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Greek influences in modern society
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Greek influences in modern society
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When you think of Ancient Greek culture and Modern American culture you wouldn’t automatically assume that they share very many things. When you think of Ancient Greece you may think of togas and Mount Olympus, but by defaulting to these things one overlooks the more important things that Greece gave the world, and America in particular.
The foundation of Ancient Greek and American society are the same, freedom. Ancient Greece introduced the world to a new way of ruling. As democracy gained popularity in the area it was proven to be one of the most successful ways to create a strong nation while still preserving the lives and creativity of it’s people. It was so successful, that it was adopted by America when our country was formed and is
still used to this day. Another thing that Ancient Greece gave the modern world is theatre. Before there was Shakespeare there was Greek theatre. Done in amphitheaters much like the kind we still use today, men wore masks and acted as entertainment for the whole city. Another thing preformed in front of huge groups of people that the Greeks left for us were the Olympics. Originating in Greece in 776 BCE and held to honor Zeus were held every four years. In Sparta, children were trained for war from the day they were born, then enlisted in the army without their consent, this is a lot like the draft that America used during the Vietnam war and that boys still have to enter in when they’re 18 to this day. We even have books read in Ancient Greek classes that are still read today, like the Odyssey! There are however, some major differences between their way of life and our way of life now. One interesting thing that the Ancient Greeks had was religious freedom. Some may argue that America also has this freedom since that was the initial reason this country was founded, but as you will see from major prejudice in our society this is not true. IN addition to religious freedom, Greece had a polytheist religion, whereas the most popular regions held by Americans are monotheistic. In Ancient Greece the men were the only ones educated past 7 or 8 years old, luckily it is not like that in America and men and women get equal opportunities for education. We are very privileged to have gained so much from Ancient Greek culture, and maybe even luckier to have lost some!