Historia The medium is the message
Intellectual Culture:
Historia (ἱστορία = inquiries) historia learning by examination, inquiry; the knowledge so gained. A processing of information to discover a truth. Implies critical evaluation, comparison, qualification. histor a wise man, a judge.
The Seven Sages: Thales of Miletus (624-547 BC.) Solon of Athens (c.624-560) Pittacus of Mitylene (650-570) Bias of Priene (flourit ca. 570) Chilon of Sparta (Ephor in 556) Cleobulus of Lindus (6 th. cent.) Myson of Chen (6 th. cent.) Or: Periander of Corinth (late 7 th. Cent)
Myson Pittacus Solon Bias Chilon Thales Cleobulus
Tripods etc. Golden tripod offered to the wisest. Golden bowl who has done the most with his wisdom Golden goblet All of the Sages refused the award is the point.
The Pre-Socratics: Kosmos (order) Chaos (disorder) Nature (physis) Sought the origin (arche) of all things Milesians: Thales Anaximander Anaximenes
Miletus
Essence, Arché
Thales Of Miletus A descendant of Cadmus 624-547 Learned Geometry in Egypt Five Theorems of Elementary Geometry Foretold of the eclipse of 28 May, 585 Water is the arche.
Anaximander 610 575 BC The earth is a sphere and floats free in space Celestial bodies circle the earth. The moon s light is from the sun The sun is a ball of fire Published his Historia late in life
Anaximenes Student of Anaximander ca. 585 ca 528 BC Air is the arche "Being made finer it [air] becomes fire, being made thicker it become wind, then cloud, then (when thicker still more) water, then earth, then stones; and the rest come into being through these" (Phys. 24. 26). Air is arche, ergo eternal, ergo divine
Solon of Athens
Dracon First Public Law ca. 621 B.C. Political power to the hoplites (?) All offences punishable by death because the least offence deserves it, and I couldn t think of anything worse for the more serious offences.
Solon Originally from Salamis ca. 624 558 Archon in 594/3 Asked to reform the constitution in 592 Repealed Dracon s law code. Best laws? Best they would accept
Solon s Constitution Ecclesia Assembly of citizens Previously restricted by property Boule Open to all but the Thetes Purely deliberative Areopagus (Hill of Ares) A supreme court of sorts
Written law code Public law means rule of law Heliaia A people s court Anyone could bring a prosecution Seisachtheia shaking off of burdens Hectemoroi (sixth part people) The body as chattel Solon s Reforms
The Archon in Athens Nine archons served for one year Took office on 21 June (1 Hecatombeon) Chosen from the eupatridae Eponymous Archon Supervised civil administration Archon Basileus Supervised religious functions Polemarch President of the board of strategoi 6 Thesmothetai Supervisors of the laws Joined the Areopagus council
Tyrants One-man rule No constitutional foundation Popular support Usually: initiated to solve a crisis Absolute power corrupts absolutely Economically beneficial Ruthless
Pisistratus 560 B.C. Takes control of Athens as Tyrant "He was supported by the majority of both nobles and the common people (Arist. A.P. 16.9) Civic programs Economic prosperity The Iliad Succeeded by his son, Hippias, in 527 BC.
Cleisthenes The Birth of Democracy
Democracy Hippias 510 BC: Hippias deposed 509 BC: Cleisthenes creates the first democracy. Legislative power given to the Ecclesia All citizens, regardless of wealth Isonomia Isegoria
Citizenship 18 yrs. Enrolled in his father s deme Served as a military cadet for 2 yrs. 20 yrs Eligible to attend the Ecclesia 30 yrs Full citizen Eligible to serve as a magistrate (Boule, Strategos, etc)
Citizenship A person who Could own land Served in the military Women Rights and legal protection But did not vote or hold political office Metics Foreign residents with few rights Slaves Roughly 50% of the population
Natural Philosophy b = 89 Pythagoras of Samos 569 476 Captive in Babylon a = 55 Philo (love) sophia (wisdom) Lovers of wisdom but no man can be wise Harmonic ratios 2:1, 3:2 and 4:3 used in music. "Golden Mean" 1:1:2:3:5:8:13:21:34:55:89 Ration of 1 to 1.618 Earth rotates around the sun Transmigration of the soul a
Xenophanes of Colophon 570 478 BC Attempts to define existence Founder of the Eleatic School Wrote Elegiac poetry One God, one Universe A supreme being cannot be created or destroyed God is the animating power of the universe Man s concept of God is an illusion
Relativism: Xenophanes of Colophon: Mortals made their gods, and furnished them with their own body, voice and garments. Our gods have flat noses and black skin, say the Ethiopians. The Thracians say, our gods have red hair and hazel eyes
The Persian Empire in 510 BC
Persia in the Aegean ca 510
Parmenides of Elea Flourit ca 500 BC Possibly student of Xenophanes Pythagorean On Nature Written in verse Divine inspiration The goddess Wisdom revealed to him the unchangeable heart of Truth Translation
Parmenides Man-made truths We are fooled by empiricism The Phenomenal world is illusion Absolute truth Existence is : cannot become or cease to be The true Existence is the mind. Logic and reason are the guides to Truth
Anaxagoras 500 428 BC Nature itself, like humans and animals, could be a sentient being could have a Mind (νοός) (Arist. Met. 984b) If Mind motivates things to come into being then it must do so for some purpose, and that purpose must be The Good (Arist. Met. 1075b, 1091b). First to postulate the zero-sum balance of the universe. Teacher of Pericles, Euripides and Socrates