Greek Culture Research Paper

The Culture of Greece

The world is a magnificent place; everything and everybody are so diverse. There are endless possibilities when it comes to doing anything or seeing anything you want. Nature is just breathtaking, from natural waterfalls to the white, snow covered peaks of majestic mountains, the sights are just marvelous. Then there are man-made structures that date back thousands of years where the character and existence of them can you speechless. Lastly, there are the people; there are so many different societies with a plethora of different cultures that no where in the world is the same. During this composition you will be reading all about Greece and all the wonders that make the country remarkable, from there you can decide

if it is the most interesting country on Earth.
Culture is Defined as the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time (Cambridge, 2018).

There are many things that create a culture to include religion, language, cuisine, arts, music and heritage. First, like most other nations Greek people enjoy music. They find it important to express their feelings through song and dance. Every formal event or social gathering will have music and dance. Greeks have adopted the language of Dimotiki in their literature. This modern language most directly correlates to the ancient Greek language of Doric as the people of the society wanted to keep the heritage of the language. When traveling around Greece though you will hear many different dialects as every society has developed Doric with different habits. People of Greece are very religious and primarily follow Christian Orthodox, roughly 98 percent. This religion is rich in heritage, roughly establishing in Greece in the 1450s. This is very prominent in the Temple of Hephaestus located in Athens. The temple stands today due to its beauty and the various uses it has had over the years to include a church for Greek/ Christian Orthodox. Not to mention the brilliant architecture work by, Iktinus, that has made it endure all battles and nature Greece has had to

endure.
Greece has very mild weather. It ranges from fifty degrees to eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit (Holiday Weather, 2018). This is the perfect weather for vacationing, unfortunately due to the land they have problems with farming. Most of the silt and dirt contain limestone as well as most valleys in the mountainous terrain tend to be very small. This results in over thirty percent of the country unusable for agriculture. Out of what they can grow wheat is there main crop, followed by corn and other grains. The country does heavily rely on imports, but still works with what nature has provided to them. Fish is the main meat in their diet, which makes sense because of the peninsular aspect of the country. Greece though, in fact, it is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of olive oil and raisins. They are also well known for their exotic desserts. Baklava, which is succulent and buttery pastry has become well known as very tasty and a must sample. Just imagine sitting at a small café with a coffee and baklava enjoying the beautiful sites of a sunrise over a distant mountain.
The country of Greece overall is a very mountainous region. In fact, over two thirds of the country have them. The tallest summit within the nation is Mount Olympus which stands over 2,700 kilometers tall. It is also practically water locked, with the Ionian Sea to the west, the Aegean Sea to the east and the sea of Crete to the south. Surrounded by three countries the northern border is the only border that is landlocked and is the only reason why it is a peninsula. Due to the rough terrain, most cities in the country are compact and heavily populated. With so many people in such a tight knit area the societies are thriving. There are also many historical monuments located in Greece. Some examples are the Parthenon, Ancient Delphi, and the Acropolis of Athens. Every monument is magnificent in its own way. Each structure bringing its own history to the nation. First, the Acropolis of Athens was erected somewhere in fifth century BC and was made with Pentelic marble (Greeka LTD). Next, the Parthenon’s construction began in 447 BC. The Parthenon is rich with history; in fact, the building was built to replace a building now known as the Old Parthenon when it was destroyed in 480 BC. The building was originally dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena and when later converted into a Christian church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. As you can tell Greece, by their historical monuments, is very rich with religion in their culture. Along with architecture being one of their strengths Greece also knew how to breed warriors.
Over the years Greece has had many conflicts, most of them partaking in Ancient Greece centuries. One famous Greek battle is the Trojan War. During the war the Greeks were outnumbered and were about to lose so they devised a plan in hopes to finally end the war. The strategy was deceptive and ingenious. The Greeks erected a large wooden horse that had a secret compartment used to store soldiers. Majority of the Greek soldiers then pretended to sail off as a sign of defeat and retreat. The soldiers of Troy then took the horse as a trophy for winning the war back to their city. Then, during the night the Greek soldiers opened the gates to the city for their counterparts that did not actually sail away. This battle was the last of the war and the Greek people became victorious.
During this article the Greek culture was described to persuade you into thinking it is the most interesting country to gain knowledge of. It was also brought to your attention that they always found a way to live and thrive even though the ancient Greeks were constantly in conflict with other countries. In one of their most famous battles, the Trojan War, they honestly developed a military strategy of fighting your enemy when they are most vulnerable and least expecting it. This strategy is still used this present day. They erected phenomenal national monuments that will forever go down in history as some of the most beautiful structures. Greece’s religion is very robust and has had very minimal changes to it since it was first discovered in Ancient times. The country is adaptable and continuously growing in the sense of culture; people of Greece have a heritage that will always be upheld.
References
Culture. (n.d.). In Cambridge University Press 2018. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/culture
Religion in Greece. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/religion/
Geography of Greece. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greeka.com/greece-geography/
Historical Monuments in Greece. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greeka.com/greece-history/monuments/
Greek Language. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/language/
Ancient Greek Language. (n.d.). Retrieved From http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/AncientGreekLanguage/
Holiday Weather. Athens Annual Weather Averages (2018). http://www.holiday-weather.com/athens/averages/