Ancient Greece's Influence On Modern Life Today

From around 500 to 300 B.C.E, in Ancient Greece, the area had many contributions to modern Western civilization. Ancient Greece influenced Western civilization politically and socially. Ancient Greece influenced Western civilization with the spread of democracy and impacted Western civilization socially with its style of architecture using columns and the ancient Olympics.

The palace of Versailles contains architecture from the Greek, Roman, and Gothic eras. The Greeks used Doric, Ionic, Corinthian order columns in their architecture (Fiero 59). One example of Doric columns can be found in the columns that helped support the weight of

Ancient Greek culture had major influences on today’s culture; some of these influences include mathematics, government, art and architecture; they even did research in the field of medicine. Many cultures and religions have adapted their ideas from the ancient Greeks. Without the influences of the ancient Greeks our society wouldn’t be the way it is today. The Greek culture lasted from around 776 BCE to 146 BCE (though it is argued to have begun around 1000 BCE), during this time they invented many technologies and refined old technologies. These things are what caused the ancient Greek culture to be such a powerful influence on western society today.

Rome invented concrete which is the #1 thing used in building today. They also used brick

Architecture was very important then, and even now. For example,Greek architects used columns for their buildings (Doc. 1). There are three different types of columns, Doric columns have a plain top, Ionic columns have scrolls, and Corinthian columns have carved stone leaves (Doc. 1).

The Greek civilization contributed greatly to the development of modern Western culture. Three of the most important contribution that are the foundations of our society are Language, Philosophy, and Government.

Greece influenced roman societies and modern day societies politically as explained in documents 1, 2, 4, and 6. Greece was the first ancient civilization to have a democracy. The basic rule for roman society law system was displayed in the twelve tables. (Doc 2) Many western civilizations adapted this law system as well as other ideas from the roman 12 tables which influenced western societies immensely. The document explains a quote that we still use in modern society which is “every man is innocent until proven guilty.” Octavian Augustus states that after he dies “the foundations which I have laid for its future government will stand firm and stable” the Greeks invented an idea of a ruling senate which today is known as democracy. (Doc 4)

Ancient Greek made many advances during their time in many subjects still used today. The ancient Greeks advances in these subjects, influenced and contributed to the Western civilization. The Western civilization’s culture and outlook on life was shaped by ancient Greek. Many things the ancient Greeks created were the basis for what we use today, including, architecture, art, dramas, math, science, and philosophy.

The Western world was highly influenced by the ancient Greeks. The Greeks changed the way the world looks at art, math, architecture, philosophy, sports, and drama. Without the ancient Greeks, the modern world would not be the same. Men such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle changed the way we look at philosophy. The Athenians created the first known democracy, setting the stage for future governments. The Euclidian Theorem and the Pythagorean Theorem among others made mathematics easier and more developed. Even current architecture can be traced back to the Parthenon and other pieces of Greek architecture. The Olympics even started in ancient Greece, creating one of the finest traditions the world has ever known. Without the ancient

Both the Greeks and the Romans made a number of contributions to western culture in the field of architecture, many of which can still be seen to this very day. Architecture played a pivotal role in both the religion and daily life of ancient Greek society. The Greeks produced some of the world’s most enduring architectural monuments, many of which are still standing today. These include the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, and the Temple of Poseidon. Perhaps one of the largest contributions of the ancient Greeks to western civilization in regards to architecture was their development of the three fundamental architectural systems of design, the Doric, Iconic, and Corinthian orders. The following excerpt from an article

“Greek civilization is alive; it moves in every breath of mind that we breathe; so much of it remains that none of us in one lifetime could absorb it all.” Ancient Greeks are known to be one of the greatest and most advanced people and have left behind a legacy that helped define the Western civilization. Cultural diffusion helped spread Greek culture all over the world, and its effects can still be felt today in almost every aspect. Greek culture has greatly affected different parts of my daily life including architecture, food, government, inventions, music, religion, and education.

Much can be said about the Greeks and their contribution to Western Civilization greatly and how they paved the way. The Greeks subsidized Western Civilization greatly, contributing areas of architecture, government, and many more. The Greeks built the Parthenon, a temple dedicated the infamous goddess Athena, who they viewed as there patron. The famous temple has columns and groundwork that characterizes Greek architecture. The architects were concerned with conducting a sense of perfect balance to reflect cooperation and order in the universe. They were the first to think of the idea of democracy, a system in which people govern themselves rather than being ruled by a king; they also valued beauty and imagination.

Lastly, the most important areas of Greek achievement were math and science. They achieved all kinds of things in the areas of psychology, astronomy, geometry, biology, physics, and medicine. In astronomy they formulated the ideas that the sun was 300 times larger than the earth, the universe was composed of atoms, and they also calculated the true size of the earth. Someone that was greatly involved in astronomy was Aristotle. In geometry, ancient Greeks found the value of pi, and Euclid, who wrote the book Elements around 30 B.C., theorized that of two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal. In physics, the lever and pulley was invented along with a force pump which eventually evolved into a stream engine. Important people in this area were Archimedes and Pythagoras who were two of the many influential in the Greek citizens. Ancient Greece has definitely made many influential contributions to that of western civilizations.

Have you ever wondered how ancient civilization built massive structures? Many ancient civilizations built things that served a multitude of purposes. Most of the purposes of these structures are already known but, there still may be unknown uses for the thing these ancient civilizations built. There also many different ancient civilizations like the Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Egyptian, Mayans, and Aztecs. Many of the things built in ancient times influenced the things that we build today. For example, the coliseum influenced the basic designs of modern football stadiums. Also the designs made by these ancient civilizations helped to change the way other civilizations made there monuments. For example, when the romans started to different types of columns and arches the style was adopted, modified, and used in the designs of cathedrals in Europe .There are many parts of these ancient buildings still undiscovered. For example there could still be sealed rooms in the pyramids of Giza. Usually when people start to research architecture made by ancient civilizations, they have to answer how were they built, and what were they built for.

The Corinthian order columns are the most extravagant type of column. It was the last column to be developed by the ancient Greeks. The Greeks did not really use this type of column to its full potential, but the ancient Romans did (“Ancient Greece” 3). Some examples of monuments or building that used the Corinthian order consisted of the temple of Zeus at Athens. It was probably the most notable of the Corinthian temples (“Ancient Greece” 3).