Greek Influence In Ancient Greece

“In many ways we are all sons and daughters of ancient Greece.” (Vardalos, n.d.) This quote by Nia Vardalos proves to be rather accurate. Greece is a small nation located in eastern Europe. Its people, called Greeks, were drawn to the ideal environment of its capital Athens. In this famous city-state great things happened. The city was a brewery for genius ideas, and fresh inventions. With all of their growing power other nations began to feel inferior and was the cause of this empire’s fall to the Romans in 146 B.C. (National Geographic Society, 2015) However, all of their knowledge and wisdom was carried on through centuries forward as it moved westward, and still endures in our society today. The impact of Greek influence in western culture

To begin with, for the ancient Greeks, science was one of the most important aspects of their society. In the foremost aspect of math, the Greeks undoubtedly excelled. Two great mathematicians, Pythagoras and Archimedes used complicated and advanced theorems and equations to allow the use of levers, fulcrums, and pulleys (Council Rock School District, n.d.). Without this basic understanding of math, gifted to us by them, we would not be able to lift, transfer, or transport items of a heavier weight as easily as we do today. Second, the footing of human anatomy and health began in ancient Greece. Hippocrates brought up and viewed health in a way that back then was completely new. In ancient Greece, illness and treatment was viewed to be the work of the gods, but Hippocrates dismissed this idea. He was the first physician to base his diagnoses on observation and scientific method by keeping meticulous records and collections of past experiences (Jewsbury, 1992). If Hippocrates hadn’t done so, our precise and accurate library

The Greeks also impacted how we live our daily lives. One way they did this was by creating Democracy. In Greek democracy, citizens were allowed to assemble, vote on leaders, and discuss matters at hand. This form of government has grown to become the very thing that almost 167 countries have been built on (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, 2013). Another thing that has been influential on western society is Greek warfare strategies. Greece is a country almost completely surrounded by water and this caused for many overseas wars. In turn, the Greeks formed a very strong and powerful navy. The Greeks enable the use of giant armoured ships called Triremes to sail through Mediterranean waters (Britton, 2014). This is what caused for so many countries to form their own due to the success of the Greek navy. Not only this, but the Greeks influenced how we construct and design many of our important buildings. The Greeks took much pride in their sculptures and buildings. They spent years, even centuries, on perfecting their masterpieces. Their simple style shows itself in lots of important buildings in modern society. For instance, the Greek Corinthian Columns can be found inside and outside of the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court buildings (Britton, 2014). Moreover, the Greeks invented mythology, to help them explain and understand the chaotic world around them. They worshiped gods and