11.

  Golden Age of Athens

A “golden age” is a time of peace, prosperity, and happiness,

often when cultural activities like art or writing reach a peak. The
Greek city-state of Athens reached its Golden Age between 480 -
404 BCE. This era is also referred to as the Age of Pericles, for
the Athenian statesman who led the city from 461 to 429 BCE.

During its Golden Age, Athens, Greece was an artistic and

intellectual center. If there was a new contribution in the arts or
sciences during this era in Greece, chances are that it was the
work of an Athenian. 

Athenians had an appreciation for poetry and drama. They

enjoyed theater events in the genres of comedy, tragedy, and
satire.

Aesthetics (beauty), logic, and order mattered very much to the

Athenians. So, fine sculpture and architecture were important in
their society. They put a lot of time and great amounts of money
into these. The Parthenon is the most famous building of this
era. It was a building made to honor the Greek goddess Athena.
Their buildings were unique and featured many types of pillars.
The world still appreciates these pillars today, and you can see
them replicated on many government and residential buildings. 

Another common association with Athens is philosophy. The

word “philosophy,” comes from a Greek word (philosophia)
which means “the love of wisdom.” Socrates and Plato are two of
the most known philosophers of the Golden Age. Socrates is
credited with the Socratic method of teaching, while Plato wrote
many philosophical works. His most famous written work is The
Republic. Ancient Greece also produced many important
thinkers in the realm of science. Hippocrates applied logic to the
field of medicine and collected information on hundreds of
patients. Math and science were also important in Athenian
society, too. Much of what we learn in math and science classes
today comes from Golden Age Athens. For example, the
Pythagorean theorem was developed by Pythagoras. Geometry
became a field of study thanks to Euclid.