1. ​Drawing Conclusions​ What is an oracle, and why was it important to the Greeks?

An oracle is a sacred
shrine where a god or goddess could reveal the future through a priest or priestess.
2. ​Organizing Information​ Use your notes to explain the fundamental differences among the philosophies
and contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
● Socrates believed in the betterment of the individual, so with the creation of the Socratic method-the
method of questioning everything- he sought to improve critical thinking among the masses, which
the governments didn’t like.
● Plato was enamored with the concept of reality, as in the difference between reality and illusion. As
such, he postulated the existence of a higher world of essence, where everything in this world was
merely a representation of its essence. He also believed that society should be divided into 3
classes: that of the philosopher-kings, that of warriors, and that of producers. He believed that if
everybody were willing to fulfill their roles within society, society itself would prosper.
● Aristotle did not necessarily agree with Plato’s theory. He believed that the essence of things in this
world lay in the things themselves. He also believed that instead of looking for an ideal form of
government, that we should find the closest thing to it, which was the constitutional government
with the potential for democracy.
3. ​Drawing Conclusions​ How was Greek religion an essential part of Greek society? Religion was so important, that
the people considered it necessary to the well-being of the state. Many temples were built, many festivals were held,
all for the gods and goddesses of Olympus.
4. ​Evaluating​ What groundbreaking art and literature were produced during the classical period in Greece?
Some examples of groundbreaking art and literature were the Oresteia and Oedipus rex.