Greek Contributions To Western Civilization

Many have deemed Homer and Hesiod the “founding fathers” of Greek epic poetry and philosophical writings. Both writers’ careers flourished around 8th century B.C, and were immense influences in the world of Greek philosophy. Hesiod focuses on more traditional origins of life for his stories and ensures that the creation of the world and its rulers are embodied in his works. Homer has been considered one of the most influential philosophical writers for centuries by recognized philosophers. He wrote about principles in battle, governance, counsel, sports, the home and life in general that the Greeks looked to in praise. While both of the authors were similar in writing style, they differ vastly in the messages of their poems.

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.

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.

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

Being part of the oldest surviving pieces of literature, displays its importance of being saved and handed down throughout time and suggests one of the reasons why it is considered canonical. It has gained status from many generations of readers. Homer was “one of the most translated authors of the late twentieth century.” (Robson, 2014, p.240) and Homer holds authority still today, through frequent study and reworks of Homeric poetry, Robson suggests “The regard that previous generations, as well as our own, have had for the Iliad provides a compelling reason to believe that it is an important work of art.” (Robson, 2014,

Homer’s two tales, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are both incredibly well known and widely taught across the world and at many different levels of education. Some call Homer the “greatest poet to ever live” and although this can be disputed his works truly speak for themselves and have braved the test of time quite well. This paper will cover who/whom Homer is as a person, or persons, and the time period of his writings, the truths versus the dramatizations of the Iliad and Odyssey, how the author’s perspective and writings portray ancient Greek culture, along with how the two of them interact with our culture today.

How the Greek Mind Changed the World Ancient Greece had a major impact on modern day society. Had we chosen to follow in the footsteps of a different civilization and culture, our world would look completely different. Many of their influences have shaped the human mind; how we think and how we view the world. Some of aspects of their culture whose influences are seen in modern day society include art and poetry, philosophy, and religion.

The ways that Ancient Greece influenced our Western civilization were the most powerful in imprinting our society. These imprints range from very diverse areas such as philosophy, art, sports, politics, poetry, math, history, science, and architecture (Veldman). This influence was mainly because of the leadership and contributions of Athens. Over time these imprints have gone through various modifications and mixtures with non-classical and non-Greek traditions. The West was very lucky that Ancient Greek experimented with democracy and public forum.

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.

Ancient Greeks made many influential contributions to western civilization such as in the areas of philosophy, art and architecture, math and science.

Before comparing the actual stories of The Aeneid and The Iliad, one must consider the remarkable success that the two respective stories have received since their origins in ancient Greece and Rome. Homer, author of The Iliad and its famous counterpart The Odyssey, is a legendary figure in history. Some question his actual existence and prefer to regard his two most famous works as stories of oral tradition that were constructed and refined with thousands of retellings by numerous poets over time. Others see Homer as a real man who entertained guests with his witty, complex stories and later had scribes write down his famous words. It will be assumed throughout this paper that Homer did exist for the sake of simplicity. On the other hand,

Mythology. A body of myths that relate to a particular group of people. These myths embody the cultures of the civilizations they come from. Normally revolving around the idea that gods who were considered to be superior to humans. The usage of mythology to explain everyday occurrences was common and myths often had an underlying message within them. Originally mythology was passed down by word of mouth or painted upon vessels as they came about before writing.

Most people today think that our ancestors made up our current cultures and traditions by themselves. However, most of western society is based upon Greek culture and ideas that were passed to the Romans and then passed on to Europe, and then Americas. We still share characteristics with the ancient world. The most important aspect that made Greek ideas so appealing was the idea that humans were able to reason: the highest value that a human could ascribe to. Their definition of reason was that a person should ask questions, and then use a system of thinking and activities to find physical answers and then know what they indicate. In modern day, this process is known as the

Ancient Greece forged many of the contributions seen in western civilizations. One of the most influential contributions is literature. Those contributions where very important then and still are today.