...Outline of Ancient Greece Paper 1. Introduction to Ancient Greece * What is ancient Greece? * How long did Ancient Greece last? * How did Ancient Greece impact western civilization? 2. Archaic period * Duration of the Archaic period * Characteristics of the Archaic period * Impact of the Archaic period on Greece’s culture 3. Classical Greece * Duration of the Classical period * Characteristics of the Classical period * Impact of the Classical period on Greece’s culture 4. Hellenistic Greece * Duration of the Hellenistic period * Characteristics of the Hellenistic period * Impact of the Hellenistic period on Greece’s culture 5. Roman Greece * Transition to Roman Greece * Characteristics of the period under Roman rule * Impact of the Greek culture on Rome 6. Political structure of Ancient Greece 7. Social structure of Ancient Greece 8. War in Ancient Greece 9. Religion in Ancient Greece 10. Impact of Ancient Greece on today Introduction to Ancient Greece I chose to write about Ancient Greece because my heritage is from that area of the world and that makes it very interesting to me. The period of time that ancient Greece covers spans for about one thousand years and includes several stages of cultural, economic, and political development. This period was also very important because many consider it the time when western culture was born and developed. However, before ancient Greece...
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...The ancient Greek culture is known for its advances in math, art, and architecture. In Greek times there where many statues of humans mostly of men who where worshiped as God’s or Kings and sometimes both. The statues where often depicted nude so that the world could see their perfect bodies. Three statues that display various periods and ideals in Greek culture are the Kouros statue (600 B.C), the Spear Bearer (450-440 B.C.) also known as Doryphoros and was crafted by Polykleitos, and Dying Gaul by Peramon (230-220 B.C). Although at first glace these statues may appear qualitatively the same, each statue was carefully crafted to serve a purpose during the period of time in which it was made. The Egyptian style Greek Kouros was the earliest of the three sculptures. It was carved in 600 B.C. The Greek statues Spear Bearer (Doryphoros) and Dying Gaul where carved somewhere around 450-440 B.C. and 230-220 B.C. respectively. Each sculpture was carved from white marble and is a “life size” representation. Both the Spear Bearer and Dying Gaul statues are actually copies of the original statues. Both statues where originally made of bronze and not marble. Many of the Greek statues from this time period where made of bronze, but bronze was expensive and that’s why many of them where carved from marble. Although we do not know who created the copies, the original Spear Bearer was made by a man by the name of Polykleitos. The original bronze Dying Gaul is a copy after a statue by Peramon...
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... The Ancient Greeks lived in Greece and the countries that we now call Bulgaria and Turkey. The Ancient Greece empire spread over Europe as far as France in the East. The Greek Empire was most powerful between 2000 BC and 146 BC The ancient Greeks developed new ideas for government, science, philosophy, religion, and art. Ancient Greece was split into many different states, each one was ruled in its own way. Each state had its own laws, government and money but they shared the same language and religion. The two most important city states were Athens and Sparta. Legacy of the Ancient Greeks - (How Ancient Greece influenced modern day culture.) The influence of the Ancient Greeks are still felt by us today. The major impact in our lives today are in the arts, in philosophy, and in science, math, literature and politics. How do we know about ancient Greece We know much about the Ancient Greeks from objects which have survived for thousands of years. Archaeologists have dug up Ancient Greek artifacts and buildings and marine archaeologists have found wrecks of Ancient Greek ships and their cargoes. Pottery has been the most useful find because it was often decorated with scenes of everyday life. We could work out what life was like by studying the pictures on the pots. The Romans liked the buildings, statues and paintings of the Ancient Greeks and copied them. Some of these have survived. Men Men had a much better life in Ancient Greece...
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...“Ancient Greece had the perfect democracy” Ancient Greece did not have a perfect democracy. They established the roots of democracy and most of their ideas were accurate, but it was still quite far from perfect. Their system showed signs of racism, sexism, imperialism and corruption. In ancient Greece, women, the poor, slaves, and tax defaulters were not allowed to vote as they were not considered citizens. Neither were those who didn’t have citizen parentage on both sides. Only Athenian males above the age of 18 had the right to vote. Even though the status of women was lower in Athens than it was in many Greek cities, women were still not able to vote anywhere. This is extremely sexist, as gender should not change someone’s rights and the way they are perceived. These days slavery is considered illegal in most countries, however in ancient Greece, it was acceptable to have slaves working for you. A key part in modern day democracy is the right to vote for everyone, including women, tax defaulters and the poor. It can easily be said that their politics were more like an exclusive gentleman’s club then a democracy. Ancient Greek democracy can be described as being minoritarian, where a minority of the population (e.g. the male population) is eligible to a certain degree of dominance in society and has the right to make decisions that affect the entire society. Equality and freedom are both valued concepts of democracy, and if these concepts were not in place in ancient Greece...
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...What are five of the most important ideas or people to come from Ancient Greece? I believe the most important contribution from Ancient Greece is, from the information uncovered so far, that their education was less compartmentalized than what is found today. This meant that individuals had influence in more than one area, and their search for a set of rules that could use to apply to their areas of interest (page 108). In modern society, Socrates is mostly remembered for and credited with founding Western philosophy, but we have accounts of his influence in other fields. His original profession was as a stonemason (page 98), but his influence can be found in law and ethics with his influence on his pupil Plato (page 100), in art by describing the idealization process to the painter Parrhasius (page 111), and his cross examination and inductive reasoning techniques are the basis for the Scientific Method (page 98). Socrates influence can also be found indirectly in Greek drama, as he was the subject of the comedy The Clouds written by Aristophanes. Another person whose influence stretched over more than one field of study was Pythagoras. He is known as the father of pure mathematics and his major contribution is known to us as the Pythagorean Theorem (page 96). But his influence can also be felt is music because his study of ratios led him to understand that music is controlled by mathematical ratios (pages 96, 123). His views on proportion and symmetry not only influenced...
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...Ancient Greek Religion Final “What is Ancient Greek religion?” Main focus on the element of festivals, sanctuaries, and cults and how these all incorporate their own unique aspects when defining Ancient Greek religion. The Greek religious system depended not on a single deity, but on many. It did not depend on a sacred text and was served by both female and male priests. Greek gods did not assert rules for human conduct. The Ancient Greeks imagined human shapes and personalities for the immortal deities and then honored them in rituals that both comforted individuals and supported existing social systems. Religion in Ancient Greece was about community. While an individual does not have to believe the same thing as the community, they do have to participate equally in the religious actions. Belief was not the important thing. But if you don’t participate with the community, that will anger everyone and it offends the gods and endangers the community. It is treason to not participate. Greek religion is about action, not belief. It’s about give and take. The practice of religion cannot be separated from social and political life. Many concepts of Greek religion could be seen to benefit more than just the religious aspects. * Sanctuaries * Two most necessary features (directly related to ritual): * A place of sacrifice * A boundary line marking the space within which sacred rituals could be performed * Most sanctuaries were...
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...HISTORY WARRIORS In Ancient Greece warriors were called Hoplites. Greece is one of the most common places. During battle the hoplites wore metal guards called greaves and chest plates called cuirass. They fought with a longer spear, called a doru, a short sword called xiphos and a shield called hoplon. They also wore helmets which were lined with leather of fabric. They also often had feathers on the helmets. The best hoplites came from the city-state Sparta. Sparta was a military state. It was the only city-state with a standing army. Boys were taken away from their homes at the age of seven and were put into a military school to learn how to become a soldier. The main role of a Spartan man was to be a great and tough warrior. A Spartan...
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...Just as a mother nurses a child, the society of ancient Greece, 400 B.C., nurtured and cultivated its demeaning role of women. In ancient Greece, women endured many difficulties and hardships especially in three main areas. The problems women encountered in this era occurred within marriage, inheritance and social life. All three elements shaped and formed the mold of the submissive female. Marriage, a romanticized idea of being united with a person one loves dearly was the furthest thought from the mind of a woman living in ancient Greece. Marriage was considered one of the most important decisions and events in a woman’s life, but she had no direct control over it. However, in ancient Greek society, females were given little voice, if any, in major decisions. They were denied the freedom to choose whom to marry. When a young woman was to marry, she was “given in marriage by her male relatives and (her) choice had no legal bearing on the contract” (Sealey, p. 5). A woman was not allowed to decide whom she wanted to wed, whether she loved her proposed spouse or not. A woman was not given the opportunity or option to select her husband; therefore she “did not marry; she was given in marriage” (Sealey, p. 25). Women were not active in making the initial decision, because it was arranged and planned by a father figure or male relative. A woman, such as Medea, often dreaded the day of her wedding rather than looking forward to it as one of the happiest and...
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...Including our government, architecture, math and the arts. Ancient Greek culture served as a very broad base for which our society was built upon. To start off with Ancient Greece had many developments in political science. During the age of Pericles, the ideal form of government was believed to be a government formed by all of the citizens regardless of wealth or social standing. This government was known as a democracy, which literally translates to "government of the people" Their government favored the ideas of many instead of the few, Just like our government today. Athens was a direct democracy, meaning every citizen participated in debates. Western civilization used this philosophy of government by many, and created an indirect democracy where citizens elect officials to make and enforce laws. They also had trials for people that were believed to be guilty, and had an actual jury made up of commoners to decide on their fate. We of course still use a method such as their democracy today. They also had the founding philosophers that thought up, of the way we currently write literature here today. Virtually the whole of the fundamentals of classical western philosophy, are found in the works of Plato and Aristotle. Including the idea of poetry, and putting on a play. Some of the first works of literature in the west of which we have record come from Greece, and although they were created after older works...
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...Love in Ancient Times Defining Love in Ancient Civilizations [Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.] The ancient Greeks and Romans seemed to have a very different outlook on love then we do in modern western civilization, specifically their views about who can be in love, or what is considered expectable behavior in popular culture. When looking for what it means to love in ancient Greece it is hard to find any information that does not have their beliefs on homosexuality. I’m not sure what love has to do with being heterosexual or homosexual, but I will try to explain love in ancient Greece despite this setback. Love is generally defined as devotion or great caring for an individual or a specific task or object. It can be have so many different meanings it is very difficult to narrow it down to one singular meaning. Love meens so many different things to so many different people. How do you avoid confusing it with infatuation or lust? Philosophers and psychologists both have attempted to define love, per least its difference from infatuation and lust. If you are looking to find love, the following observations may be helpful. Love is much more than a risk, but is a risk that one can take and grasp and fall into a dark abyss or dig oneself a hole and only crawl back when you...
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...Even though through this specific event the people took violent action against his property, it conveyed the idea of the citizen displaying an obligation to their community to be respected and honor their own Greek city-state. In addition, the connection of the Greek city-state served as a strong affair to be righteous and good people. But also, it led to forming a strong association with the polis state by being active citizens to the community. As influential and authoritative the Games were, these events also provided athletes with support from fellow citizens. Pindar, a famous lyric poet from Thebes in ancient Greece, wrote about many victors and triumphs of many competitors during the Greek Olympic games. From his Olympian Ode 5 he claims,...
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...MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEM VS. ANCIENT GREECE EDUCATION SYSTEM Greece was known for its ancient cultures, Greek gods & goddesses, mythology, religious beliefs, classical and historical architectures, and significantly their primitive style of education. Without a doubt, the ancient Greeks influenced our world today because of their wide knowledge in different fields of study like Mathematics, Literature and Astronomy. The Ancient Athenians was considered as the brightest intellectual people because they introduced us some major accomplishments. These accomplishments consist of the introduction of Democracy, Sports, Architecture, Drama, and Philosophy. Through their wide contribution of learning, Education played an important role in our modern society today. Although Education was considered as one of the most important achievement that we can attain, our modern Education system was different from the early ancient times in Greece in many ways. In Ancient Athens, only the boys were allowed to attend school and at least received an elementary education. Pottery shards called ostraka, bearing the names of individuals to be exiled from the city, attest to basic literacy among Athenian citizens. They were taught gymnastics and physical fitness in wrestling school called palaistra for their preparation for war. Music was also a part of their education which consisted of lyric poetry and lyre playing. Music was included in both poetry and dance, with a strong emphasis on...
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...The Ancient Greeks developed astronomy, which they treated as a branch of mathematics, to a highly sophisticated level. The first geometrical, three-dimensional models to explain the apparent motion of the planets were developed in the 4th century BC by Eudoxus of Cnidus and Callippus of Cyzicus. Their models were based on nested homocentric spheres centered upon the Earth. Their younger contemporary Heraclides Ponticus proposed that the Earth rotates around its axis. A different approach to celestial phenomena was taken by natural philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. They were less concerned with developing mathematical predictive models than with developing an explanation of the reasons for the motions of the Cosmos. In his Timaeus, Plato described the universe as a spherical body divided into circles carrying the planets and governed according to harmonic intervals by a world soul. Aristotle, drawing on the mathematical model of Eudoxus, proposed that the universe was made of a complex system of concentric spheres, whose circular motions combined to carry the planets around the earth. This basic cosmological model prevailed, in various forms, until the 16th century AD. In the 3rd century BC Aristarchus of Samos was the first to suggest a heliocentric system, although only fragmentary descriptions of his idea survive. Eratosthenes, using the angles of shadows created at widely separated regions, estimated the circumference of the Earth with great accuracy. Greek...
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...Ancient Rome and Greece Rome had many rulers. Julius Caesar is one of the more famous dictators. After he emerged victorious from a brutal civil war, he declared himself dictator for life. The consuls did not take too generously to this and a group of them showed their distaste by murdering Caesar. After another decade and a half of civil war Caesar's grandnephew Augustus was the victor in the brutal civil war. He claimed he restored the republic. He now controlled all of Rome--- including the empire. He became the first emperor of Rome. Roman religion is deeply rooted in an ancient belief in spirits. They believed that spirits guided peoples lives. over time, the spirits became gods and goddesses over the Romans. Every one had special powers. The chief god of the Romans was Jupiter, he controlled the sky, daylight, and weather. They also had temples for their gods, at altars in courtyards, sheep were sacrificed and gifts were left to please the god. Often people had shrines in their homes that they prayed to every morning and left food at in order to please the gods and ask for their protection. The Roman civilization was very cultured. People were always explored the world, searching for ways to explain its secrects. Artists took note of the world they saw in paintings, mosaics, and sculpltures. Books, poems, and plays came from writers. Historians wrote about Rome’s origins, emperors, wars, and even everyday life. The Romans perfected the art of cameo-making, a cameo...
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...The unique geography of Greece has had impacts on the Ancient Greek civilizations. The impacts were both negative and positive. The of mountains of Greece negatively impacted ancient Greeks by forcing them to live in independent communities cut off from one another. The second negative impact the geographic make up of Greece had on the ancient Greeks is its location. Greece is located on the intersection of two fault plates and in an area of high volcanic activity. Due to these environmental factors the environment of ancient Greece was unstable. The people of ancient Greece lived in a constant state of uncertainty. They were forced to wonder if there would be a natural disaster. The mountains also had a positive impact on the Ancient Greek civilizations. The mountains of Greece made travel by land difficult, so many ancient Greeks turned to the sea as a means of travel. The sea also became an economic benefit for the Ancient Greeks. Another positive affect the geography of Greece had on the Ancient Greeks was the location was good for growing olives....
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