Dbq Essay On Ancient Greek Architecture

The ancient Greek civilization has left a rich cultural footprint on modern Western civilization. Especially during the ancient Classical and Hellenistic eras of Greece, ancient Greeks have left behind a plethora of ideas and concepts that have played a crucial role in forming the foundations to Western civilization. Although the Classical era was a time of war and conflict, it was the Golden Age of Greece that was the home to many achievements in art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and literature such as the birth of democracy. The Hellenistic era was a period of social and economic prosperity that was defined by the spread of Greek culture across the entire eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. During this era, countless of advancements

were made such as the growth of metropolitan cities as well as The Great Library built in Alexandria, Egypt; one of the most important centers of learning and knowledge in the ancient world. The ancient Greeks have held crucial contributions to the social, political, philosophical, and architectural lasting ideas in Western civilization.
Ancient Greek philosophy dealt with a wide variety of subjects including politics, ethics, rhetoric, and logic. Specifically, Greek philosophers often approached the big questions of life in various ways and they were also figures that challenged traditional conventions. Among those philosophers were Socrates, Aristotle, and Hippocrates. Socrates, as stated in A philosopher’s view on life (Doc1), believed that “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates had a powerful advocation towards the examined life meaning that he believed that a person’s way of life should revolve around curiosity; asking questions and reflecting upon your day to day life. Aristotle, who was the teacher of Alexander the Great (OI), stated (Doc2) that “Since human reason is the most godlike part of human nature, a life guided by human reason is superior to any other…For man, this is the life of reason, since the faculty [ability] of reason is the distinguishing characteristic of human beings.” Just like Socrates, Aristotle placed importance on our ability to think and reason. Aristotle indicated that humans have the benefit of reason which enables us to think, take conclusions, learn from past experiences, and act upon this knowledge using insight. This godlike ability is what separates humans from animals. Furthermore, Hippocrates was a Greek philosopher and physician who was commonly known as the “father of modern medicine.” (OI) According to Hippocrates’s Hippocratic Oath (Doc5), one of the pledges stated that “I will follow that [treatment] which, according to my ability and judgement, I will consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is [harmful].” This pledge states that doctors, to the fullest extent of their ability, must think of only aiding their patients and must choose the best treatments that do so. The Hippocratic Oath formed the ethics to medical practice as well as a moral code of conduct for doctors. Socrates, Aristotle, and Hippocrates focused on the role of the human being; on how they should go about their life as well as their virtues and beliefs. These ancient Greek philosophers have influenced modern morals and values, playing a pivotal role in shaping Western philosophy.
Greek architecture was an excellent representation of Greek art, culture, and religion because it honored their gods and promoted a social lifestyle.

The Parthenon in Athens, for example, is a dedication to Athena; the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens (OI). As depicted in The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece (Doc6), this architectural piece is shown to have Doric columns that have a cylindrical shape seeming to be plain but sturdy. In comparison to the Doric style, the Ionic style was more elegant as it was taller and more decorative; engraved with vertical lines and topped with a curved rectangular shape. The Corinthian design is similar to the Ionic design because of the elaborate designs at the end of the pillars; it features more detailed designs that seem to be based around nature such as the inclusion of leaves and flowers. There are many buildings today that include these types of columns in their architectural design mainly in monuments and government buildings. According to the depiction of the White House in Greek Architecture (Doc8), the columns of the White House most closely resemble the Ionic style. Greek architecture are one of the many important legacies that Western civilization had inherited, influencing many architectural elements and building types used in art and architecture

today.
Ancient Greek civilization was rich in its social customs and traditions, holding many forms of entertainment that united the people. One such example were the Olympic Games. Every four years in ancient Greece, city-states came together to send their best athletes to the Olympic Games. According to Olympic Games (Doc9),”Athletes were allowed to pass through the enemy territory to get to the games.” During this time, all political disputes between city-states were set aside as they competed each other not with weapons but with rather tests of strength and endurance. These tests included wrestling, sprinting and running, horseback riding, boxing, discus, javelin, and long jumping. Even until today, the Olympic Games have served as a place where the world comes together set aside their differences and engage in friendly competition. Another aspect of ancient Greek entertainment was Greek theatre, featuring genres such as tragedy and comedy. According to Greek Theatre (Doc10), “At each performance there would be three serious plays, with a short break, then an amusing play. Tragedies were often about the past, while comedies were usually about everyday life.” Focusing on mainly the past, tragedies usually consists of a main character who is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow and an unhappy ending. In stark contrast, comedies were light and funny performances about everyday life. Comedies were particularly politically influential due to the fact that that it impacted the public opinion of voters through political satire, a sub-category of comedy, performed at the theaters (OI). These two social events are still present in Western civilization in multiple forms. Greek theatre has set the stage for modern Western entertainment, holding many influences such as how the audience responds through whistling or booing and how emotion is represented through masks and other clothing. Similarly, the ancient and modern both Olympic Games both reflect a time where the love of sports that are put above political disputes between countries; a time of peace and unity.
One of the most well-known achievement of ancient Greek civilization is the birth of democracy. Before democracy existed in Athens, many city-states were ruled by an aristocracy; a form of government in which power is held by the upper-class. In many way, this type of government was described to be tyrannical because aristocrats did not follow the law and exercised their power without justice; controlling the poor and seizing land and property (OI). However, the founders of Athenian democracy included Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon introduced a new, more humane set of laws that ended the exclusive control that aristocrats had over the government whereas Cleisthenes enacted and regulated Solon’s reforms; replacing an aristocratic government with a democratic government (OI). According to Pericles (Doc3) who was an Athenian statesman and leader, “Our plan of government favors the many instead of the few; that is why it is called a democracy…While every citizen has an equal opportunity to serve the public, we reward our most distinguished [respected] citizens by asking them to make our political decisions.” Pericles describes a democracy as a form of government that is controlled by the public instead of the selective few. In order for a democracy to flourish, citizens must take interest in public life as they are the ones that partake in making political decisions through voting. As depicted in the statistics taken from A world History by Bertram Linder (Doc4), out of the total population only 40,000 people had the power to vote and they were adult male citizens. Only adult, male Athenian citizens had the right to participate in this democracy instead of everyone. Although this is in contrast to modern democracy where everyone regardless of class and gender could vote, Greek democracy proved to be essential first steps toward Western democracy and politics.
Ancient Greeks had a great influence on Western civilization artistically, socially, politically, and philosophically. Much of the language that we use, our ideas of life and science, our moral values and ethics, our political systems, our art, and many other aspects have come from ancient Greece. Western civilization would not have been the society we know today without the many influences from ancient Greeks.