Greek Legacies 9.3 2-10

Drama

Another important part of Greek literary culture was drama. Greek drama included two types: tragedy and comedy. The comedies often made fun of situations and people. Aeschylus is considered the greatest ancient Greek writer of comedies. The tragedies were more serious in tone and explored human emotions and passions. Written works to be performed by people. Sophocles, one of the best-known Greek playwrights, wrote many tragedies. His best-known works include Ajax, Electra, Antigone, and Oedipus Rex. Sophocles also made minor innovations to the dramatic process, such as the inclusion of visual props that helped establish location, and including more than two actors on stage. The importance of the works can be seen in the fact that the plays of Sophocles and other Greek playwrights have been performed and studied for centuries. They and the language they were written in have had a lasting impact on Western culture.

Architecture

Greek architecture is commonly divided into three orders, or styles: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These orders are generally defined by the style of column that was used on the buildings. Doric columns are characterized by the simplistic structure and plain capital, or top of the column. The Ionic column is characterized by twin scrolls on the capital, and the Corinthian column is distinguished by a decorative capital, usually consisting of sculptured leaves. These styles are especially important in the architecture of administrative and religious buildings, especially in Athens. hese buildings, especially the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena constructed in the Doric style, remain as some of the best examples of the architecture of ancient Greece. The Romans adopted much of the Greek style, and influences can still be seen today. Many important government buildings in Washington, D.C., such as the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court Building and capitol building, use the classic Greek styles. Still seen today with the greek influence. They depicted the human body without flaws.

History

Greek historians kept careful records of important events and wars. One of the most influential historians was Thucydides. He wrote about the conflicts between Athens and Sparta in History of the Peloponnesian War. Kept accurate accounts of important events and wars. This was the first known record of a political and moral interpretation of war policies. Thucydides work remains an authoritative source of ancient Greek history. Herodotus first person to start recording history that he witnessed. We still have people recording events today.

Sports

In ancient Greece, athletic events often played an important part in religious festivals. In fact, some scholars believe the Greeks first organized athletic games as part of funeral rituals during the 1200s BCE. Eventually, the Olympic Games, honoring the god Zeus, became the most important athletic religious festival. The earliest record of an Olympic competition dates to 776 BCE. The competition was open to free Greek men, and participants from many city-states came to compete. After Rome conquered Greece in the 140s BCE, the games lost their religious significance. Then, in 393 CE, the Roman emperor Theodosius I banned the games. However, they were revived in 1896 with the Olympic Games in Athens. Today, athletes from around the world compete in the games. And whereas the first games featured only one race, today's games contain dozens of events and are divided into the summer and winter games. People throughout the world watch modern Olympics Games on television.

Aristotle

Just as Plato was a student of Socrates, he was a student of Plato. He was born in a small town in northern Greece and, at the age of 18, entered Plato's Academy. He became the first philosopher to analyze the process by which a person can assume that one idea is true based on the assumption that two or more ideas are true. This process of logical inference is referred to as syllogism. Although he believed the forms of government described above could work, he believed the one that could work best in practice was a constitutional monarchy. In this type of government, a monarch (a king or a queen) rules the nation but is limited in power by a constitution or set of written laws. Taught Alexander the Great. Science still used today by him.

Literature

Literature was an important element of Greek culture. The ancient Greeks wrote many types of literature but were most well known for their poetry and drama. One of the best-known poets was a man named Homer. During the 700s BCE, Homer wrote two of the most influential works ever: the Iliad and the Odyssey. These works are epic poems or poems that have a long narrative. These have inspired many literary stories. Although most historians believe Homer is the author of these poems, little evidence of his life exists, and there is some debate about whether he actually existed and if he was in fact the only author of these poems. The Iliad describes the events in the last year of the Trojan War, during which the Greeks captured the city of Troy. The Odyssey traces the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus during his journey home after the Trojan War. Over the centuries, the Iliad and the Odyssey have inspired many literary stories. Also, both of these works continue to have a strong influence on our modern culture and have been adapted for television and film.

Plato & The Republic

One of Socrates's most important students. In addition to founding the Academy, he also wrote a series of dramatic works called the dialogues. In many of these dialogues, he imagines Socrates engaging in debates over important moral and ethical issues. Showed importance of classes, roles and responsibilities. Everyone needs to do there job to better society. The ideas expressed in The Republic were new and varied greatly with the philosophies of other ancient cultures. Unlike ancient cultures such as Egypt, which believed rulers received their powers from the gods, he stated that rulers earned the right to rule by making wise decisions.

Art

Sculpture was another important form of art that was practiced and improved during the classical period of ancient Greece. During the classical period, the poses and facial expressions in sculptures in ancient Greece became more natural and lifelike. They also depicted the human body without flaws. This naturalistic style can be seen throughout Western art. During this time the Greeks also began to use statues in the decoration of their buildings.

Greek Myths

The Ancient Greeks practiced polytheism, or the belief in many gods. They believed that the 12 major gods and goddesses, known as Olympians, lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. The Greeks also believed in other minor gods, as well as beings that were part god and part mortal, known as demigods. Each city-state paid special respect, through acts such as the construction of temples, to one or more deities who they believed in turn protected their city. City-states often held festivals to honor the gods and goddess that protected their cities. Greeks also believed their gods and goddesses could speak through certain priests and priestesses. They often consulted these people, known as oracles, at temples such as the one at the city of Delphi, to receive prophetic messages about their lives. These myths often depicted the gods as having human emotions such as anger, jealousy, and love. This collection of myths, or​ mythology, of the ancient Greeks affected other societies and still has an influence on today's world. In fact, the Romans adopted many Greek gods and gave them Roman names.

Government

The Athenians invented direct democracy and we still use it today in our local governments.

Language

The Greek language is one of the oldest branches of the Indo-European languages. It has also had a significant impact on English. Indeed, many English words are derived from Greek words, including philosophy, from the Greek philosophos, and poem, from the Greek poiēma. In addition, many English words have Greek roots. For example, the word democracy contains the Greek root demos, meaning people.

Math

The Greeks developed and discovered important mathematical concepts that are the foundation of modern geometry. Pythagoras, a mathematician and philosopher who lived in the sixth century BCE, led a movement to study the nature of numbers. He and his followers derived the Pythagorean theorem. This famous equation, a2 + b2 = c2, shows the relationship between the sides of a right triangle and is still used to calculate everything from the heights of tall buildings to the diagonal on a TV screen. Three hundred years later, Euclid recorded geometric proofs into a book called Elements, which became the basis for the study of geometry.

Science

The famous physicist Archimedes investigated the ways levers worked and invented the compound pulley, a machine that could pull very heavy loads with minimal effort. Still use his ideas today. Hippocrates, a doctor who lived during the classical period, studied the causes of diseases and their possible cures. He also wrote about the roles and responsibilities of doctors in relation to their patients. In one work, Hippocrates wrote an oath that swore to protect patients from harm and live an ethical life. Today, doctors still make a similar pledge, called the Hippocratic Oath, before they are licensed to practice medicine.

Socrates

Was born near Athens around 470 BCE. He is believed to have served in the Athenian military and as a member of the Council of 500, part of the Athenian government. Went against common beliefs and got into trouble. Many of his ideas have inspired other philosophers and governments throughout history.