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World influence of Greek culture
History of Greek Architecture, their culture
History of Greek Architecture, their culture
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Classical Greece has been and will continue to be a source of inspiration for Western Civilization. Democracy, Columns, human like sculpture and the Hippocratic Oath began in Classical Greece. The idea of a democracy originated in Ancient Greece. Columns are used in present time, the idea of columns was an architectural contribution. Amazing human like sculptures emerged from Greece. Lastly, the Hippocratic oath was the medical contribution that is still used today.
The Athenian Democracy was a great contribution to Western Civilization. The Athenian Democracy was knowns as a type of Limited Direct Democracy. Only Men were allowed to participate, a person had to be born in Athens or to an Athenian Parent. Only 10 percent of the whole Population of Athens was eligible to partake. The assembly passed laws and made political decisions. Their was a lack of free speech and if a person was considered to be too powerful in the assembly he could be drummed out. "In the Assembly, citizens were equal before the law and were guaranteed freedom of speech." (Document 1) This portrays everyone would be equally treated
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not dependent on social class and Freedom Of Speech was guaranteed to everyone. Also, "… a man may benefit his country [even if he is poor]. There is no exclusiveness in our public life." (Document 8) Even if one is poor he can still contribute to the benefit of his country. Athenian democracy did not debar anyone. This is seen in Western Civilization by most of the world uses Democracy as their government, which guarantees Freedom of speech unless one is putting someone in danger. Also, the Democracy in Western Civilization is not based off social class. The three designs of columns which originated in Ancient Greece.
Doric, which was the most simple out of the three just a simple column with nothing exceptional on the top. Doric columns can be seen in the Western Civilization, in places like the Federal Hall in New York City. Ionic was more complex than Doric because at the top of the column, there are things that look like cinnamon rolls, has a swirly shape. Ionic columns can be found at the Supreme Court Building. Corinthian columns are really fancy, at the top very astonishing art can be found. These columns can be seen at the U.S Capitol Building in D.C. "Below are two images of the Parthenon, which was constructed during the 5th century B.C.E" (Document 6). That shows that architecture from around four thousand is still being used today. The columns are used in Western Civilization despite being so
old. The Hippocratic Oath was created by an amazing Greek physician Hippocrates. It’s the concept that a doctor would aid its patient no matter who it is or what its done. If a doctor was on an airplane and someone started to have a heart attack, the doctor would have to help the person no matter what if he/she is awake. They cant just ignore the situation under the oath. If they did not help and it was found their was a doctor on the plane, he/she could get their medical licenses revoked. "I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked...". ( Document 3) So if a person asked for a medicine that would kill him/her under the Hippocratic Oath a doctor could not give the deadly medicine. The Hippocratic Oath is still used today. If one is graduating from college with a degree in medicine they have to take the oath on graduation day. The realism in human like sculptures and the delicacy of the features came from Classical Greece. The "Discobolus" is a human like sculpture by the famous Greek sculptor Myron. (Document 9) Famous Italian sculptor Michelangelo created "David" one of the most famous work of art. It also showed some great details and human like features. Some of the more recent sculptor or just artists like Aguste Rodin who created "Thinker" was inspired by the work of Myron. Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting has such great detail.
The democratic ideals in ancient Athens are different from the imperialist actions and building the empire that the government and military did good on. The Athenian political body did not stand entirely unified in its support of imperialist action but most of the citizens supported them. The fact that most of the eligible voting people supported imperialist conquests allowed for limited tension between the democratic and imperialist ideas. Athenian democracy centered around the equality of citizens under the law, and freedom of speech, which meant that imperialist action mostly did contradict the principles of Athenian
In comparing the Ancient Athenian system of government, and the Modern Day American political system, there are many similarities. In Ancient Athens, democracy was developed in response to a long history of oppressive rulers who used their position of power for their own benefit. Ancient Athenians sought a government where all citizens were considered equal under the eyes of the law, and all had a fair say in the running of their country. Following a series
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
The Athenians created the idea of Democracy which is a widely used form of government today. Solon was credited as the man who created the foundation for Athenian Democracy. He changed the whole game. He threw out the debt of the poor so they would not be slaves anymore, he outlawed the slavery because of debt so that it would never happen again, he divided the Athenian population into four different classes, and three of the richest could rise to power instead of the one before. He allowed the everyman to have a chance at power. Later Cleisthenes rose to power and he put democracy in motion. He threw away the four classes and created a council of 500 to decide things in the government. Everyon...
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
Grecian architecture formed its own conventions in the ancient world, buildings in Greece were built with meticulous mathematic design. Great buildings were believed to be symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned [Document 7]. Another prominent aspect of ancient Greek architecture is the extensive use of columns. There were three basic types used, Doric which were plain capitals, ionic in which the capitals were fashioned after ram’s horns, and Corinthian which were made to mirror acanthus leaves.
The Athenian government was a democratic government, which means it was ruled by the people to vote and have a voice in society. The democracy was slowly formed by leaders Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon took over when Athens was in political turmoil. He introduced new reforms to forgive debts, outlaw new loans, free people that
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.
In the fifth-century BC, Athens emerged as one of the most advanced state or polis in all of Greece. This formation of Athenian ‘democracy’ holds the main principle that citizens should enjoy political equality in order to be free to rule and be ruled in turn. The word ‘democracy’ originates from the Greek words demos (meaning people) and kratos (meaning power) therefore demokratia means “the power of the people.” The famous funeral speech of Pericles states that “Our constitution is called democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people.” However, only citizens (free adult men of Athenian descent) could participate in political matters. Women and slaves held no political rights, although they were essential in order to free up time for the citizens to participate in the matters of the state. The development of Athenian democracy has been fundamental for the basis of modern political thinking, although many in modern society UK would be sceptical to call it a democracy. Plato and Aristotle in The Republic and The Politics respectively were critical of the Athenian democracy, by examining the culture and ideology present the limitations and possible downfalls of a democratic way of life. Within this essay I will outline these limitations and evaluate their validity.
Although the Romans have their own design of columns, most of them are inspired by Grecian columns. Plenty of Roman buildings imitate Greek’s style of architecture. An example of this would be the Maison Carrée which is in Nîmes, France. This Roman building looks very similar to a Greek shrine. This building was built in around
The Classical Greece era dates back to 500-323 BCE and was considered to be the period of maturity, discovery and achievement. During this era Athens was governed by a democratic government, there came a more rational approach to exploring and explaining the world and the Greeks took art to a more realistic and humanistic approach for the first time. (Sakoulas, 2002) During the Classical era the culture was based on a blend of their old culture and the new. The old is based upon religious beliefs while the new happens largely in part due to trade routes.
“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...
The Greeks system of democracy was an entirely new concept when it was created, and one that has had lasting affects as it continues to influence present day politics around the globe. Modern day democracies may very well not exist if it wasn’t for the success the Athenians had with democracy. Today we look back at these ancient civilizations and we try to better our current society by learning from their mistakes and building on their success.
The Athenian government was a democracy because the people had a freedom to be able to do what they want as long as it’s under the law. And this freedom was for all people. In his article “Pericles' funeral oration” Thucydides states that Athenians gave equal justice to all. Advancement in public life falls to one’s reputation for good work. Social class is not allowed to interfere with someone's merit. This shows that it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, big or small, legend or beginner everybody gets the same equal rights as others.
Athens was one of the only city-states with a democracy. In Document B Pericles, an Athenian general and leader, is describing a democracy and saying how every citizen is expected to serve the state. The reforms of Cleisthenes established the basis for the Athenian democracy. All citizens enrolled in ten tribes and each tribe chose 50 members by lottery each year for a new council of 500 people. These 500 people had the responsibility to take care of foreign and financial affairs. There was also an assembly of all male citizens, and they had the final authority in passing laws through free and open debate. In Sparta there were two kings who led the army and ruled their city-state. There were five ephors elected each year and they were responsible for the education of the youth and the beha...