HST103A/104A: World History | Unit 3 | Lesson 4: Greek Art and Literature

Lesson Answer Key

Greek Art and Literature
Read
1. What Greek leader encouraged the rebuilding of Athens after the Persians burned the city?
Pericles
2. What kind of buildings were the most important and impressive in Greek city-states?
temples that honored the Greek gods and goddesses
3. What building in Athens is considered the greatest masterpiece of Greek architecture?
the Parthenon on the Acropolis
4. What characteristics did the Greeks strive to attain when they designed buildings?
__X__ harmony and balance
_____ stability and endurance
_____ detail and ornamentation

5. What were several techniques that classical Greek sculptors and painters used to express admiration
for the human form in their artworks?
Greek artists idealized figures and gave them the same perfect proportions as the Greek gods and
goddesses, depicting them as perfectly shaped athletes, powerful heroes, and beautiful women.
6. How did later cultures view the literature of the Greek classical period?
They admired Greek masterworks as models of reason, elegance, and formal perfection.
7. From what activity did Greek drama originate?
performances at religious festivals in which priests sang or recited the deeds of the gods
8. What did Aeschylus do that initiated a new form of performance art?
He added a second actor to the performance, and the art of drama was born.
9. Describe the masks that Greek actors wore.
The masks had exaggerated expressions and mouthpieces that amplified the actors’ voices.

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 HST103A/104A: World History | Unit 3 | Lesson 4: Greek Art and Literature

10. Describe each Greek writer, including the themes and characteristics of their main works.

Name Main Works, Themes, and Characteristics of Works

the first great love poet of the Western world; the only Greek female poet
Sappho whose works we know today

Euripides playwright of tragedies including The Persians

Sophocles playwright of tragedies including Oedipus the King

Aristophanes playwright of comedies including The Clouds and The Frogs

known as the “father of history”; traveled throughout the Persian empire and
Herodotus wrote about the Persian wars; included legends and fanciful stories in his
writings

considered the originator of drama when he added a second actor to

Aeschylus performances at religion festivals; wrote tragedies

Homer epic poet who wrote the the Iliad and the Odyssey

historian who focused on the motives and deeds of leaders; wrote History of the
Thucydides Peloponnesian War; writings were more factual than those of Herodotus

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