, math, philosophy, etc.
-

Of the arts: most significant contributions are sculpture, architecture, & theater

.

Many Greek works of art were destroyed by early Christians for their Pagan
references, other bronzes were melted down when metals were scarce
Statuary
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.

Became increasingly accurate in the depiction of the human body.
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Poses became more naturalistic & frequently depicted everyday people
Architecture

2 Primary Style : _____________ (formal & austere) & __________ (relaxed & decorative)

Greatest building from the era, __________________ designed by Phidias is ________
Coins

Greece was first culture to use coins regularly & make them an art form

The principle of coin design established by Greece is still followed today
 –

Many survive, teach us & can be collected by
average people
Significant Works of Greek Visual Art
Charioteer of Delphi
The Parthenon
Warrior of Riace
Language Arts
Plays:

.

Usually Utilized 1 lead actor and a “chorus” to provide background & insight
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3 dominated the era, provide all significant surviving plays

__________________: most famous poet/playwright – wrote Agamemnon –
appealed to intellect – added a second & later third lead actor

__________________: contemporary of Aeschylus – wrote Oedipus – more human
and subtle than others

__________________: most realistic of Greek tragedy – deal w/ emotions not events
– wrote The Trojan Women
Fables

Brief tale that contains a moral lesson stated clearly at the end as a _____________

Use of animals as central characters w/ Anthropomorphism – use human characteristics

_______________ – considered father of the fable – Fox & the Grapes / Tortoise & the Hare
Performing Arts

The first record of Acting is from 534 BC

The Greek performer Thespis is the first known ______________

Prior to Thespis, stories were told in songs & dance or 3rd person recitals,

.

In honor of Thespis, actors today are still commonly called ___________________
The Greek / Roman Comparison

Roman arts borrowed heavily from the Greeks while they focused on powerful
government and military

.

By comparison, virtually every artistic technique used during the renaissance
1,900 years later was invented by the Greeks (except oil paint & mathematically
accurate perspective)

Greeks worshipped the aesthetic qualities of great art & wrote extensively on
artistic theory

.

The BIGGEST impact of the Romans was the ability to spread (through conquest)
and preserve the accomplishments of the Greeks
Roman Classical
Painting

Most Roman painting was done on wood panels which eventually decayed

.

The city of Pompeii, encased in lava in 79 A.D. is the source of many preserved
works of art

Often Roman painting was copied from older Greek works, or done by
immigrants from the Greek colonies.
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.

.
Architecture

It is in architecture that Roman art produced its greatest accomplishments.

It was the innovative use of concrete (invented earlier but greatly improved) that
enabled Rome’s greatest works

Roman architecture capitalized on the use of two elements: Arches & Domes

.

__________________: a temple, completed in 126 A.D. – best preserved building of
its age in the world, the dome is the original unreinforced ______________________.

_________________: an arena, completed in 80 A.D. – held over ___________– site of
gladiator fights, races, even staged naval battles, it had a retractable fabric roof

Circus Maximus: a chariot racing stadium completed around 50 B.C. held about
__________________________ spectators.
Miscellaneous

It is believed that music was an extensive part of public life, but few unique
contributions are recorded

.
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Few contributions were made in the language arts – Vergil’s Aeneid perhaps the
most significant

.

The first-ever shopping mall was built by the Emperor Trajan in Rome. It consisted
of several levels and more than _________________ stores that sold everything
ranging from food and spices to clothes
Significant Works of Roman Visual Art
Colossal head of Constantine
Pantheon
Coliseum
Trajan’s Column
Husband & Wife Portrait -Pompeii