Ancient greek literature details about drama, history, lyric poetry, and the epics

1. The position of Greece at the
crossroads between Africa, Asia,
and Europe.

2. • Athens, Greece
• Athens, the capital
of Greece, was one
of the most
important centers
of the ancient
world. Ancient
stone temples still
stand on the
Acropolis, a huge
flat-topped hill
that overlooks the
city.

4. • Ancient Greek literature refers to literature
written in the Ancient Greek language from the
Earliest texts until the rise of the Byzantine
Empire.
Greek literature is known as the birth place of
western intellectual life.
Ancient Greeks were the first to use vowels in
their language.
30% of the words in a ordinary dictionary
comes from the ancient Greek language.
Our alphabet came from the Greek language.
For example: the word “alphabet” came from
ancient Greek words “alpha” “beta”.

5. FOUR MAJOR WRITINGS OF
ANCIENT GREEK LITERATURE:
The Epics
Lyric Poetry
Drama
Tragedy
Comedy
Satyr Play

6. THE EPICS
• Greeks created
great works of
literature.
• A poet named
Homer wrote the
Illiad and the
Odyssey.
• Both describe
great deeds
performed by
heroes.
The Illiad tells the story of the Trojan War and
Achilles, the greatest of all Greek warriors.
The Odyssey describes the challenges Odysseus faced
returning home from war. He faced monsters, magicians,
and angry gods.

7. Lyric Poetry
• Other poets wrote poetry
that were set to music
called lyres after the
instruments played while
the words were recited.
• The most popular poet
who wrote lyres was
Sappho (SAF-oh).
• Sappho was a woman
who wrote poems about
love and relationships.
Today, the words of songs are called lyrics after these Greek poets.

8. • Ancient Greek drama
was developed around
Greece’s Theater
Culture.
• Drama was particularly
developed at Athens.
• Evolved from the song
and dance in the
ceremonies honoring
Dionysus at Athens.
DRAMA

9. • Tragic plays grew out
of simple choral songs
and dialogues
performed at festivals
of the God Dionysus
(Bacchus).
• Performances were
held in open theater of
Dionysus in Athens.
Dionysus- God of Wine

10. • The three best
Authors are:
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides

11. • Aeschylus is the
earliest of the three,
who was born in 525
BC.
• He wrote between 70
to 90 plays, of which
seven remain, among
which the only
surviving series of
three tragedies
performed together,
the “Oresteia”,
“Persai”, and
“Prometheus Bound”.
“Oresteia”-story of Orestes
“Persai”-song of triumph for
the defeat of Persians
“Prometheus Bound”-
retelling the legend of the
titan Prometheus

12. • From Euripides,
seventeen
tragedies have
survived, among
them are the
“Medea” and “The
Bacchae”.
• “Most tragic of the
Poets”. -Aristotle

13. Sophocles of
Colonus
• Seven works of
Sophocles have
survived, the most
important of which
are “Oedipus rex”
and “Antigone”.
“Antigone”- story of
womanly-sacrifice

14. • Comedy also arose from
the ritual in honor of
Dionysus, the plays were
full of frank obscenity,
abuse, and insult.
• Of the the works of the
earlier writers, only some
plays of Aristophanes
exist: “The Birds” (he held
up Athenean Democracy
to ridicule), and “The
Clouds” (he attacked
philisopher Socrates).

15. • The third dramatic
genre was the Satyr
Play. Although the
genre was popular,
only one example
has survived in its
entirety, Euripides
“Cyclops”.
• a comic play that
mocked a
mythological subject
and included a
chorus of satyrs.

17. • Herodotus “Father
of History”
• Thucydides
• Xenophon

19. • Socrates-”wrote
nothing but his
thought”
• Plato- best known for
“Dialogues” and
“Republic”
• Aristotle-”Father of
those who know”
-”The Philosopher”