Culture And Ancient Greek Civilization

The early civilizations play a key role in society today. These civilizations had their own traditions and beliefs which made them all unique. The Greek, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations all had contrasting beliefs, religions, customs, traditions, and political views which made them all individually distinct. Through studying the three ancient civilizations, we are able to analyze the differences of these civilizations.

One of the common features of the ancient Greeks was their practice of guest-friendship. They honored friendship that had been established by their ancestors. Thus, they would not fight with someone who is a friend. Moreover the Greeks were very competitive of their past. If an aristocrat had ties with a legendary hero of the past, he would be placed in a certain position or status which would earn him respect. Therefore, the stories of their ancestors was very significant.

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.

In examining the impact that the ancient world has had on modern Western civilization, the two ancient civilizations which are frequently understood as having had the greatest influence are Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two civilizations would eventually come to shape much of what would become the modern European culture, politics and society, and by extension, a vast proportion of global culture and society. In examining the trajectory of modern history in an era of globalization of Western ideas and modes of living, the importance of these civilizations in world history is extensive, contributing to cultural, political and social trends which may well dominate the globe in the future.

Another similarity, we share with ancient Greece is the love of sports rivalry especially the Olympic Games. In 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games begin as an achievement in art, ethical conduct and interaction of the mind in ancient Greece. Today athletes from all over the world take part in the Olympic Games. In spite of the many new events such as bicycling, skating, gymnastics, swimming, soccer and basketball, many of the earlier (ancient Greece) events such as footraces, jumping, discus and javelin throwing, boxing, and wrestling are still a part of the today games.

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.

1. During the Mycenaean civilization, who was the great poet and what were his two important literary works that influenced the Greeks and formed part of Western literature? Homer, The Iliad, The Odyssey

These three civilizations created cultures that built societies and people for future generations. Starting around 3100 BC they began. The rule of King Menes began the Egyptian civilization by unifying the Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom (Duiker and Speilvogel 17). The Mesopotamian civilization located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, began with the Sumerians people (Duiker and Speilvogel 9). Also, in now what is modern day India, another civilization began. It was located in the Indus River Valley with the Harappan people (Duiker and Speilvogel 38). Three early civilizations laid the foundation for what would be the progression of future civilizations, all of which would greatly influenced the world.

Ancient river valley civilizations are one of the earliest societies in the world. The rises of these ancient river valley civilizations started the first cradle of civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient China are the earliest civilizations that were successful enough to make enough food for everybody. Every one of these civilizations had three things in common: they all had a special relationship with the river, they created their own writing system, and they all relied on trade.

The Greeks set up athletic events in honor of Zeus for which the Olympics was made.

Early civilizations and empires of the Middle East and Egypt developed several distinct characteristics. Babylon, Ancient Israelites, and Egypt developed characteristics that included governmental, social, and economic structures as well as distinct religions and innovations. These civilizations and empires existed between 2,575 B.C. - 323 B.C. and most of them had notable rulers.

Greek athletics were a vital part of ancient society along with war, education, and many other things. Not only was the the life of many Greeks but this was an area of life that was very important to many Greeks. Ancient Greeks paid their athletes because athletes needed compensation for essentially their career that they chose, as other chose to be a merchant or soldier even, some chose to be an athlete. For example, if soldiers, merchants, and messengers can be compensated in monetary value then the athletes can be paid.

It is any wonder that excellence has been termed the “instinct of the Greek race” or that it is discussed in the earliest literature of that ancient civilization? Plato gave much thought to it, as did Homer and most other authors. The ideal of achieving excellence was the very cornerstone of ancient Hellenic society” (Johnston page 37). The meaning and implications of the statement, “Arete also had the power to broaden perspective so that narrowness and provincialism vanished." This statement states that,” Unlike most societies, which are afflicted by the” prison of the tribal, and the intellectual tyranny of the contemporary,” ancient Geeks saw life as life with all of its diversities, dimensions, and complexities” (Johnston page

Get your pens ready ladies and gentleman for I shall take you into a marvelous journey into the past. Our first (and only stop) is the spectacular ancient Greece. Now I don’t know about you, but mythology is one of the most fascinating subjects there is; so much to see and explore, so much to learn. Anyway let’s get to the journey. First, I will start with the basics; Greece came up with the very first democracy and is the origin place of the traditional Olympics held in Olympia 776 B.C. Moreover, the Greeks did just about everything in the name of the Gods. For example, the Olympics were a way to honor Zeus and his wife Hera; all wars between the city-states (Athens, Sparta, and Corinth) must come to an end for

Throughout the course of time, different civilizations across the world hold one thing in common by which a society or culture can be based upon or help influence the structure. The one common thing that has help a civilization grow throughout the period of time would be the formation of a religion. Religion is a center point for many societies throughout history. As the center for the different civilizations, it helped form their different traditions and customs. The same could be said about the people of ancient Greece, where religion or mythology played an important role in their lives as it was the pedestal of their culture and how they base their lives upon. The formation of a religion across the large number of regions of Greece, help the different locations mold themselves by the customs that were created from the adaptation. During what was known as Ancient Greece, the people would hear tales of the twelve Olympians and how their actions influence the world around them. Within this period of time for the people of Greece was that of growth, as they sought to bring new ideas into light as they exited from a dark period within their own history.