Ancient Greece Research Paper

The Greeks had achievements and an enduring legacy, leaving influences of their culture, and new ways of thinking such as using logical reasoning, math, science, and philosophy. They also left a permanent

Greek civilization had continuous development throughout history. They were considered to have had the most direct association with western civilization and most influential impact on human development and its continued practices. The Grecians also built an empire, developed numerous art forms such as literature, pottery, architecture and won numerous wars against the Persians and other invaders. For many centuries Greece had to fight to survive and defend their land but getting to the point of being victors of the Persian war they had to overcome and endure lots of challenges. Winning the Persian war was not an easy win for the Grecians, it took lots of labor and the formation of alliances working together with a common goal.

Ancient Greece is one is one of the most important civilizations in history. Why? Simply because they were the base of many things that we believe in, practice, or build upon today. Some examples are language, architecture, art, science, and much more. Over hundreds and thousands of years technology, agricultural techniques, weapons, and education has advanced and evolved. Many of these ideas not only started within Ancient Greece, but within other ancient civilizations as well. Have you ever wondered what life would have been like if the ideas and inventions that Ancient civilizations had uncovered had not been shared with other societies?

The Greek Empire was a time when people studied arts and mathematics, established democratic government, and built a massive army. The Greek Empire would give to the world many great works of art, philosophy, massive amounts of education in many fields, and influenced many government structures. Although much was gained from the Greek Empire, much darkness came with it. In order to have such great products of the Greek Empire, many suffered because of “progress”. Land was the most valuable item to the Greeks, mainly due to large populations and the need for agriculture. To acquire land, one would have to conquer other territories or “bully” those who occupied the land to willingly be ruled by Greece.

Many things gave the Greek culture some advantages. Like any culture, they obtained goods, traded, and made things to make their life better and further the advance of their culture. Thought the Greeks were not about progress such as the romans, they were still human in that they wanted a decent quality of life. During the period of the 8th century B.C., there were wars going on. The Greeks did not use guns, they did not use bombs, and they did not even use any kind of gas. They used spears, swords, and knives. The kinds of weapons they used were not based on technology or electronics. They were sharp and made for fighting face to face. The exception for this would be bows and arrows. The Greeks had bows and arrows and only those were used for long range. They had armor that was made of metal and not bullet proof vests as society has today. Overall, war was quite different but a battle was still a battle. They fought to kill and conquer, as the goal is

The civilians of Ancient Greece had to be resourceful. Most civilizations had rivers to channel, irrigate, and predict. Ancient Greece is a series of islands. This means that the people of Ancient Greece had to learn to live on the ocean. They had to deal with being more vulnerable to land attacks as they were used to battling with ships. And they also had to deal with huge ocean storms. These storms could destroy a new society with no notice. (Acrobatic, 2014)

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

Communities in greece were isolated by water and mountains which took a big role, because of this settlements did not have much communication with each other. They were isolated from each other also because time over time the population of communities grew and they needed more land. To get more land they fought each other and this caused them to isolate from each other because they hated each other. In greece mainland it was very hard to travel because of the high mountains.They used carts to travel but because of rocks the wooden wheels broke. Only few of the rich people could afford horses. When traveling there were inns beside roads which offered shelter but no food and water. Travelers needed to bring there own things. When walking peoples foot would also get stuck in mud puddles. Greeks used the sea to travel but it was also hard because of the stormy nights and big waves in long journeys. They also had trouble trading because there trading material was narrowed down by a lot.

Ancient Greece was best known for so many different things, every different person would have a different answer for what Greece was best known for. In contrast to Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, the civilization of Ancient Greece arose by its new take on writing, modern forms of government, and superior inventions. One way Ancient Greece was set apart from Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt was their writing. Greek writing was letters not pictures like Mesopotamia and Egypt (“Alphabet” school.eb.com). The Greek alphabet was used for storytelling not just for working like recording trades.

The Greeks occupied such a minute space of land compared to the rest of the world, and their existence is a mere flicker in time, yet their influence on civilization today is significant and obvious. So how did they do it? The Ancient Greeks were not perfect by any means; they practiced slavery, sacrificing, forced men to become warriors, confined women to the home, and were sometimes plagued by disease. Despite their pitfalls, the Greeks were still able to rise to become a major influential power due to their feeling of purpose, which was to be the best. It was not religion nor war that propelled them forward, but this feeling of wanting to be the best in everything. Essentially, the Greeks wanted to achieve arete, or excellence of any kind. As a result, the Greeks were excellent philosophers, warriors, artists, architects, actors, and so much more. There are many aspects of Greek life that influence civilization today, and it is all due to the Greek’s belief in achieving arete.

The Greeks were also located near the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient Greek culture was known for its contributions to the architecture, science, mathematics, theatre and arts, and literature. The Greeks also made the first significant, fundamental steps in science. The Greeks developed specific scientific branches, such as zoology, biology, and anthropology. They were also known for controlling the Persian Empire after the Persian War. King Alexander the Great initiated a war with Persia, conquered and killed the last emperors. When they got ahold of Persians important city, Persepolis, they burned it down. After Alexander, Greek culture spread out throughout Persia and it was known as Hellenistic Era. (Lecture 10).

Explain with definitions and examples the concept of culture and elaborate on the barriers to becoming culturally competent communicators.

Greece was ruled by many citie . To begin with Greece is a peninsula. In addition to this most Minoans traded goods and other every day items everyday. Likewise Mycenaeans gained control of land and created the first Greek kingdoms which gave them more power and the ability to trade in more places. So too Mycenaean kingdoms were wealthy (because of trade) and had places that their nobles lived in. Also Mycenaeans were wealthy, although they were more proud of their success in war. In spite of the fact that Mycenaeans lost the ability to write, but later they spread their culture, I think is pretty interesting because when lose something you usually don’t get anything in return. While Greece recovered from the dark age they started trading

Mythology is a fun topic that allows people to try and have an understanding of history and why the world is the way it is, and why we are the way we are. There is uncertainty as to whether mythology is just plain silly, insightful, or superstitious. In modern times and in places such the United States, great myths are more along the lines of entertainment and silly tales rather than anything close to factual. These myths were carved from simple minds who were trying to explain their way of life and the history of their people when they had no facts to base it off of. The situations that happen in mythological stories just don't seem possible in today’s world.

Every idea has a start and a history that can be traced back in time. An incredible amount of these ideas and thoughts were started by great ancient civilizations. These ancient civilizations are the base of all modern knowledge. No ancient civilization has contributed more to this base than the civilization of Ancient Greece. The unique ways of ancient Greek agriculture have left a profound influence on the agriculture of today.