Ancient Greece, which covers the VIII-VI centuries. BC e., served as the beginning the most important stage in the history of this state. Over all three centuries - in a short period, in general - Greece has moved far ahead in its development and has overtaken many countries and states of the Ancient East, which developed quite quickly. Ancient Greece of the archaic period was a place of awakening of spiritual forces after four centuries of stagnation in development. This time was the heyday of creative activity.

Revival of former greatness

During the archaic period in Ancient Greece, such types of art as architecture, painting, and monumental sculpture were revived. The most talented sculptors built the first Greek temples from marble and limestone, which have survived to this day. During the archaic period, sculpture in Ancient Greece experienced an unprecedented rise. It is at this time that they appear timeless works art. Monumental sculptures are created from marble and bronze. It was during the archaic period in Ancient Greece that the famous works Homer and Hesiod, which amaze with their depth. Also worth noting are the striking poems of Archilochus, Alcaeus and Saffo, written at this time. The literature of the archaic period of Ancient Greece is still published and translated in almost all countries. Famous philosophers to this day: Thales, Anaximenes and Anaximander wrote their philosophical works, giving answers to questions about the origin of the universe and the world.

Art

The archaic period in the history of Ancient Greece, especially the unprecedented rise Greek culture in the VIII-VI centuries. BC e., was due to the Great Colonization taking place at that time. She brought Greece out of the state of isolation in which it remained after the Mycenaean culture ceased to exist. Another feature of the archaic period in the history of Ancient Greece is the interchange of cultures between Hellas and the Ancient East. The Phoenicians introduced writing and the alphabet into ancient Greek culture, which in Greece was made even more convenient by introducing vowels. It was from this moment that the culture of writing and speech began to develop, alphabets began to appear, including Russian. The Syrians told and showed the Greeks many new things, for example, a method of processing sand into glass, and also showed how to make paint from shells. The Greeks adopted the basics of astronomy and geometry from the Egyptians. During the archaic period of Ancient Greece, the sculpture of the Egyptians had a strong influence on the Greek art that was just beginning to emerge. The Lydians also had a huge influence on Greece - it was thanks to them that the Greeks learned to mint coins.

Despite the fact that many elements of Greek culture were borrowed from other cultures, Greece still remained a distinctive country.

Colonization

Colonization made the then numerous Greek people more mobile and ready for change. Now every person could self-realize, regardless of gender, accordingly, society became more developed and progressive, and many new phenomena appeared. In short, art in the archaic period of Ancient Greece is not the only thing that received an incredible degree of development. Now navigation and maritime trade are coming to the fore and moving the country forward. Initially, most of the colonies that were on the periphery became largely dependent on their metropolises. But over time, this situation changed.

Export

Residents of many colonies experienced an acute shortage of even the most necessary things. For example, wine and olive oil, which the Greeks loved so much, did not end up in the colonies at all. Huge ships delivered tons of wine and oil to many countries. The metropolises exported not only food to the colonies - they supplied pottery and other household utensils, various fabrics, weapons, jewelry, and so on. Of course, I really like these items local residents, and they exchange them for grain, livestock, slaves and non-ferrous metals. Simple crafts from Greece, of course, did not immediately compete with Phoenician souvenirs, which were hunted by merchants around the world. Despite this, there was a huge demand for them where Phoenician ships did not reach - the Black Sea region, Thrace, and the Adriatic.

Progress

However, despite the fact that crafts and art objects from the archaic period of Ancient Greece are significantly inferior in quality to goods eastern origin, the Greeks managed to establish mass production and sell their goods even in the “promised land” for all traders - Sicily.

Colonies gradually become the most important centers of industry and trade between many developed countries antiquities. And in Greece itself, the centers of economic and trade development are the so-called policies, with the help of which the management of the colonization movement becomes more convenient. The largest and most developed of them are Corinth and Megara in the Northern Peloponnese, Aegina, Samos and Rhodes in the Aegean archipelago, Miletus and Ephesus on the western coast of Asia Minor.

Changes in society and craft

Gradually, markets began to appear in the colonies, which served as a powerful impetus for the development and improvement of crafts, agriculture, art and architecture in Ancient Greece of the Archaic period, briefly described above. Craftsmen from Greece are making significant progress and equipping their workshops with last word technology of that time. Analyzing the characteristics of the archaic period of Ancient Greece, we can say that it was the most fruitful period for the country in every sense. Consider such innovations as the invention of new methods of soldering iron or the improvement of bronze casting! Greek ceramics of the 7th-6th centuries. BC e. amazes the imagination with its luxury and abundance of forms, diversity decoration. Particularly noteworthy are the most beautiful vessels made by the hands of talented Corinthian craftsmen, on which there is painting in the oriental style. It can be distinguished by the colorfulness and incredible whimsicality of its ornate patterns, which are reminiscent of designs on oriental carpets. Also worth noting are vases in the black-figure style, which were produced mainly in the Athenian and Peloponnesian city-states. The clay products of Greek potters and bronze casters indicate not only that division of labor was practiced in Greece at that time, but also that responsibilities were shared even within a particular industry. The culture of the archaic period of Ancient Greece experienced incredible growth.

Separation of crafts from agriculture

Most of the ceramic products exported by Greece abroad were made in special workshops experienced craftsmen and vase painters. Numerous artisans are no longer alone without rights and freedoms. The time has already passed when they did not even have permanent place residence. Now they are a very significant and influential class of the population. The quality of the products they made became increasingly higher, as did the prices for the work of the craftsmen. Entire neighborhoods appeared where artisans of a certain profession lived. In one of major cities called Corinth from the 7th century. BC e. there was a so-called quarter of pottery masters - Keramik. In the capital of Greece, Athens, a similar area, located in an impressive part of the city, appeared in the 6th century. BC e. These historical facts indicate that during the archaic period in Greece a fundamentally new period of development of the state began: craft became a separate species activity and completely separated from agriculture as a separate, completely abstract part of production and activity. Fundamental changes were not spared in agriculture, which now had to take into account not only the needs of the community, but also market demand. Now the market dictates the rules for all branches of production. The first beginnings of entrepreneurship also appeared among farmers - those who had boats brought their goods to the markets of nearby cities. They did not travel along the road because there were many more robbers and robbers with the development of trade. Since grain crops were poorly received in Greece, they mainly cultivated grapes and olives, because delicious Greek wine and high-quality olive oil were in incredible demand in the East. Eventually, the Greeks realized that it was much cheaper to import grain from abroad than to grow it at home.

Government structure and political system of the archaic period of Ancient Greece

Most, excluding numerous colonies, emerged from centralized settlements of the Homeric era - poleis. However, the archaistic and Homeric policies are absolutely different concepts. They differed quite significantly: the polis of the Homeric era was simultaneously a city and a village, since there were no other settlements that could compete with it. The archaic polis, on the contrary, was a kind of capital of a small state, which, in addition to itself, included small villages (Greek comas), located on the outskirts of the territory of the polis and dependent on it both politically and economically.

Architecture

Please note that the archaic policies became much larger than the policies built in the era of Homer. There were two reasons for this: natural population growth and the unification of several villages into one Big city. This phenomenon is called synoikism; the unification took place in order to repel neighboring hostile villages and towns. Despite unprecedented progress, truly big cities It hasn't happened in Greece yet. The largest policies were settlements with a population of several thousand people. On average, the population did not exceed a thousand people. A clear example of a typical Greek archaic polis is ancient Smyrna, recently discovered by archaeologists. A significant part of it was located on a peninsula that blocked the entrance to a deep bay where numerous ships were moored. The central part of Smyrna was surrounded by a protective fence made of bricks on a stone plinth. There are numerous gates and viewing platforms in the wall. All residential buildings were parallel to each other. Of course, several temples were built in the city. The residential buildings were very spacious and comfortable; the houses of wealthy citizens even had terracotta baths.

Agora

The heart of the archaic city was the so-called agora, where citizens gathered and lively trade was conducted. Basically, the city residents spent everything free time Here. You could sell your goods and purchase the necessary products, find out important city news, take part in affairs of national importance and simply communicate with the townspeople. Initially, the agora was an ordinary open square without any buildings. Later, wooden steps appeared there, on which people sat during events. As the Archaic period came to an end, fabric canopies began to be hung over the steps, designed to protect people from the heat and sun. On weekends, idle people and traders of various small goods liked to settle down on them. They built on or near the agora government agencies: bouleuterium - city council (boule), prytaneum - the place where members of the ruling board of prytane sat, dicastery - courthouse. It was on the agora that city residents could familiarize themselves with new laws and decrees, which were put on public display.

Sports competitions

Athletic competitions have been a significant part of Greek life since ancient times. From time immemorial, in ancient Greek cities, areas for strength exercises were built. They were called palestras and gymnasiums. Every self-respecting young man spent most of his time training. Sports disciplines include running, freestyle wrestling, fist fighting, jumping, javelin and discus throwing. Every major holiday in the polis was accompanied by sports competition called agon, in which all freeborn citizens of the policy, as well as guests from other countries who received an invitation to the holiday, could take part.

Some agons earned particular popularity among the people and gradually became intercity pan-Greek festivals. It was from there that the tradition of organizing the Olympic Games began, in which people came from even the most distant colonies to participate. Prepared to participate in Olympic Games ah just as seriously as military action. Each policy considered it a matter of honor to win the event. Joyful fellow citizens bestowed truly royal privileges on the winner of the Olympic Games. In some cases, it was necessary to dismantle a huge city wall in order for the triumphal column of the winner to solemnly enter the city: the townspeople believed that a person of such rank could not pass through an ordinary gate.

These are the moments that formed the life of an ordinary resident of the ancient Greek polis of the archaic era: trade and purchases in the agora, resolution of issues of national importance at a national assembly, participation in religious ceremonies of various kinds, exercises and training in gymnasiums and palaestras and, of course, participation in the Olympic Games. games.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE MOSCOW REGION

MOSCOW STATE REGIONAL UNIVERSITY

Historical and Philological Institute

FACULTY OF HISTORY, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW

Department of History of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages

Coursework on the topic:

Greece in the archaic era and its influence on the world.

Completed by: Klimenko I.E.

2nd year student d/o

Scientific adviser:

Ph.D., Associate Professor A.S. Klemeshov

Moscow 2014

Introduction……………………………………………………………... 3

Writing………………………………………………………….. 7

Poetry……………………………………………………………………………… 7

Religion and philosophy……………………………………………………………. 10

Architecture and Sculpture……………………………………………………………13

Vase painting………………………………………………………15

Greek alphabet……………………………………………………..15

Olympic Games………………………………………………………18

Historiography…………………………………………………………. 21

Mathematics…………………………………………………………….. 23

Theater………………………………………………………………………………………23

Coins…………………………………………………………………………………..24

Conclusion

List of references

Introduction

Archaic period in Greek history(8-5 BC) - a term adopted among historians since the 18th century. Appeared during the study of Greek art and originally belonged only to the times of the Dark Ages and classical Greece. Later, the term “archaic period” was extended not only to the history of art, but also to the social life of Greece, since during this period, following the “dark ages,” a significant expansion of political theory began, the rise of democracy, philosophy, theater, poetry, and the revival of written language. language (the emergence of the Greek alphabet to replace that forgotten during the “Dark Ages” Linear B).

This era became a time of rapid and active development of Ancient Greece, during which all the necessary conditions and prerequisites were made for the future amazing takeoff and prosperity. Profound changes are taking place in almost every area of ​​life. Over the course of three centuries, ancient society made a transition from village to city, from tribal and patriarchal relations to relations of classical slavery.

The city-state, the Greek polis, became the main form of socio-political organization of public life. Society, as it were, tries all possible forms of government and government (i.e., such a search for a political institution) - monarchy, tyranny, oligarchy, aristocratic and democratic republics.

The rapid development of agriculture leads to the release of people, which activates the growth of handicrafts in the country. Since this does not solve the “employment problem,” the colonization of neighboring and distant lands, which began in the Achaean period, is intensifying, as a result of which Greece is expanding territorially to enormous proportions. The economic surge contributes to an increase in the market and trade operations, whose main support is monetary circulation system. Appeared coinage, which accelerated these processes.

There have been great achievements and victories in the formation of spiritual culture. An absolute role in its development was played by the emergence alphabetic letter, which became the main achievement of the culture of archaic Greece. It was made on the basis of Phoenician writing and is surprisingly simple and accessible, which made it possible to create an extremely effective education system, thanks to which ancient Greece there were no illiterate people, which was also a huge success.

During the archaic period, the main ethical standards and values ancient society, in which the main thing is a sense of collectivism, combined with an agonistic (competitive) principle, with the formation of individual and personal rights, and the spirit of freedom. Patriotism and citizenship play a special role. Protecting one's policy began to be considered the highest honor of a citizen. At the same time, the symbol of a person in whom spirit and body are in harmony is also born.

The incarnation of this image was influenced by those that arose in 776 BC. Olympic Games. They took place every four years in the city of Olympia and lasted for five days, during which a “sacred peace” was observed, stopping all military actions. Those who took 1st place at the games enjoyed great success and received significant social guarantees (tax exemption, lifelong pension, permanent seats in the theater and at holidays). The winner of the games three times ordered his statue from a famous sculptor and placed it in the sacred grove surrounding the main shrine of the city of Olympia and all of Greece - the Temple of Zeus.

In the archaic era, such symbols of ancient culture arose as philosophy And spider. Their father was Thales, for whom they are not yet strictly separated from each other and are within the framework of a single natural philosophy. One of the founders ancient philosophy and philosophy in general as a science is also the legendary Pythagoras, whose science takes the form mathematics, already has a completely independent meaning.

The real flourishing in this era occurs in poetry. The greatest monuments Homer's epic poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" became part of ancient literature. A little later, Homer was created by another famous Greek poet, Hesiod. His poems "Theogony", i.e. the genealogy of the gods, and the “Catalog of Women” complemented the work of Homer, and ancient poetry acquired its classic, ideal image.

Among other poets, the works of Archilochus, the founder of lyric poetry, deserve special mention; his poems are filled with personal suffering and experiences, combining the difficulties and hardships of life. This also includes the work of the lyricist Sappho, the great ancient poetess from the island of Lesbos, who experienced the feelings of a loving, jealous and suffering woman. The work of Anacreon, who glorified everything beautiful: beauty, feelings, joy, passion and fun of life, had a great influence on European and Russian poetry, in particular on A.S. Pushkin.

Artistic culture reaches a high level in the archaic era. At this time it develops architecture, standing on two types of order - Doric and Ionic. The leading type of construction is the sacred temple as the abode of God. The temple of Apollo in Delphi becomes the most famous and revered. There is also monumental sculpture - first wooden and then stone. Two types are most popular: a naked male statue, known as a kouros (the figure of a young athlete), and a draped female statue, an example of which was the kora (an upright girl).

The main elements of the urban structure of the Archaic period were the acropolis (sanctuary) and agora ( shopping mall), there were residential areas of houses around. The main place in the development of cities was occupied by temples, which were first built from mud brick and wood, then from limestone, and from the end of the 6th century. BC. - made of marble. An architectural order was created in its Doric and Ionic variants. The harsh, somewhat ponderous Doric style is characterized by a strict, geometrically correct capital columns. In the Ionic, more magnificent style, the column acts not only as a support, but also as a decorative element; it is characterized by a capital with curls - volutes, a more complex base, and is much more elegant than a Doric column. Among the buildings of the Doric order, the most famous were the Temple of Hera in Olympia, and the Ionic order - the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

During the archaic period, a synthesis of architecture and sculpture occurs - the outside of the temples is decorated with reliefs, and statues of the deity to whom the temple is dedicated are placed inside. The figures depict not only gods, but also mythical heroes (Hercules, Perseus, etc.). Greek ceramics from the Archaic era amazes with its richness and variety of forms, and the beauty of its style. Particularly notable are the Corinthian vases painted in the so-called orientalizing style, i.e. oriental style, which is distinguished by the beauty and whimsy of pictorial decoration, and Attic black-figure and later red-figure vases depicting the everyday life of people. A peculiar archaic culture laid the foundation for the flourishing of classical culture, which played such a significant role in the development of world civilization. Typical examples created by sculptors of that time were sculptures of naked young men - kouros and chastely draped girls - kora. The faces of the sculptures had individuality (“Cleobis and Biton” by Polymedes), the poses were given staticity, intense restraint, nobility and majesty. In the VI century. BC. temple decorations appeared. The motives for the created compositions were traditional, artistically modified myths, historical events described by Homer and their participants. Shade played a big role in sculpture. Individual parts of the kouros' body and clothing were painted. Sometimes precious stones were inserted into the eye sockets. In vase paintings in the 6th century. BC. the black-figure style (founder Exekius) is known - black varnish was applied to red clay, as well as the red-figure style (founder Epictetus) - painted ceramics, in which the images remained in the color of baked clay, and the background of the vessel was covered with black varnish. The approach to the second style had artists turning to dissimilar everyday subjects (“The Girl Heading to the Bath” from the masterful work of Euphronius

Religion. The Greek religion still played a connecting role in society. The image of Apollo in Delphi played an important meaning. This cult of the Delphic sacred college in the Greek state was very large, but had a purely cultic character, since the priests did not participate in public administration. In the policies, elected priests were in charge of sacraments and rituals, while at the same time providing religious education to citizens. The cults of Dionysus and Demeter played an important role in Greek religion.

The purpose of the course work is to show how the world has changed with the archaic, how the archaic has contributed to the development of art and how the whole world has changed with it, having gone through the path of experiments both in mathematics and in philosophy and in art too.

The Rhaic period is not separated from the Homeric period by a sharp chronological boundary: its beginning is determined approximately by the 8th century, the end by the beginning of the 5th century, sometimes by the end of the 1st quarter of the 5th century. Historical background period was the Great Greek Colonization, which expanded the boundaries of the world known to the Greeks. In the archaic era, lyric poetry arose and flourished (Sappho 29, Alcaeus, Alcman, Ibycus, Anacreon and many others), epic poetry continued to develop, and special genre historiography (logographer Hecataeus of Miletus), the first playwrights appeared (Thespis, etc.), the very system of dramatic theatrical performance was formed.

A characteristic feature of the Greek archaic culture and the entire Greek civilization as a whole becomes agonistic thirty . Competitiveness permeates all areas of Greek activity: from sports, music, theater, poetry competitions to competition in the field of art, which has an undoubted impact on the ever-accelerating development and change in all branches of knowledge and experience among the Greeks 31 .

In the archaic period, philosophy was born - Pythagoras was the first to call himself a philosopher 32. The greatest philosophers, or rather sages in the ancient sense, were representatives of the Milesian (Ionian) school, Thales, Heraclitus, etc. At the same time, the concept of a philosophical school arose, transmitting and developing the tradition from its founder: the very development of philosophical schools gradually became one from the cores connecting Greek thought until the end of ancient civilization itself. For Greek art, this is an era of discovery: innovations in architecture, sculpture and painting determined the appearance of Greek culture as a whole. Never again has Greece known so many art schools, paths, richness, diversity and originality of searches. In the 7th-6th centuries.

In Greek ceramics, stylistically very diverse, in the 8th century. The so-called Orientalizing (Eastern) manner, which is influenced by a strong Middle Eastern influence, is widespread. In the 7th century Athenian black-figure vase painting acquires a dominant position, and when the Athenian ceramists (Andocides) move into the middle. 6th century BC e. to the red-figure technique, this step is decisive for all Greek territories.

IN

Greek classics

The political background of the flourishing of culture and art in the classical era, a kind of analogue of it, was the flourishing of the democratic city-states of Greece (for example, Athens during the reign of Pericles 33).

In the 5th century Greece survived the worst wars in its history and came under the rule of a stronger and politically unified Macedonia.

who first depicted pain and suffering on

human face

e. The famous theater buildings of Greece are created - the Theater of Dionysus in Athens and the Theater in Epidaurus.

L

Thucydides

- author of the history of the Peloponnesian War. In the field of philosophy 5–4 centuries. BC e. - the time of its true and great flourishing, the expansion of the activities of philosophical schools (Socrates 34, Plato 35 - founder of the Academy, Aristotle 36 - founder of the Lyceum 37 and the Peripatetic school, etc.). With the history of Greece archaic period (VIII–VI centuries BC) there are several major problems: the first is colonization Mediterranean and Black Seas, the second - "elder" tyranny(“the older” tyranny of the archaic period is called in contrast to the “younger” that arose in the era of the late classics (IV century BC)), the third - formation of the Greek polis

, fourth - emergence of the first legislations.

Poetry. Poetry is an important part of the culture of the archaic era, since almost all of the above events are reflected in it. In poetry, the Greeks rethought the reality around them. . The era of heroes passed away with Homer, but the memory of it remained, and many poets have a desire to imitate the bygone past - this is how

cyclical poems Their authors brought practically nothing new to poetry, which is why the Greeks in the late era called mediocre writers “cyclical poets.” On the other hand, thanks to them the myth of the Trojan War was completely described. In such a mediocre poetic environment, a remarkable personality stands out - Hesiod(end VIII centuries BC). He wrote works fundamental to certain genres of Greek literature. His "Theogony"- a poem about the origin of the gods - lays the foundation for the works cosmogonic, describing the origin, family ties, life and fate of the gods. Second poem "Works and Days" carried didactic character, becoming the first in a series of books of edifying content. In it, Hesiod talked about the everyday life of simple Greek farmers, which he had a real idea of, since he himself lived in Boeotia and worked on the land all his life.

The archaic era is the time of formation lyric poetry . Greek poets did not read poetry, but sang it, so music left a special imprint on their work. The famous poet was Anacreon , lived on the island of Teos, near Asia Minor (middle VI V. BC). In imitation of him, arose in Roman times Anacreontic poetry, celebrating the joy of life associated with refined pleasures.

Poets Alkay AndSappho – lived on the island of Lesbos (end VII–VI V. BC). Alcaeus created bravura military marches ( embatheria) and drinking songs ( Scolia). Sappho relied heavily on folklore; she has a lot of love lyrics. According to legendary legend, Alcaeus was in love with Sappho, but did not achieve reciprocity. The poetess herself committed suicide because of her unhappy love for another man.

In Sparta, there lived a poet Tyrtaeus . The Spartans did not pay enough attention to the fine arts, so Tyrtaeus did not typical example for Spartan culture - he was almost the only one among his fellow tribesmen who wrote talented poems on the military theme beloved by the Lacedaemonians.

Appears in the archaic era choral lyrics . She was based on three elements: poetry, music and dance. Choral lyric poetry becomes the prototype of Greek theater, since this genre develops the structure on which the works of tragedians will be built.

Philosophy. Early Greek philosophy arose in the eastern region, in the Ionian cities and was greatly influenced by the East - this is the so-called “philosophy of nature”, natural philosophy , in which the awakening of ancient Greek thought takes place, experiencing the essence of the emergence of the world. Three major philosophers of this time lived in Miletus. Thales believed that the world and all living things come from water. According to teaching Anaximene , the universe consists of air: when it condenses, water appears, and when it discharges, fire arises. Third thinker Anaximander, isolated some boundless primordial substance ( apeiron), from which everything came.

Art. The line between Homeric and archaic eras in art is characterized geometric style , a prime example of which is Dipylon amphora , found in Athens. Similar vases were tombstones and their sizes reached human height. The surface of the vase is divided into a number of ribbons isolated from each other; in the center of the composition a funeral procession is depicted, in which human figures are extremely schematized. The geometric style could not lead to the flowering of vase painting, arose in VI–V centuries BC, and should have ended in a dead end of decorativism. There is a sharp leap between the geometric style and the vase painting of subsequent times, impossible without external influence, most likely from the East, which gave impetus to the development of Greek art. The East, despite its strong influence in the field of philosophy and culture of Greece, did not become the basis of Greek art, which was formed in its own way as original and independent.

New style vase painting originates in VI V. BC, this black-figure painting applied to the vessel with black paint. Initially, the subjects of the paintings are associated with mythology. Then there is red-figure vase painting, when images on a vessel are formed by coloring the background, and the figures retain the original color of the walls of the vessel. This painting, which is more complex in technique, makes it possible to depict small details. IN late time black-figure and red-figure pottery coexisted.

IN sculpture appear "archaic Apollos" , or kouros – naked young people depicted with their legs extended forward, their arms at their sides, their fists sometimes clenched. The figures have a frontal pose, the anatomical structure of the body is clearly visible. Kuros are a general type of person without individual traits. Received the greatest fame statue of Hera from Fr. Samos(VII–VI centuries BC). The famous mysterious “archaic smile” was depicted on the faces of all the sculptures, emphasizing not the specific features of the statues, but the idealized image of a person embodied in them, which becomes the measure of basic values ​​for the classical era.

High Classical period ( V V. BC)

Theater. Theatrical performances go back to cult performances in honor of Dionysus, at which the initiators of dithyrambs (songs in honor of God) performed. From 534 BC, the display of tragedies (playful performances of the “song of the goats”) was officially included in the Dionysian festivals. When the plots of productions go beyond the scope of Dionysian festivals and playwrights turn to heroic tales, tragedies lose their cheerful character and become part of public life.

The rise of Greek theater falls on the period of high classics and is associated with the names of three great playwrights: Aeschylus , Sophocles And Euripides .

In the 5th century BC after tragedies a new one appears dramatic genre- comedy (from the Greek “to take a procession”), also dating back to the Dionysian festivals, at which humorous and sometimes obscene songs were performed. The greatest comedian of the era of high classics was Aristophanes.

Sculpture. The art of high classics is quite fully characterized by the words of Solon: “Nothing superfluous.” These were the basic principles underlying Greek art.

The statues did not belong to museums and were installed in temples, in open-air squares, in crowded places, and passers-by perceived them as part of everyday life. The sculptures were usually painted with bright colors, and were perceived accordingly. In the classical era, portrait art did not develop: in sculptures, attention was paid primarily to the plasticity of the body, and not to facial expression.

One of the first major sculptors of the classical era was Polykleitos, wrote a special essay - "Canon", in which he tried to identify the basic elements that make up the human body and subordinate them to a certain numerical ratio. Polykleitos formalized art as much as possible, looking for universally valid laws of proportions, and the statue Doryphora (spearman) created as an illustration of his work, which has living plasticity due to a technique called chiasmus, thanks to which it is not completely clear whether Doryphoros is moving or not.

Another famous sculptor of the 5th century. was The great masters of Greek classical sculpture were , the artist, in contrast to Polycletus, tried to convey intense movement (statue "Disco thrower" ).

Architecture. In the classical era, the principle of orders was developed. Order in architecture - a certain combination of load-bearing and supported parts of a post-and-beam structure, their structure and artistic treatment. During the Classic period, three main orders appeared: Doric, Ionic And Corinthian, which formed the basis of European architecture of the 16th–19th centuries. The difference between them is best illustrated by the example of the columns of these orders.

Doric column simple and austere, covered with longitudinal grooves - flutes, its capital (crowning part) is made in the form of a stone pillow without decoration. This is a harsh style, in architecture it is identified with masculine character and in Doric temples columns could be replaced by statues Atlanteans. Refers to Doric Temple of Poseidon in Paestum(c. 460 BC).

IN ionic order, which probably arose under Eastern influence, the columns are straight, with virtually no entasis(slight thickening in the middle, required for Doric columns); the proportions of the buildings are lightened, they are characterized by both lightness and graceful sophistication. The capitals are made in the form of two tight curls, volute. The Ionic order, in contrast to the Doric, was correlated with the feminine principle - the columns were sometimes replaced by statues of girls, caryatids. One of the porticos was decorated in this spirit Erechtheion, a temple erected on the site of the legendary dispute between Athena and Poseidon on the Athenian Acropolis.

IN Corinthian order the columns were crowned with stylized acanthus leaves.

The pinnacle of architecture of the classical period was the architectural complexAthens Acropolis , which was at the same time a sanctuary, a fortification, a public center, a storage place for the state treasury, an art gallery and a library. The architecture of the Acropolis combines two orders: Ionic and Doric.

Late Classic period ( IV V. BC)

History of Greece in the 4th century. BC is the story of the crisis of the ancient polis, which ended with the loss of political independence. Many Greek policies emerged from the Peloponnesian War bloodless, with their agriculture and crafts devastated, and trade relations disrupted.

The political crisis deepened with the liquidation of the unions of the Greek states and Sparta's attempts to destroy the democratic system. Continuous wars between policies ruined the country and increased the number of slaves. Representatives of the most reactionary sections of the Greek slave owners were ready to sacrifice democracy and political freedom in the name of protecting their interests. After the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. Greece submitted to the Macedonian king Philip II.

The crisis of the polis, internecine wars, the decline of democracy and, finally, the loss of political independence could not but affect the development of Greek culture, which during this period showed the first signs of decline. But in Greek society there were still powerful forces that could give rise to philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, the sculptural creativity of Lysippos, and the military genius of Alexander the Great.

Along with the continuation and development of traditional classical art forms of the 4th century. BC, in particular architecture, We had to solve completely new problems. Art for the first time began to serve the aesthetic needs and interests of the individual, and not the polis as a whole; works also appeared that affirmed monarchical principles. Throughout the 4th century. BC constantly intensified the process of departure of a number of representatives of Greek art from the ideals of nationality and heroism of the 5th century. BC..

The period that ended in the 4th century had a great influence on the development of culture. BC crisis of the naive-fantastic system of mythological ideas, distant harbingers of which can already be seen in the 5th century. BC But in the 5th century BC folk artistic fantasy still drew material for its sublime ethical and aesthetic ideas from ancient mythological tales and beliefs that were familiar and close to the people (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Phidias, etc.). In the 4th century. In the same century, the artist became increasingly interested in such aspects of human existence that did not fit into the mythological images and ideas of the past. Artists sought to express in their works both internal contradictory experiences, impulses of passion, and the sophistication and penetration of human spiritual life.

During this period, oratory, philosophy, and historical writings took over leading place in literature, clearly displacing other genres - drama and lyrics. Although theaters continued to flourish, new ones were even built, and audiences eagerly attended them, tastes had changed significantly. The moral foundations of existence, acute political and social conflicts, problems of good and evil in the private and public spheres attracted less and less attention. People's interests have narrowed significantly and focused on private life.

In general, the culture of this period, which was significantly influenced by the changes that occurred in society, is regarded by researchers as a time of fundamental shifts, intensive searches, and the emergence of trends that culminated in the Hellenistic era.

Archaic- early development of art. Translated from Greek “archaikуs” means ancient, ancient. Anything can be called art ancient art, beginning with rock paintings, however, most often this term refers to the art of ancient Greece.

Archaic period of Greece from 650 to 480 BC e. is an unusual flowering of science, culture and art, which became the basis of all world art. Many, however, criticize the name of Greek culture as “archaic,” since this term hides precisely a certain primitiveness, while the “archaic period” of Greece represents high art and an established culture that is quite comparable to the modern one.

The archaic period of Greece contributed to the emergence of many types of graceful and applied arts. The cultural surge of this time is comparable to the Renaissance in Europe, which also contributed to the emergence of many genres and trends, revolutionized ideas about the world and made life much more interesting and richer. Archaic is a period of formation, a period of birth and the beginning of prosperity. IN fine arts, ceramics, sculpture and architecture experienced a noticeable shift. Doric and Ionic appeared architectural styles. To decorate houses, palaces, temples, tombstones, sculptures from various materials, which today are considered true masterpieces of archaic art. In addition, Ancient Greece became famous for its writers, poets, philosophers, whose work is also considered literary archaic, that is, the period of the birth of foundations.

Archaic, how early stage development of culture and art plays the most important role in the history of mankind. It is thanks to those figures who laid the foundations and proved their necessity to all people that today we have our world heritage - hundreds of styles and genres of painting, graphics, literature, sculpture, architecture, music, philosophy, creative types activities and much, much more.

Examples of archaic art