The Greek Culture : The Country Of Greece

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.

Greece is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with rituals and ceremonies dating back to ancient times. The same wedding dances still occur at modern day Greek weddings that started centuries ago. Greece is a non-unilineal culture, which means that they trace their ancestry through both their mother and father. Greece is a peninsula located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Greece is a nation of islands with 227 inhabited, and 6,000 total temperate islands (“Visit Greece/Islands”). Greece’s population has increased from 1960 to 2012, but has recently been declining in recent years. The majority of the Greek population practices Eastern Orthodox Christianity, or Greek Orthodox so the majority of modern day weddings take place in an Orthodox Church.

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.

Erudition, innovation, sophistication, every word and thousands more are associated with the name Greece. Steeped in complex lore, mythology, and history, it stands as a turning point in European culture. Its ideas and inventions are responsible for shaping many future events and turning the tide in science, art, and philosophy. At one time a group of city states, Greece was dominated by two centers a cultural one, Athens, and a military one, Sparta. Athens is probably best known for its playwrights, its philosophers, and the Acropolis. Sparta on the other hand is remembered as a military marvel where courage was the highest virtue. Legend tells that it had no walls for its best and only defense was its citizens’ valor

Ancient Greece is one of the most famous and important contributors to Western Civilization and the modern world. The Greek civilization only lasted around 4 centuries, but the Greeks civilization and ideas have formed and shaped the ideas and civilizations of the world for thousands of years. The Greeks strived for arête meaning being excellent in everything they do. The Greeks were in fact, excellent in everything they did. Greek culture is used as a reference for their democratic government, medicine, and sciences. Their literature, philosophy, architecture, math, science, arts, and religion are studied and used today all around the world. The Greeks were a very advanced culture, starting the first democratic government which most democratic countries studied to create their own government. They produce some of the most famous writers and philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Socrates, Thales and more. Their mathematical theories and formulas are used in math classes around the world. Their architecture is still being used because some of their buildings still stand today and the beauty they were able to capture. They were great merchants, traders, and colonizers. The influences of Greek culture affected not only other cultures or civilizations but still impacting lives today. The Greeks were unique in the way they thought and in their actions. The advanced art and literature are being taught today in schools. Their philosophies are still being examined today.

“I’m only here to party”, said no fraternity or sorority member ever as they began their journey through college. Participation in Greek life is an extended party in the eyes of parents, high schoolers, and any others that are not involved in the Greek life culture. Looking at the influence of Greek life on students, many have became successful and well know such as: Harrison Ford in Sigma Nu, Tim Mcgraw in Pi Alpha Kappa, and Brad Pitt in Sigma Chi (Famous). According to evidence, outsiders are overseeing the helpful and impactful commitment that these college students take to be involved in an organization that is bashed and made fun of across America. It is often labeled the party culture and given a negative view due the positives being hidden by the negatives. These false assumptions lead to the encouragement of banning Greek life in colleges due to the rare, negative behaviors that are headlined on the news and the overlooked, positive advantages of joining a sorority of fraternity. However, Greek life is shown to have an outstanding amount of involvement in philanthropy, continuing high academic rankings, and more skill and character development than the average college student.

Greece was a beautiful country of the arts. Ancient Greece’s time was around 2000 to 30 B.C.E. Ancient Greece’s people had to deal with mountainous lands, making it hard to live there. Though these causes were against them, they survived and had beautiful and dramatic plays, arts, and architecture. Greece had many wonderful and terrible leaders, and took over much of the ancient world.. Greece had a very rich religion, counting up thousands of gods. Greece also was known for their arts, from pottery to dramatic plays.

“Greek civilization is alive; it moves in every breath of mind that we breathe; so much of it remains that none of us in one lifetime could absorb it all.” Ancient Greeks are known to be one of the greatest and most advanced people and have left behind a legacy that helped define the Western civilization. Cultural diffusion helped spread Greek culture all over the world, and its effects can still be felt today in almost every aspect. Greek culture has greatly affected different parts of my daily life including architecture, food, government, inventions, music, religion, and education.

When considering influences on our modern lives, Hellenic Greece offers plenty. A few examples include medicine. As the ancient world did not fare well in curing disease, medicine was an essential element of discovery. Ancient Greece initially believed that diseases were the result of God's punishment and that all potential remedies were surrounded by superstition (Adhikari, 2015). Once Hippocrates of Cos began collecting data and conducting experiments showing disease to be that of a natural process, caused by natural reactions of the body, medicine was introduced (Adhikari, 2015). Ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates was also very famous for his supposed contributions in the Hippocratic Oath that is still utilized today regarding ethical

Growing up my yaya told me contently “Eíste Éllines, ton politismó mas, eínai to palaiótero kai pio agní deíchnoun to páthos, deíchnoun yperifáneia.” Which I quickly learned roughly translates to “You are Greek, you are the best, claim it, be proud.” Being Greek is like being the proudest group of people in the world and telling everyone you meet that you are in fact Greek and because you are Greek almost all Western cultural traditions can be traced back to the Greek—Greece is the birthplace of Western culture and we are proud of it. Now if all you know about the Greek culture is what you have seen from the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” franchise, you are a bit misinformed but that is fine—the franchise did get a few concepts about Greek

Greece has a long history, one that has helped to shape the western world and

Introduction Greece is a small country on the south eastern part of Europe. Bordered on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea, the peninsula was broken into small city-states in ancient times. With the country being broken up by islands and tall mountains, the Greeks being to build city-states instead of one country. The geography of Ancient Greece influenced the culture in that, which few natural resources and surrounded by water, the people eventually took to the sea for their livelihood (Mark, 2013). Ancient Greece was known for many things that helped the entire globe which includes; ancient philosophers, religion, government, military force, and city-states.

Due to its geographical position, Greece has been occupied by many countries who wanted to subdue it and exploit it. At the same time, these peoples had a special influence on the Greek culture and society. As for the religion of this country, although the Ottoman Empire administered this territory for a long time, most of the population belongs to the Orthodox religion, and a small percentage to the Muslim religion. Also, a small number of people belong to Protestant and Jewish religions. One very important thing to mention in relation to Greek society is that the Greek society is made up of united families. The family in this society is very important. Women in Greek society are of particular importance, having access to good education, unlike other societies where the woman is not respected and has no right to education.. Tradition and religious practices represent a social lifestyle of the Greeks (mapsofworld.com,

Contemporary Greek culture and traditions are rich and diverse. This rich and chaotic past greatly influences current lifestyle, the Greek perspective on the world, Greek music, food, customs, and traditions, even the way Greek do business.

Ancient Greek culture was a culture of poets, philosophers, warriors, and most importantly of all: athletes. As most young men today would wake up in the morning and go to school, young men from ancient Greece would wake up and go to their city’s gymnasium where they would workout and prepare for the highlight of every ancient Greek persons life: the ancient Olympic Games. The Olympic Games was an event so grand that it could be compared to the modern day Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, and Macy’s day parade put together! The ancient Olympic Games were also highly representative of ancient Greek culture at the time of its occurrence. These similarities were seen through many ways such as expressing the already established rivalry between Greek city-states,