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How Did Ancient Greeks Influence Western Civilization

Decent Essays

The ancient Greeks contributed a lot to the Western civilization through philosophy,

government,science, math, literature, architecture, and art. During the Age of Pericles ,

Greece was known to reach their Golden Age. The Golden Age lasted from about 500 -

300 B.C. Both Athens and Sparta which were two of the most popular cities assisted

ancient Greece to achieve their peak in the areas of art, architecture, philosophy,math,

literature, and science. This helped to establish the foundation for the western society.

In fact most of the western civilization’s origins derived from ancient Greece.

Architecture / Art is one of the contributions from primeval Greece. The buildings

were rectangular, they had fluted columns …show more content…

Some of the buildings today resemble

those during the Age of Pericles. The White House is an example of a building that has

similar features to the buildings that were built in the Golden Age. The Parthenon is a

famous temple that had beautiful statues and friezes. Temples in the West also have

exquisite statues that trace back to archaic Greece. Greek sculptors usually sculpted

statues that were athletic and and healthy. A well - known marble sculpture is the

Discus Thrower which represents an Olympic event. It was sculpted by Myron around

460 - 450 B.C.E. The columns were carved with flowers, plants, mythological creatures ,

and scenes of certain battles. This is where the western civilization got ideas to

decorate their buildings and include specific details on the exterior .

Philosophy was a vital contribution to the western civilization which …show more content…

Aristotle opened his own school

which is where he wrote hundreds of essays about logic, politics, and science. Most

Greek philosophers believed that natural events are caused by natural causes. To this

day , there are some individuals that have similar theories to Greek philosophers. The

western civilization still uses the ideas that were originated in Greece.

Two of the most significant contributions from ancient Greece are science and

mathematics. The concepts that were contributed to the west are used to determine the

answers for mathematics and medicine. Hippocrates who is also known as “ The father

of medicine” was a scientist that lived from 460 - 377 B.C.E. One of his oaths is “ I will

give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked , nor suggested … He is promising not to give medicine to anyone if they requested it. Medical students today that graduate have

to take the Hippocratic oath. The theory that all matter is composed of tiny atoms was

developed by Demetrius whose lifespan is 460 - 370 B.C.E. His theory has since been

proven by modern scientific instruments. Pythagoras was a mathematician that

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