Compare And Contrast Ancient Greek Culture

lives, as if it was a part of them. Ancient Egyptians had many different kinds of gods and goddesses throughout their history. There were nearly 2000 different gods in ancient Egyptian history. There was only a short time of monotheism during Akhenaten's (1380 BC 1334

Ancient Greek cultures and traditions have set many precedents in the world. Even now in the twenty-first century, the presence of ancient Greek culture can be found in our mathematical and scientific formulas and theories, philosophy, and art. While some parts of the Greek culture have receded throughout the progression of history, like the belief in the pantheon of the gods, others have stayed, but changed. For example, the Hippocratic Oath, an oath sworn by medical professionals to the gods has changed throughout the years, but still remains a part of current medical practice. The Hippocratic Oath, although changed with time, offers important insight to the principles and beliefs that the ancient Greeks thought as important.

When the modern person ponders the formation of human beings, our mind automatically goes to Adam and Eve, whom were the first man and woman created by God according to the Book of Genesis. Before there was Adam and Eve, diverse cultures came up with myths about the construction of humans. These myths included: “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda, An African Creation Tale, From the Popol Vuh, and A Native American Creation Tale “How Man Was Created” Each one of these legends gives a diverse perspective on the creation of human beings.

Though there are many differences between the Hebrew God and middle-eastern beliefs of the divine, Gilgamesh also depicts some similarities. Sumerian gods respond to prayers from the Uruk citizens that Gilgamesh is an unjust ruler by creating Enkidu, the

When it comes to the question of origin, Christianity and Humanism have opposites beliefs. Christians believe that God is the creator of the universe and all living things. Humanist believes that there is a scientific reason for our creation.

Analyzing Hesiod’s Theogony and other sources we come to the conclusion that the old Greek religion did not include a direct link as to the creation of the humans. They just co-existed with the Gods. Maybe they sprang from Gaea herself, it is not certain.

In the Inuit myth, it was perceived that a Raven was the creature. It was believed that the Raven created man through flaps of his wings creating growing pea-pod plants. Mayan and Puritan cultures both believed that a superior man created mankind. However Mayan culture believed they were created between two Gods one of man and one of feathered spirit.

Ancient Greece peoples were, for the most part, farmers, their diet it was mostly grains, or to use the Greek word, sistos. The fertile soil from the hillsides of the mountainous lands, surrounded by water, provided the perfect habitat for olive, fig, and grape trees to grow naturally. In the Island of Siphnos and the Mountains of Thrace, gold and silver were found. Additionally, silver could be found in Laurionin Attica. The mainland and Aegean Islands was the home to the abundance of iron ore. Lavish Greek forest located in the Highlands were regrettably depleted of wood resources quite rapidly. Devastated first by home and wagon production followed by goat and charcoal production. Wood, the most significant resource, soon had to be imported to keep up with the demand for the of building of ships (Roman).

Both Kojiki and Greek mythologies describe common belief in the creation of the world, in which gods give birth to another to form the world. In Kojiki, two of the seven gods who came into existence, Izanagi and Izanami give birth to many nature deities, creating the world. But because Izanami gives birth to too many deities, she dies while giving birth to the fire deity. In result of her death, enraged Izanagi kills the fire deity. In contrast, Greek myth describes the creation of the world with the four gods who came to existences, Gaea (earth) Chaos, Tartarus (Hell), and then Eros. Gaea asexually gives birth to Uranus (Sky) and marries her son. She then bears three types of gods; the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecathonchires. However, Uranus repels at the monstrous creatures and sends Cyclopes and Hecatonchires down to Tartarus (Hell). Frustrated by Uranus’s action, Gaea forges the first sickle, gives it to her youngest son Cronos, and have him punish his father, Uranus. Once Uranus returns to make love to Gaea, Cronos emasculates him. Here we see the similarities in the creation of the world by birth and death of God by the hands of another god with fury.

Where did humans come from? This is a question that is common throughout time. Mankind hungers to know where they came from in order to know where they are going. There are those that believe that humans evolved from apes, or that they sprang forth from some primordial cesspool. According to Genesis 2:7, God created man from the earth in his image. He breathed the breath of life into him and humans were given dominion over the earth. Job 10: 8-12 describes how God molded man like clay and pieced him together with muscle, sinew, and skin (Holy Bible: American Standard Version, 1995).

For Eastern cultures multiple body parts such as eyes and limbs was something to be worshiped. Greco-Roman culture turned these attributes into mutations. Having excessive or less than a normal amount of body parts was a deformity, something to be feared and loathed. Egyptian gods such as Horus and Anubis had an appearance part human and part animal. For the Greeks it appears they were transformed into fearsome beasts such as the Minotaur, “[…] the Minotaur, a monster with a bull’s body and a human head. It was exceedingly strong and fierce and was kept in a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus, so artfully contrived that whoever was enclosed in it could by no means find his way out unassisted. Here the Minotaur roamed, and was fed with human victims” (Bullfinch 181). The Babylonians took the Sumerian’s nurturing mother goddess, Tiamat, “Mother Tiamat personified and ruled the salt waters” (Rosenberg 6) and turned her into an irrational and enraged creature and Marduk vanquished her. Similarly the

According to greek legend humans formed when Promethues, a son one of the mighty titans who chose not to fight with the titans, shaped man out of mud and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, civilization, and justice, breathed life into the clay figure that became man. Promethues gave humans qualities much like the gods and also gave them the gift of fire and for that he was punnished. To punish Promethuses Zeus imprisioned him and created the first Woman, Pandora, who was decieful and

“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.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World fascinate and baffle the modern world. The list is comprised of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and lastly the Lighthouse of Alexandria (history). Ancient civilizations had developed and grown without being as connected as countries in today's society are. Thus, cultures and societies remained unique from the others. Ancient communities such as the Greek are both similar and different from other ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians in many ways; some similarities are their interests in geometry and mathematics, having an insular society, and religious beliefs and some differences are religious structures, art style, and finally government structures.

Civilization is the period in which humans develop and organize their community in an advanced form in different aspects. As time was fleeting the ancient Greek civilization was starting to shape and adopt many alterations which started to center a more stable community. Just as the Greeks there were other civilizations developing some similar to the Greeks attributes and some differing them in different aspects.