Greek Culture : Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and heroes during their time. Each one had a sole purpose in a mortal’s lifetime. Greek mythology had a huge impact on religion in Ancient Greece. The Greeks performed rituals in order to honor their gods. Mythology affected the Ancient Greeks in many ways. The origins of mythology, the influences of mythology through a human’s lifetime and lessons taught in the ancient myths will be examined.

Greek Mythology has been known to be one of the footprints left by the civilization of ancient Greece to our history and these mythology somehow shed a light to the culture, life style, religion and history of ancient Greece since the mythology were the primary basis of the origin of the ancient Greeks and they believed that these mythologies explained the origin of why things turned out to be like that.

Introduction Cultures are different around the world. There often is multiple cultures in a country. Greece’s culture is different in many ways from other cultures, for example family, tradition and religion are three of many key factors in Greece(www.everyculture.com). Family, tradition and religion can be popular values for other cultures too, but all cultures have different values. Families in Greece are affected by poverty, religion and tradition.

Greek culture has been around for thousands of years. This culture has translated many different practices into modern day times. The colonization and culture of the Greeks is something to be admired. There are plenty of things that could be said regarding the greeks, but the main things that will be covered are: The evolution of Greek history, the militarization of the Greeks, and the decline of the greek states.

The history of the Greece can be traced back to the Stone Age. There were only a few historians in the time of Ancient Greece. Three major ancient historians were able to record their time of Ancient Greek history, which includes Herodotus, known as the “Father

Ancient Greek society fell over 2000 years ago but despite this, its mythology still continues to influence our western society. References to Greek mythology can be found all through time and in our western culture. The influence of Greek mythology can be found in our science, arts and literature and our language. When Ancient Greece fell to the Roman Empire, Rome adapted its mythologies which still influence us today as they have through history. That is not to say that Greek mythology wasn’t influenced itself – Greek mythology has links with the bible and the early Mycenaean’s. It has also been recognised as one of the earliest forms of paganism.

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.

Ancient Greek falls into both literature and history because they match and have similar things. For example, in literature we learn about the readings of Greek culture, but in history we learned about their culture and the civilization they live in. In addition, history is almost the same as literature because in both we learn information about Greek and what are their beliefs. Greek shows an Ancient civilization and it shows what people use to do, just like the Olympic Games Ancient Greek actually shows that they favored many gods, and that they played the Olympic games to honor

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to, and study, the myths, in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

Historians have long considered Ancient Greece to be one of the most influential societies on modern day life. Ancient Greece has inspired the modern world in five main areas: theatre, government, philosophy, art, and architecture.

Towering mountains. Bright blue seas. Glittering white temples dedicated to the gods. Though Ancient Greece was made up of many different regions and colonies, these 3 things were almost always in view. The ancient Greeks worshiped many different gods and goddesses that each controlled something in the mortal world. What was different about their gods and goddesses was that they were very human like. They looked like mortals, had thoughts like mortals, and they even quarreled with each other like we do. Ancient Greek religion is also known as Greek Mythology, Classical Religion, and Classical Mythology. Though whatever people call it, decisions made in Ancient Greece were heavily influenced by their religion.

The Greeks are known for many things.They are respected in so many ways and have a ton of history behind them.They are the most advanced in their history. Many of their discoveries are taught in school as lessons in History. Stories like the most famous The Odyssey Book 12-14 By Homer where it explains when Odysseus crosses paths with her crew members where the Encounter The Sirens. Sirens are a perfect example of the many mythologies dealt with in Ancient Greek.

Centuries and centuries of development has brought modern Greek culture to what it is today; rich, beautiful, and unlike any other culture in the world. In Greece, all the components of culture fall together beautifully; the food is delicious, the language is beautiful, and the architecture and general scenery takes many aback. Overall, the customs define who the people of Greece are, making it one of the most amazing cultures one can come across.

Local cultures are sustained through customs. An example would be preserving the culture through food. Easter is a largely celebrated holiday in Greece and with a big celebration, comes an even bigger meal to end the day. Typical dishes served are whole, slowly roasted lambs, red-dyed eggs, braided sweetbreads (known as tsoureki), an Easter soup called magiritsa, and grilled tripe rolls (kokoretsi). Greeks also preserve their culture by the way they dress. During the holidays there, you’ll meet locals dressed in traditional costumes. In western Crete, the older men still proudly sport their high boots, breeches and black-tasselled kerchiefs; on the island of Karpathos, the women have two sets of costumes, a simple one for every day and a very

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.