leahlynnette777

[leahlynnette777]

To end my trip in the lavish place of Athens, I was able to attend one of the many festivals held by the Athenian people. As Pericles described and discussed during the Funeral Oration that Thucydides wrote about, festivals were a large part of Greek culture. Athens became so wealthy and lavish that they were able to throw many different types of festivals. I attended the Festival of Anthesteria. The Festival of Anthesteria was a 3 day festival of wine in Ancient Greece. During Day 1 there was Pithoigia which was the jar opening day. This was drawn on many jars and art works. Day 2 was choes which was wine jug day, they drank wine all day. Day 3 was Chytroi which was the day of cooking pots, pottery was extremely vital in this festival. This festival was in honor of springtime and death. They honored Dionysus who was the god of wine. They were grateful for the bloom of grape vine and cultivation of wine. Everyone was allowed to participate in the festival, regardless of class. Slaves were also allowed to honor and celebrate. This was a festival of unity and appreciation of opportunities that Athens was now able to have. This was also part of their religion which was Hellenic Polytheistic at the time. Thucydides was there of course and was writing all about it. It was a day full of freedom. Through all of the political talk and wars, Athens was able to celebrate. Philosophy taught to enjoy what life had to offer and Pericles agreed with this and it was part of Plato’s Republic of Philosophical Kings. It was a fun trip to Greece and I learned so much!

[leahlynnette777]

Next on my trip, I was able to attend the Funeral Oration of Pericles. This was a ceremony or ritual of sorts that was given to the men who fell in battle during the first year of the Peloponnesian War. This was a tradition carried out by ancestors that was continued by Pericles. During this funeral, the bones of those who had fallen were placed in specific places to become one with the Earth and were read a panegyric by someone chosen by the state, this was a person who was respected and had wisdom. A panegyric is a speech of praise and after it was read to the bones who belonged to respected men that fought in the war, they were then able to rest and retire all responsibilities. Pericles, who was the son of the previous general, Xanthippus, was chosen to do this honorable deed. Though Pericles was the man who gave this honorable speech, Thucydides was the man who wrote it. Pericles went on to praise as he was instructed to do by ancestors. He explained that what these people listening were about to hear could be interpreted as exaggeration of the actual happenings and envy could arise because men can only stand to listen to other men be praised for so long but that he was doing his best to tell the actual happenings of what occurred. In this he explained and discussed the wealth of Athens, how they came to it because of their ancestors and because they still continue to fight for it. He explains how no one has a government or political life like Athens. Pericles said, “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighbouring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favours the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy.” (Thucydides 36)) A democracy was born here in Athens, Pericles and others strived for equality and safety of everyone. He explained how their political life bled into their personal life and it is how they lived morally and politically. Pericles preached about how honorable these men who passed away fighting for all they built up were and he gave comfort to families of these men. He talked about the festivals and wealth they were still able to have and to hold dearly to their hearts because it’s what they fight for. He ended with, "And now that you have brought to a close your lamentations for your relatives, you may depart." (Thucydides 46)

[leahlynnette777]

After a bit of time enjoying the beautiful Athens and the Parthenon which was the acropolis of the polis, times changed. The people of Athens believed that Athena, the goddess, would protect them from war and pain but that is not what happened, at least not for long. In 430 B.C.E. the Peloponnesian’s coming from Sparta were ready for a war and attacked Athens and its people. From the account of Thucydides, who was a general and historian who wrote about the war, believed it was Sparta’s fear that was growing, that made them make this move on Athens. Athens had been growing wealthy, united, and strong in many ways and this caused fear within the Spartan’s so they made a surprise attack to protect themselves from the what ifs. There were many differences within the culture of Athens and Sparta and if one became too powerful before the other, they would be able to take control and choose to rid of whatever aspects of cultures they felt necessary. Pericles was commanding the Athenians, relying on his great navy while the Spartans relied on their army. At the time, Athens was considered to be a democracy under Pericles. During this time, Athens was a beautiful place to be, before the war. Philosophy was huge, Literature, new innovations, and many more cultural aspects were changing and being created. There was Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. It is no surprise that Sparta grew concerned and frightened of the power that Athens was gaining and the wealth they were creating. The Thirty Years of Peace was over and war was on the rise. This war lasted from around 430 to 404 B.C.E. As time and war went on many were dying, after the first year a traditional public funeral was held to honor those who had already died while fighting for their people, Athenian people.

[leahlynnette777]

Shortly after visiting with the Delian League, I was able to see the creation of the amazing temple of Parthenon, which was built between 447-432 B.C.E. Since the Delian League was so large and there were up to 200 polis part of it, new buildings were able to be brought to life making Athens an Athenian Empire and one of the most luxurious and wealthy areas. The Delian League made this possible because of the funding that was coming from about 200 polis and because of the treasury and the way they had used money as time went on. Though money was being saved and kept account for, many polis tried to leave the Delian League but because of the power of Athens who created the League, they were forced to stay to continue funding. The building of the Parthenon was brought upon by Pericles who was the general and a main politician during the Golden Age in Greece. Pericles was known for being influential and having the ability to have things go their way, for the better. This was the acropolis that was dedicated to goddess Athena, who represented war strategy and bravery. Pericles ordered the plan of building this and he wanted it to be doric style. This was essentially the center of religion, like a church. This was the most lavish building all of Greece had ever created or seen. The building itself was made with pentelic marble and the statue was made of gold. Inside there was a huge statue of Athena where people would go to pay respects and worship her. There were doric style arches all around the temple itself. People believed this protected Athens from further attacks. Pericles was respected and responsible for the important decisions politically and when it came to the military as well. Since he was the leader of the time, he is the reason Athens soon would find themselves going through turmoil.

[leahlynnette777]

Around 478 B.C.E I attended the ceremony on the Island of Delos where the Delian League was created. Athens had many supporters in the plan of liberating Ionians and others from the wrath and control of the Persian people. Each ally from their own polis within the Delian League had one vote per policy making everyone an equal, though this was all started because of the people of Athens, within the league there was no one group that was bigger than the other when it came to policy making. Each polis was to provide monetary or physical compensation, such as ships while Athens was said to provide the generals and the army for the Delian League. With this, Athens was also in charge of the funds and funding of the League itself. Aristides was the man in charge of said funds and he had Hellenotamiae. Since the Delian League had a system that worked and kept the peace within, this allowed the League to have many small and large victories over Persia. As time passed, the Delian League grew to have about 200 polis part of the league. Cimon was the leading general that was able to conquer many areas and win over Persian control. Since there was a lot of funding being given and provided by the large groups of polis part of the League, it soon became an empire, The Athenian Empire. With the money and the victories that had been accomplished throughout time, eventually came the building of many historical places. Since this became a sort of Empire, when polis attempted or showed that they no longer wanted to be a part of the League or fund the League anymore, they were forced to stay. This helped Athens become one of the most luxurious and beautiful places of the time.