Professor Sammy Basu

Introduction to Plato and the Republic

Map of the Ancient World:

Map of the Ancient Greek World:

http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/gk_wrld.htm

Map of Ancient Greece:

The Persian Wars: 492 - 449 B.C. E.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010103a.htm

500 B.C. - Ionian Revolt in Asia minor

490 B.C. - Battle of Marathon

481 B.C. - Greek League

Greek league against Persia, with Sparta in charge of the army, and Athens, the navy.

480 B.C. - Battle at Thermopylae

‘300’ -

vs

Darius and other accurate images

depiction of Persia/Iran

The Persian Empire (Persian: امپراتوری ایران) was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The most widespread entity considered to have been a Persian Empire was the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC) under Darius and Xerxes (or Xerkes) — famous in antiquity as the foe of the classical Greek states (See Greco-Persian Wars) — a united Persian kingdom that originated in the region now known as Pars province (Fars province) of Iran.

ancient Persia

479 B.C. - Battle at Salamis  MAP

479 B.C. - Battle at Plataea  MAP END OF PERSIAN INVASION

477 B.C. - Aristides forms Delian League

Athens, in charge of the Delian League, went on the offensive to free the Ionian cities.

449 B.C. - Peace of Callias

Persia and Athens sign peace treaty.

Sparta

http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/loc/sparta.htm

Map of Central Greece and Peloponnese
http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/gr_south.htm

Athens

http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/loc/athens.htm

The Delian League

After an Athenian led Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Salamis, in 478, Athens was put in charge of a protection alliance with the Ionian cities. The treasury was at Delos; hence the name for the alliance. Soon the leadership of Athens became oppressive, although in one form or another, the Delian League survived until the victory of Philip of Macedonia over the Greeks at Chaeronea.

Homer, Greek Gods

The Greek Pantheon

www.utexas.edu/.../ mythologein/studyguides.html

The Peloponnesian Wars, 431-404

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/clubmed/10061pelwarmap.jpg

Peloponnesian Wars, 431-404

Pericles builds long walls.

430-426: plague ravages Athens; Pericles dies.

At this point, Athens appears to be winning.

421-414: brief Peace.

415-413: Sicilian Expedition: Athenian disaster.

411: oligarchy at Athens; repulsed by democratic fleet.

406: Battle of Arginusae; generals condemned to death.

405: Battle of Aegospotami: Spartan victory.

404: Athens surrenders, brief oligarchic Rule of the Thirty Tyrants.

403: less expansive democracy is restored.

Athens:

map of Athens

http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/athensim.htm

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/introtogreece/cc301/syllabus.html

ancient Greek religion

ancient Athenian democracy (vid 6min)

Cleisthenes (508)

Acropolis, Parthenon, Athena, Nike

Thucydides

Pericles 495-429 BC

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_thucydides_funeral.htm

http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclassics/texts/pericles/pericles.shtm

Pericles’ funeral oration

Plato 427-347 BCE

Biography

http://plato-dialogues.org/life.htm

http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/plat.htm

http://www.timelineindex.com/content/select/841/1023,773,789,841

Works:

The early, or Socratic, dialogues,

e.g., the Apology, Meno, and Gorgias,

present Socrates conversing about his main preoccupations: the unity of virtue and knowledge and of virtue and happiness.

also provide Plato's account of the trial, last days and death of Socrates.

Dialogues of the middle years,

e.g., the Republic, Phaedo, Symposium, and Timaeus,

present the rational relationship between the soul, the state, and the cosmos.

Later dialogues,

e.g., the Laws and Parmenides,

include treatises on law, mathematics, technical philosophic problems, and natural science.

The Academy 386

Platonism

Aristotle 384-322 B.C.

Raphael School of Athens

Socrates: 470-399 BCE

399 BC Trial and Death

In his life:

fragment of a mosaic from the Saint-Gregory Convent in Rome exhibiting the inscription in Greek "gnôti sauton", meaning "Know thyself", Rome, National Museum of the Thermae.

Other sources on Socrates:

Aeschines	Aristophanes	Xenophon

Republic (Politeia Politeia).

The text: rolls of papyrus

http://plato-dialogues.org/papyrus.htm

The Setting:

A Roman mosaic showing Plato's Academy