In ancient times Greece was one of the greatest civilizations through the course of human history. The great civilization was in a constant state of adaptation and advancement especially during its prime years. With ancient Greece stretching from Crete all the way to Macedonia there is great opportunity for advancement which happens, and is why ancient Greece is still known and greatly admired in currently. Greece is still talked about today because of their belief in polytheism, great military, architecture, and the great Olympic games. To begin, the Greeks had a rich belief system that consisted of many different gods and goddesses that take on many different forms and represent many different aspects of nature. There are three head gods …show more content…
His weapon of choice and symbol was a trident, a three pronged spear that is extremely deadly in combat. Poseidon had his own games that mortals participated in to honor him; these games are called Isthmian games they took place every two years in Isthmia which was a holy place for Poseidon (Gods and Goddesses). The Next brother of the three gods is Hades, god of the underworld and riches. Hades signature symbol was his helm of darkness, which was a helmet that whenever was worn made the wearer invisible to all. He is also well known because of his dog, Cerberus, a three headed beast that guarded the gates of his realm (greekgods). Next, Greece had an amazing set of military skills within its states. Athens and Sparta are two of the best know militaries in the course of history, but both are strong in different areas. First, Sparta was masterful at hand to hand combat and large battles over land. To determine warrior’s babies were examined when they were little, and if the baby was seen unnaturally small or had deformities it was thrown over a cliff on Mount Tygetos (The Spartan Military). In Sparta everyone was trained boys and …show more content…
Many of the buildings built in ancient Greece are built to honor gods and goddesses. These structures are massive memorials and are used as places to pray, making offerings, and ask for blessings. There are three different types of columns that were commonly used in Greece; Doric, ionic, and Corinthian columns were the most commonly used. The Doric column was a very basic, they did not have any special decoration at the top, but they are very sturdy columns that were made in sections instead of being one solid piece. The Doric columns were used in mainland Greece in the southern states like Italy and Sicily. The ionic columns were more elegant that the Doric columns. Ionic columns were slimmer and had a scroll like decoration at the tops. These columns are found more in the eastern states and islands of the empire. The Corinthian style columns were the most elaborate, elegant, and least common of the three. The columns were slim and at the top have acanthus leaves elaborately carved in (Acropolis). The columns of Greek times were made out of limestone and marble this allowed for extremely strong structures (Architecture of Ancient). The structures were made to be big and elegant so that they could honor the gods to the best of their abilities. The Parthenon is a well know building that was built upon the acropolis in Athens, Greece. The temple was built for Athena, goddess of wisdom, and it had a statue of Athena that was
Ancient Greece today is most known for the culture: the gods, the dramas, how people lived. What most people do not realize is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different civilizations spread throughout Greece that all had different forms of government. The three main ones were Athens, Sparta, and Miletus. Each was very different from the other. The most powerful out of all three was Sparta: a military based society. The Spartan government had a strong foundation that was all torn down by one bad leader.
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
The ancient Greeks practiced a religion that was in effect, a building block to many ensuing pagan religions. This religion revolved around their reverence to the gods. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic. They believed that exercising the opportunity to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of freedom that they treasured. After all, the Greeks were known for their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played a huge part. Each city-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who protected and guided its residents. Within a given polis, the belief in common gods unified the people. Ultimately, the Greeks yearned for this unity and order in the universe, which is a characteristic that is not unlike that of people today. It might seem contradictory that they believed in many gods and sought organization at the same time, for larger numbers are inherently unstable. But, to the god-fearing Greeks, each god represented a different facet of life that together upheld an organized universe if each of these gods was properly appeased. To satisfy these gods, the Greeks participated in activities such as prayer and sacrifice and erected divine temples and centers for oracles in honor of specific gods. There is evidence of this institutionalization early on in the reign of the Olympian gods, thus forming the Olympian religion.
Ancient Greece has always been known as the civilization that created the mold of the Western society that we live in today. It had influenced the world in a way that no other civilization had. However, such a great civilization didn’t last long. The reason for this is its people failure to form unity.
It is always important to look to the past in order to move towards the future. This was done in the formation of Western Society, and more specifically the formation of American society. The Greek culture served as a frame of reference for many aspects of Western life including government, architecture, math and the arts. Ancient Greek culture served as a very broad base for our society to be built upon.
In ancient Greece during the 7th and 8th centuries, different armies and cities were fighting for control of land and power. During this time period, it was very gruesome and many people died because different states wanted to expand their control over new territories so they could gain more power. With all the different armies and militaries fighting for control, there was one that stood out as the elite of all militaries, Sparta. Quickly Sparta became known throughout Greece as the most highly disciplined and coordinated militaries in the world.
The Greek architecture used mainly columns in most of their temples. The shape of the column was the most significant architectural factor. There were three types of columns, which were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. On these columns would lay a magnificent centerpiece, which displayed Greek gods or any sort of decorations. On the other hand, the Romans’ architecture used mainly arches, which could hold much more pressure than a column. Romans also used columns in their buildings, but only in a decorative form. Arches were made of stones or bricks and placed on top of each other in a way that it can form an arch and hold weight upon itself. In most Roman architectures, such as the Colosseum, there would be a dome over the top to protect from rain, sun, or any other weather. The dome has a massive weight, so there has to be something to support it up, and this is where the job of the arch takes place.
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting
In ancient Greece they believed that a god by the name of Hades ruled everything beneath the earth. They also saw the importance in the length of ones life. This is why they had the three semi-goddesses who are responsible for the spinning of life and death is called the Moirae. The three Moirae consists of Clotho; who is responsible for spinning the string of life. The second is Lachesis, who is the measuring of the string of life. The third is Atropos who is the cutter of the string of life.
The Parthenon in Athens is considered one of the surviving structures and most famous building in Ancient Greece. Also, in the world, this building is considered one of the most famous. According to Sacred Destinations (n.d), the building constructed to give thanks to Athena, also known as the goddess. The decoration of the building clearly portrayed the culture of Greece. The colorful decoration attitude of the Greek can be seen in this building, the Parthenon was decorated with marbles sculptures both
In Ancient Greece, the lives of the multi-religious yet cognitive people were structured accordingly to their religious practices. Althought there was no dominant set of religious beliefs or dieties, the Greeks believed in what rather seems to be a pantheon of gods all similar in each definitive culture that seem to come together and reign supreme as the polytheistic religion of the Greek people. These beliefs came about from cultural diffusion between different religions and are reflected majorly in Roman polytheistic beliefs which transpired into the beliefs of many other cultures. It is believed that the Ancient Greek religion was comprised of ideologies from philosphers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates, and that it became significant through the poetry of the epic writer Homer. The Greek beliefs influenced the cultures and minds of people in many city states throughout Ancient Greece especially Athens, Sparta, and the Minoan civilization and served as a foundation for the culture of these civilizations.
Sparta was a city-state based on strict military ruling, at the age of seven a young Spartan would start out training and be trained into killing machines. When a Spartan baby is born, high elite Spartan soldiers would observe the baby to see if it was healthy and strong, if not the baby was ill and weak so it would be taken up a mountain and left there to die. This is just one example that shows how Sparta only wants a strong army and doesn't care about anything else. Strict rules of the government made it so that every Spartan was trained to be physically and mentally fit for war.
The ancient Greeks developed a system of orders which were known as columns. There were three different types of columns and each had they own special twist, both structurally and appearance wise. The three orders consisted of the Doric order, Ionic order and the Corinthian order. One shocking fact was that the Romans used the Corinthian columns more than the Greeks did and they were the one that came up with them. Each order could be found in many different parts of ancient Greece. The columns were put into use by creating ancient temples. Since Greek life was mainly focused around religion, their temples were very big and beautiful (“Ancient Greece” 1).
Life in Greece in ancient times would remind you of your own life in many ways. There was school, family, athletic competition, and social gatherings. Knowing that participants in their sporting events competed nude or that you rarely knew your husband/wife until the wedding day does however, make you grateful for the society that you live in today.
The Greek culture has had a huge impact on the history of the world. There is something Greek in almost everything, especially in the world’s architecture. Greece no longer had one king, so they focused on building temples for their gods. Architecture began small and plain but evolved into impressive pieces of art. As time passed from the Archaic period to the Hellenistic period, the people of Greece developed a type of formula for their buildings and their pieces of art.