Ancient Athens And The Golden Age Of Athens

1034 Words3 Pages

Have you ever wondered what life was like before technology? The playwrights of ancient Greece had to do all that work without wikianswers. Ancient Greek Theatre was a big and celebrated occasion in that time period. The Ancient Greek play by Aeschylus, The Persians, was greatly influenced by the culture as well as the economic status of Greece, and the political leaders at the time.
Thus began the Age of Pericles, the period of Greek history when Pericles ruled Athens. Under Pericles, Athens went through a period that has become known as the Golden Age of Athens (480-404) B.C. Athens developed a more democratic form of government that gave power to those who were Athenian. These rights did not apply to women or slaves. In 490 B.C, the Athenians defeated Persian invades at the Battle of Marathon. In 480 B.C. Xerxes the First, the Emperor of the Persians, (c.519- 465) B.C, and a large Persian force attempted to even the score. In the battle of Thermopylae, The Persian’s outnumbered the Spartans. The Persians then marched to Athens for revenge. The Greeks defeated the Persian Navy at the battle of Salamis that same year proved to be turning point in the conflict and Xerxes withdrew most of his men in Asia. The finale battle of the Persian War was near Plataea in 479 B.C with Greeks winning. In 477 B.C, the Delian League was formed. The members were Greek city-states, who band together to protect themselves against future threats by the Persian Empire. In 461, Pericles, the leader of the Athenian Democratic Party, became ruler of Athens. After Pericles death, the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta raged on for almost three decades (Pericles).
Religion in Ancient Greece was complex and consisted of many gods and goddesses. Th...

... middle of paper ...

... the Greeks and drafted the entire male population. The Greeks won the battle. Xerxes escapes and tells the gory outcome of the scene. Atossa returns to Xerxes fathers tomb, Darius. King Darius returns as a ghost. He is ignorant of his empires collapse. Atossa tells her husband that their son is the reason his empire failed. The chorus then tries to make Xerxes a slave. Darius forbids it. He tells them to teach his son self-control and leaves reminding everyone of the value of life. King Xerxes tells his citizens of the battle and begs for forgiveness. He honors the dead with sadness (Aeschylus).
The plays of Ancient Greece are very different from today's musicals and plays. They did not have the gigantic expensive settings that we do today. They had to use the sunlight and the nature around them to create an atmosphere that portrayed the play they were performing.

More about Ancient Athens And The Golden Age Of Athens

Open Document