Meet the Greeks
Madison Palmiero
Over 2000 years later, almost every aspect of modern life can be linked to Ancient Greece. The impact Greece had upon society is astounding. The origins of language, philosophy, modern math and science, and even democracy can all be attributed to the Greeks. A large majority of the world's greatest historians, philosophers, conquerors, architects, and engineers were Greek, which proves to show just how incredible Ancient Greece really was.
When studying the history of early civilizations, written records provide a plethora of valuable information. One of the earliest and most notable historians was Herodotus. Throughout his entire life he worked on just one project which he called “The Histories”, a long and detailed account of the Greco-Persian wars. “Before Herodotus, no writer had ever made such a systematic, thorough study of the past or tried to explain the cause-and-effect of
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Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon, ‘‘whose accomplishments laid a firm foundation for Alexander’s later success”. Following his father’s death, Alexander claimed the title of king at only the age of eighteen. He then went on to build his empire and become one of the greatest conquerors the world had ever seen. Some of his most notable conquests were those of Egypt and Persia, which later became two of the three divisions of Alexander’s empire, along with Macedonia. At the age of just 33, Alexander died of unknown causes, having never lost a battle. “He is known as ‘the great’ for both his military genius and his diplomatic skills in handling the various populaces of the regions he conquered. He is further recognized for spreading Greek culture, language, and thought from Greece throughout Asia Minor, Egypt, and Mesopotamia to India, thus initiating the era of the ‘Hellenistic
This paper will offer a commentary on Herodotus’ Histories 2.129-135. Book Two of Histories concerns itself with Egypt; specifically chapters 99-182 detail rulers of Egypt both legendary and actual. Book Two is distinct from the other books in Histories as it is in this book that we predominantly experience Herodotus as an investigator. More precisely it is in Book Two that Herodotus treats first person experience not as direct evidence but as a method of assessing the accounts of others. Chapters 129-135 provide us with the tale of King Mycerinus as recounted by whom Herodotus refers to in 2.127 as simply ‘ÆGYPTIOI’. These Egyptians are referred to at various points in Book Two and at times appear to refer to what might be termed ‘Egyptians in general’ . However, we can make a reasonable assumption in this instance, given what has been stated before at 2.99 and what is stated later at 2.142, that the Egyptians that provide Herodotus with the tale of King Mycerinus are probably priests. It should not be assumed that priests are any more reliable than the lay Egyptian in Histories however; the Egyptian priesthood did not necessarily concern itself with historical accuracy. Indeed the inclusion of priests may simply be a Herodotean literary device designed to reinforce his reader’s credulity.
Many people consider him the father of history; others prefer to call him the father of lies. Whatever may be your perception of Herodotus’ work, the truth is that Herodotus began a new manner of writing history in which human psychology takes a fundamental place. He was the first historian who really considered the reasons why things happen and did not limit his narrative to just facts. His book The Histories evidences all the distinctive features that he employs through his description of facts as well as the intrinsic analysis that he includes to his storyline about controversial topics like the definition of what heroes really are. Indeed, The Histories’ book 7 reveals Herodotus’ astonishing and unique view of heroism. During his description of the facts that took place during the war between Persians and Greeks, Herodotus presents the qualities and attributes which, for his understanding, make a real hero. In his book, Herodotus talks about Xerxes, the king of the Persians who led the offense against the Greeks, and Leonidas, the king of the Spartans who fought with honor and bravery against the Persians. According to Herodotus, although Xerxes won the war with big advantage, Leonidas was the real hero of the story because he confronted the enemy with great passion, humility, strength, and bravery.
Herodotus is a Greek historian who travelled to Egypt and wrote down his observations about the Egyptians in his second volume of his histories. He is also well known as the “father of history”, although his observations were not always accurate. Through his experience in Egypt, he developed many different views of what he thought the Egyptians were, and why they were worth describing. Herodotus made observations on the Egyptian’s because their habits and customs were reversed from other countries.
Alexander the Great is hailed, by most historians, as “The Great Conqueror” of the world in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. “Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BCE. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Philip was assassinated in 336 BCE and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire” (Web, BBC History). It is important to note, which will maybe explain his brutal actions, that Alexander was only twenty years old when he became the king of Macedonia. “When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life” (Web, Project of History of Macedonia). “In, 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, but as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior gener...
The ancient Greek civilizations contributed and influenced many Western civilizations. The ancient Greek’s achievements helped shape and inspire the basis of Western society. Their ideas of literature and theatre, architecture, and philosophy are still used today in the modern world.
The Ancient Greek contribution ranged by the 1900-133 BC, however its influence on the Western Literate Society lasts to this day. As the Greeks expanded their empire, they spread their ideas to other countries, while also borrowing from other cultures. During this period of time, the Greeks made many significant and long-lasting contribution to our modern culture in Philosophy, Art, Democracy, Drama, Math, and Science. These givings of important ideas, inventions, and structures have had an extraordinary influence on the surrounding environment, society, and in the future. The essential contribution of Greeks to the Western Civilization are Democracy, Art, and Philosophy.
Throughout ancient history, civilizations have offered historians an outlook into their accomplishments and achievements. Ancient Greece in particular, gives historians a closer look on that time period through their different polis’ that came together in unity through similar ideas and concepts of what makes a civilization great. Law and government structure is an idea that remained congruent throughout ancient Greek culture. This remained true specifically in regard to their ideas of democracy which remained highly important through the entirety of their existence. As well, Ancient Greece is renowned for their innovations that changed the quality of life by making it more efficient and bringing an understanding of how the world works. Furthermore, the arts were vital to ancient Greek culture as it helped individuals understand the way the world
The two Greeks writing primarily about Greece, Herodotus and Thucydides, were predominantly writers that concerned themselves mostly with wars and the data surrounding Greek and the combatant’s life during the time of war. Herodotus is considered the father of history, while Thucydides is in turn considered to have modified his method of writing to more exacting standards of accuracy. Herodotus, from Halicarnussus (a city in now-modern Turkey, then a city in the Greek province of Caria), wrote about the origins and customs of people, towns, regions, constitutions, politics of Egypt, Arabia and India, Scythia, Libya, and Thrace (Breisach 2007). His writing style is best described as a self-styled historian, convinced of his self-importance and knowledge, sure to insert his personal viewpoint wherever he deemed it necessary so as to impar...
Herodotus wrote the Histories, which mainly tells the story of the Persian invasion of the Greek mainland
“The Greeks molded the mind of Western Civilization, if not the body and the culture” (PowerPoint #6). The Greeks had a very powerful impact on the entire world, making them a huge influence to Western culture. The Greeks showed their power over the world by their great intellect. Through their accomplishments in art, architecture, government, philosophy, education, and science they helped shape Western Civilization. They built strong and intricate buildings, allowing others to see throughout history the plan of the architecture used. The Greek government was one of the first to have a Democracy. Their ac...
He strived for excellence in everything he did. In doing so, he ruled large parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. He became the muse to all military leaders, because of his great dexterity in battle
Alexander III of Macedonia, better known as Alexander the Great, successfully conquered the known world by 323 B.C, he was only thirty two years old. Like most leaders from militarists’ background, what made Alexander great was the same thing that made him terrible, his drive to be the best. Alexander’s ambition coupled with his bravery, intelligence, military genius, and might led him to be a legend that would later inspire the likes of Caesar and Napoleon, much the way Achilles inspired him. Through Alexander’s continuous campaign to rule the world he would, “found cities, and brought Greek language, currency and culture to every society he conquered. It was through Alexander, that Greek ideals, thought and culture spread to the Middle East
Herodotus, known as ´the first historian´ or ´the father of history´, was a Greek historian who wrote the nine-volume ´ Histories´ circa 440 BC on the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars 490 BC and 480-479 BC. The Greek believed that historia requires much research. Herodotus states that he records history “so that the actions of people will not fade with time”3.
History is shaped by the historian’s perspective on different events and oftentimes is written to relay various messages to those in which the reading aims at reaching. Herodotus is a prime example of a historian passing on important events in Greece’s history with the purpose of spreading the concept of the good values the people of Greece should be conducting themselves with. Herodotus was referred to by many historians as the “father of history” and often wrote his records based off of the stories that he heard in his travels. Because Herodotus was known to ramble in his wri...
Everyone today is evolved in today’s history, and will pass down the many stories that shape the world for incoming generations. Moreover, everyone has a different perspective on events that happen in the past and present, which creates differing stories and overlapping similarities. Our history is gathered from historians who provide facts and stories of relevant or important characters, issues, or events through details that differ from groups and cultures portrayed during that time. This can be seen in Herodotus’s The Histories (Book Seven). Although Herodotus is the first historian, his takes relevant and important information in an overly-detailed and story-like style of telling history.