Key Contributions

In the Paleolithic culture, 6,000,000 - 10,000 B.C.E., the first discovered signs of art were uncovered in the caves, which served as a ceremonial chamber, a shrine, or perhaps a council room (Fiero, 3). These cave drawings usually depicted a hunt with an image of a human hand shown in negative relief. These drawings were not only considered the art of the prehistoric years, but also the literature or the times. This is the only written or visual records of this time. Literature took on a different form around 3100B.C. as the Ancient Egyptians invented their own form of writing known as Hieroglyphics. They also invented the first form of paper called papyrus, a thick parchment type paper made of stems from reeds (Bentley, 2005).

Stone statues found in this era were usually of women who were thought of as Mother Earth. Women of the tribes were thought upon as important for the continuation of the tribe. The Venus of Willendorf statues from around 25,000 B.C.E. depicted the woman as being pregnant and insuring the future of the tribe. Statues of ancient Egypt were more refined than the statues found in the prehistoric ages. The human body showed more proportion and detail of features. The ancient Egyptians took pride in the coffins of the dead, adorning them in gold and jewels depicting the life of the dead.

The architecture of the early civilizations consisted mainly of mud and limestone houses. The burial tombs, called Dolman sites, were constructed with post and lintel construction with large slabs of stone. This type of construction can still be seen today visiting the site of Stonehenge, which was constructed from 3000 - 1800 B.C.E. (Fiero, 2000). The ancient Egyptians constructed massive pyramids for their burial chambers to ensure the comfort of the dead in their afterlife. These tombs were built by thousands of men moving mammoth slabs of sandstone blocks, by strength and levers to set them in place. The burial chambers within the pyramids, were hidden inside secret tunnels, and held the most cherished possessions of the dead.

The Architecture for Classic Greece and Rome was astounding. The architecture included monuments for burial, temples for the gods and, of course the Acropolis. Philosophy played an important part in classic Greece and Rome. The Gods were a big part of everyday life and the love for the arts was strong. Literature of this time included lyric poetry and the great stories of "The Iliad and the Odyssey" plus Troy. Crito is the writing of Plato, Socrates friend and pupil. Most of what we know of Socrates is from writings of his students (Fiero, 97). Also during this time was the development of the first democratic government in Athens. This had a big influence to modern times.

The architecture of the Middle Ages focused on monuments. These monuments were built as burials for the dead as well as temples for the gods. These include the Temple of Athena Nike, Temple of Hepaestus and the Temple of the Muse (http://www.GreatBuildings.com/types/styles/greek.html). The architecture also contained elaborate arches that were incorporated into almost every building made for amphitheaters to bridges and tunnels. During the time of the Mycenaean's their rulers were buried in beehive-shaped tombs. They also built walls to fortify that later generations thought they were to protect them from a giant race known as the Cyclops. The Lions Gate is the entrance to the citadel and is a symbol of royal power. Two lions flank a column that rests on a stone altar these lions are in a triangular arch above the entrance of the nine-foot gate (Fiero, 72). Greece was also known for its orders, such as Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. They are used in many buildings and churches today. These orders were also used in many temples for the gods. The Parthenon was a temple built in fifth century Greece dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. The Parthenon was the highest point of the Acropolis. The Acropolis meaning "high city," was the religious center for Athens (www.emory.edu). These forms of architecture were examples of the strong belief in the gods and how the Greeks spent a great deal of time in designing and building them. They believed the gods were immortals that intervened in their lives. Philosophers began to emerge. This disrupted some of the beliefs focused around the gods. The philosophers offered explanations as to why things happened, whereas before it was thought that things happened because of the will of the gods.

Philosophy was changing from the ancient world. In the ancient world people saw themselves at the mercy of forces they could not comprehend (Fiero, 94). Greek philosophers made the "leap from supernatural to natural explanations of the unknown." (Fiero. 94). This was the time of Pre-Socratic philosophers. Many of them reasoned, "There must be a single, unifying substance that formed the basic "stuff" of nature. They asked, "What is everything made of?" "How do things come into existence?" and "What permanent substance lies behind the world of appearance?"" (Fiero, 94). This was a big change in philosophy and is influencing the West today.

We can see that the Gods played an important part to everyday life because of the worship temples that were built in the Gods honor. Many of the temples that were built for the Gods were used as civic centers and places for town events. The gods controlled everything that happened. The people believed it was not wise to anger or mock them. The artwork that was done in honor of them is very detail and elaborate. Most of the art is on display in museums or the art still remains in the ancient buildings they were created in.

Most of the West owes classic Greece and Rome for the refinement of the majority of basic forms of literary expression (Fiero, 67). Such stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey and the story of Troy were told and passed on. These stories have been written, rewritten, and even made into movies. "The Iliad and the Odyssey became the "national" poems of ancient Greece, uniting Greek-speaking people by giving literary authority to their common heritage" (Fiero, 73). Scholars are not sure when Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey or when he lived. They are only certain that Homer represents the culmination of a long and vigorous tradition in which oral recitation was a popular kind of entertainment (Fiero, 73).

Classic Greece was also a time of Socrates and his philosophers. Socrates believed in the absolute nature of truth and justice, he described the ethical life as belonging to a larger set of universal truths and an unchanging moral order (Fiero, 96). "The question of right conduct was central to Socrates life and teachings." (Fiero, 96). Socrates did not write any books or letters he is

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