Greek Contributions Review

Modern Astronomy

Astronomy is another contribution from the Greeks to our modern society. A scientist named Aristarchus was the first person to say the Earth revolves around the sun. This was an important discovery because everyone thought the sun revolved around us. Another Greek scientist named Hipparchus is called the "greatest astronomer of the ancient world." He discovered how to estimate the distance between the Earth, sun, and moon. He also studied and named over 850 stars. Now we use his theories to better our understanding of astronomy.

Modern Understanding of Plants and Animals

By studying body structures of animals, the Greeks also learned about the human body. With this knowledge they were able to better their understanding. They were also able to identify many different plants and name their parts. They also learned how to reproduce plants by planting seeds. Plus, they noticed some plants are useful as medicine, especially herbs to reduce pain. They organized animals into two categories: with a backbone and without a backbone. This was an idea by the scientist Aristole, we now use his methods everyday.

Modern Government

Government is one of the biggest contributions to our modern society from the greeks. A democracy, the type of government we used today, was created in Athens. All the basic principles of a democracy come from ancient Greeks, from that we also learn that the practice of having citizens serve on juries began in Greece.

Modern Medicine

Hippocrates, the "father of modern medicine", has contributed many things to our understanding of medicine. He changed the way people thought about medicine through scientific reasoning and his beliefs that diseases have natural causes. Hippocrates taught his students to observe patients and write down what they saw. In modern days, people who become doctors take the Hippocratic Oath promising that they'll be honest, preserve life, and keep information about their patients private.

Modern Theater

Many Greek influences are used in theaters today. For examples, the original Greek theaters had rows of seats that steeply rose up so that everyone could see and hear. The Greeks also invented special effects, and scenery that revolved. Yet, the Greeks main impact of theater was their stories and plays, they are still performed all over the world and are inspiration pieces for new playwrights.

Modern Architecture

Many buildings today have Greek influences such as schools, government buildings, churches, libraries, museums, homes, and stores. They have things like columns to keep everything balanced, or pediments: triangular shapes where the roofline and building structure come together. They also might have a porch, these are all things the Greeks used to add to buildings that we also do too.

Modern Language and Literature

Many influences from the Greeks contribute to our modern use of language and literature. Some examples are the name of the alphabet, grammar, punctuation,and paragraphing. They also developed historical writing, two of the best known writers is Herodotus, the "father of history", and Thucydides.

Modern Sports

Many sports we have today come from a greek root. Yet, the biggest thing we still do today from the Greeks are the Olympics. The first Olympics were held in 776 B.C.E to please Zeus, little did they know we would be carrying on this tradition for many, many years. Many Olympic events grew out of Greek contest such as the Pentathlon or "five contest." Which consists of a footrace, discus throw, long jump, javelin throw, and wrestling.

Modern Mathematics

Pythagoras believed that numbers were the key to understanding nature, so he started a school to teach mathematics and theories. The Greeks created a system called geometry for measuring land, this is a technique we still use today. In Alexandria Hypatia, the first woman to earn fame as a mathematician, taught philosophy and mathematics. Another famous Greek mathematician was Euclid, he wrote a geometry textbook that became the basis for the teaching of geometry for more than 2,000 years.

Modern Understanding of the Body

The Greeks interest in athletics gave them the knowledge of how the body moves. Many years after Hippocrates, students were then able to cut open bodies and describe the organs inside the body. They were also able to discover that the heart pumps blood throughout the body, and the brain is the center of the nervous system.

Modern Geography

While astronomers recorded the positions of the stars, a system called longitude and latitude was invented to describe where things are. A Greek scientist named Ptolemy wrote a book with over 8,000 places, plus his maps showed how to represent the curved Earth on a flat surface.