How Did Greek Culture Influence Western Civilization

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

The Ancient Greece, in other saying the Hellenistic Greece, was powerful and had affected on the entire world during its time of period. Of course, during this period of time, the Romans were crawling like

Picture the Greek goddess Nike brave, muscular, and radiant. Who would have thought in a million years that one of the biggest brands in the world that sells footballs to underwear would be named after a Greek goddess? Greek Mythology has influenced our culture through company names, astronomy, and amazingly enough our government. One thing that all of these topics have in common is that over the thousands of years their meaning hasn’t changed.

Greek philosophy and Greek religion were both very important to the ancient Greece culture which has influenced the cultures of today’s society. Greek philosophers believed rationality was a huge part of mankind as well as science, botany, chemistry, and physics (Matthews, Noble, & Platt, 2014). Moreover, the Greeks viewed religion as the explanation of how one understood the universe not just a part of one’s life (“Ancient Greek Religion,” 2016). According to Donn (n.d.), “Ancient Greeks were very diligent in worshipping their gods every day. The Greeks believed in a great many gods” (para. 1).

The ancient Greek civilization ranged from 1900- 133 BC. Greek civilization came to an end more than 2,000 years ago, when Greece became part of the Roman Empire. However, its impact on the Western world lasts to this day. As the Greeks expanded their empire, they spread their ideas to other countries, while also borrowing from other cultures.

The Greeks were one of the most powerful and smartest civilizations before the common era. There were many Greek civilizations and city-states such as the Myceneans, Dorians, Athenians, Spartans, and many more. The Greeks had many different types of government such as a Democracy, Monarchy, Oligarchy, etc. They had many philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They had some of the most intelligent mathematicians and scientists like Euclid, Archimedes, and Hippocrates. Some things that the Greeks used to do back then we still continue to do today such as the Olympics and being a Democracy. The Ancient Greeks had huge impact and affected Western civilizations today.

The cultures and traditions of ancient Rome and Greece played a major role in influencing modern day western civilizations, particularly in the practices of art, literature, architecture, philosophy, and especially real-world politics. Today’s impressions on our government as a democratic republic were inspired heavily by both of these ancient yet fundamental governmental structures. Many of our values such as the inclusion of citizens in the electoral process, as well as a heavily monitored government, stem from both societies, including certain aspects of the judicial system. Our country’s founding fathers have all earned a traditional education. Following America’s independence, they began to formulate their own unique ideas about the new world, all the while learning, adopting, and implementing ancient Roman and Greek ideology. Upon the creation of the United States government, our forefathers included elements of Greek and Roman culture. The country of Greece was originally never a distinct nation in itself, as local cities formed individual political consensuses referred to as city-states. Each one was separated by tumultuous terrains of land and developed their own individual government. Corinth, one of the most powerful cities in Greece, was an oligarchy – a major city-state ruled by powerful political leaders. Some took part in a hybrid form of a republican government, such as Sparta, who at

“There is an old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” However, it could also be said that, “Rome wasn’t built, by the Ancient Greeks, in a day.” (Crest) Ancient Greece was founded in 800 B.C. and was seen to be the first technical, civilized society. Within this society there were large advances in art, poetry and technology. Despite these advances Greece finally fell to the Romans in the Battle of Corinth in circa 146 B.C. and was established as a Province of the Roman Empire. This occupation, by the Empire of Rome inside of Greece was a symbolic moment of their history. The Romans witnessed the success of Greece and evidence suggests that the Romans adopted the Greek culture into their Empire with some minor changes. From a social science perspective evidence seems to suggest that Rome adopted the Grecian systems of politics, culture, and psychological influences.

Both Ancient Rome and Greece have contributed many legacies to today’s society. Greece and Rome’s contributions have lead to today’s modern advances. Both have invented ideas and technologies in ancient times that still exist today like columns from Greece and arches from Rome. About 2500 years ago in around 800 B.C., Greece started to develop into a country. A few years later, in 753 B.C., the city of Ancient Rome was established.

Mythology contributes to the culture of many societies. More specifically, Greek mythology severely influenced Greek society. Monuments, buildings, and statues were built in honor of the Greek gods. What’s unique about Greek mythology, according to my book, states “The Greeks made their gods in their own image”(Hamilton). This is different than most religions because the people created their own gods/goddesses and made them relatable.

The Greek culture has affected us in many ways today.Culture is a group’s, person’s, or society’s belief. It can be identified in multiple ways. Culture can be viewed as the traditions, arts, clothing, music, social interaction etc. Culture can be found everywhere around you. If you move to a different country or region there will be a different culture that you may have to adapt to. It is an important part of people’s lives. It determines how they live their life.

Greek mythology has had a great impact on modern culture and still influences us today. Even though thousands of years old, evidence of ancient Greece is present all around us in many different aspects of our lives including literature, language, sports and entertainment. Ancient Greek literature, written by authors such as Homer and Sappho, involved fantastic stories and poems involving ancient gods and goddesses which are still studied today. While some of these stories were mythical, as in the story of Hercules, who had extraordinary strength and fought monsters, others gave some historic accounts of real events such as battles.

Greece in itself is known as the father of many known and honored teachings and methodology. Whether it was architecture or math and science, the classical Greek period was home to many commonly used techniques in the modern world. Greece most definitely contributed to the influence on western civilization along with the other cultures at the time. Things like Democracy, geometry, and even the hippocratic oath used by doctors are all still relevant in western civilization all these years later. Showing that it is a true contribution to the society

Long considered an ideal society by its neighbours, the ability of Greek Civilization to export its culture across the known world was great. Accompanying the more pragmatic exports of technology, literature and philosophy were the customs relating to popular culture craved by foreign citizens resulting in the spread of Greek fashion, cuisine, arts and sports across the Mediterranean world. Roman society was a particular market for Greek popular literature, dramas, poetry, music and other art forms. The influence of Greek sculpturing is visible on later Roman sculptures and masterpieces, who inherit both style and technique from the Hellenistic world. The Greek sensibility relating to dress and fashion had an impact on popular culture in Rome, whose people borrowed much in relation to their tastes in fashion from the Greek World. In large part this was due to the increasing number of skilled artisans, hairdressers, chefs and decorators (along with the plethora of other technicians and merchants) immigrating to the Roman heartland from the Hellenistic world as slaves or in search of employment. Popular plays and dramatic masterpieces originating in the Greek world soon found their way to popularity in Rome, often carrying their hidden satirical or moral messages to the Eternal City. Particular evidence for this Hellenistic influence on Roman society can be seen in Roman cuisine.

The Treaty of Sevres was a binding, post-war agreement signed by the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire in 1920. The treaty brought an end to the formerly unrivaled Ottoman presence in the Middle East and established the nation of Turkey in its place. During the process, the former empire lost several of its territories. Which nations controlled which territories was decided by the Allied powers and had an unmistakable impact on the region moving forward. The Straits of the Dardanelles, which were a very significant waterway in terms of trade, were placed under the control of an international commission. Greece gained control of Thrace and Italy was given a portion of southeastern Anatolia. Additionally, France established the Syrian