Classical Greek Influence On Western Civilization

In the 5th and 4th centuries, the Classical Greek’s were developing ideas and forms that influenced the Western civilisations and societies. Religion, philosophy, arts and architecture, politics and law were the most important contributions of the Classical Greeks to the Western world . Since then, the Classical Greek’s concepts and methods have impacted the ideas and forms of the future generations.

The Classical Greece period, circa 500 BCE to c. 323 BCE, was when the Greek’s thoughts and lifestyle started evolving. The Greek’s were an extremely religious society. They had a polytheistic religion and their belief was that Gods were involved in every aspect of their daily life . As stated by Wim Den Boer in Aspects of Religion in Classical

Politics progressed from a Monarchy rule (tribal king) to a democratic rule in Athens and thereafter advanced to other city states or polis. The Athenians perception of democracy was that reason was the basis of law. Athens had a limited democracy rule where democracy only applied to men who were a citizen of the polis, possess wealth and had to have a military background, but there were restrictions placed on women and slaves who were to be dictated. To vote a ostraki, pottery pieces, were placed in a vase from which public officers and juries were elected and they assembled at the Pnyx, an open air setting, to discuss and vote on matters. This gave them the illusion of power as while the citizens may have voted, the public officers and juries could influence the votes in their favour as they were still in the position of power. The citizens could have been persuaded and/or manipulated by false promises and be lured in a false sense of security that the juries and officers would do right by them. Nonetheless democracy began to spread to the Western world as democracy applied reason to the regime and thus democratic rule was established. The method of voting and assembling is even now visible in the 21st century such as the United States of America which has a democratic

He became known as ‘the first recorder of legislations in Athens’. In his legislations, Draco supplanted that oral law and blood feud were to be replaced with a written law that could only be enforced by the court of law. But Dracos’ law was strict and unforgiving. There is very little information provided about Draco but presumptions are that he may have been of the Greek nobility of Attica and was labelled as contemptuous in the 10th century. Dracos’ codes were preserved for nearly two centuries on wooden tablets called axons and were written on steles in the form of three-sided pyramids. The laws were written so that the literate citizens would not be excluded. The law introduced the difference between murder and involuntary homicide. In 409 BCE, Athens altered their laws. Families of homicide victims were given the chance to prosecute the killers and those who unintentionally committed homicide were forced into exile. The Council of 400, a council of nobles, that evolved and was integrated into Athenian democracy was also introduced by Draco. Since this form of law set the foundation for justice, allowed citizens a more structured and controlled set of rules, they became practiced in the Western civilisation. The 21st century court of law has also adapted to Dracos legislation and hence the law is enforced by the court where homicides and unintentional homicides cases are still