Every idea has a start and a history that can be traced back in time. An incredible amount of these ideas and thoughts were started by great ancient civilizations. These ancient civilizations are the base of all modern knowledge. No ancient civilization has contributed more to this base than the civilization of Ancient Greece. The unique ways of ancient Greek agriculture have left a profound influence on the agriculture of today.
Ancient Greek agriculture was the very necessity of the empire. People needed food to work and soldiers needed food to fight, defend, and conquer neighboring empires. Nearly 80% of the Greek population was somehow involved in agricultural practices. In Greece, meat was expensive and available only to the elite. This caused the Greek diet to be based on cereals. The main cereal crops that the Greeks grew were barley, millet, durum wheat, and common wheat. The Greeks did not have access to many vast fertile lands since only 20% of the Greek land was in fit conditions to grow crops (Ancient History Encyclopedia, “Agriculture In Ancient Greece”). People looked to agriculture to keep their civilization running day to day.
A large part of Greece is rocky, mountainous, and is partly made up of many islands. This caused the Ancient Greeks to not be able to farm and cultivate in a big part of the empire. Land that was full in nutrients necessary for crop growth was scarce. “The Greeks felt that their own climate was adverse and the soil poor”(Hanson 133). The Ancient Greeks solved and found solutions for many of their problems. The Greeks adapted and grew olive trees on the rocky land that no other crops could grow in. Cultivating the olive required time and several techniques. First, the olive was picked by hand...
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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 Ancient Greek society, agriculture was something to be praised and admired, and was an integral part of Ancient Greek culture. Agriculture had been the foundation of the ancient Greek economy and an activity that most of the population was involved in. In his books Odyssey and Iliad, Homer defines the model of Greek agricultural culture.
Signs of farming in Greece date back to the period 6200 to 5300 BC where most systematically cultivate of barley , millet , oats , wheat , lentils , peas and acorns is stated . Alongside they used many wild plants ,trees and their products such as olives, almonds , peanuts , grapes , cherries , plums and pears . Later we find evidence of findings for other species cultivated or found in the wild such as apples , figs , blackberries , wild strawberries , pomegranates , dill , capers , oregano, coriander etc.
Overtime, the Archaic period started a spread of Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean area. One of the cultures during this time was the Hellenic culture. The Hellenic culture was based on the work of Socrates and Plato. Socrates was the best-known teacher of wisdom in the fifth century in Athens (Acrobatiq,2014.) Socrates was concerned with real life problems, education, and how people could improve in daily living. While, some criticized him for his belief towards the gods, others admired him and considered him originated scientific knowledge and asking a sequence of
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.
Agriculture is how Greek and Hebrew civilizations were started. Hebrews used the land to distance themselves from the sin of the cities. Their life was based on the land. They did trade trade goods but the countryside was more of their lifestyle. Greeks began as land cultivators. With their small farming communities they prospered and expanded. As time passed by Greece began to grow on trade and during 350 B.C.E imported two- thirds of the grain in consumed.
Sparta, meaning “to sow,” was appropriately named because of its positioning in one of the few fertile valleys in Greece. After conquering its western neighbor Messenia, Sparta gained even more fertile land as well as the Taygetus mountain ranges. These mountains provide essential raw materials, including timber, and an abundance of wildlife. As a result of the Taygetus range, Sparta was rather isolated from the rest of Greece (Michell 4). This provides insight into the reason Spartan livelihood differed so greatly among other Greek city-states.
The worship of gods was not just a practice for the Ancient Greeks it was a passion and they took it very seriously. Huge temples were built across the Peloponnesus and beyond that honored their respective gods in the Greek religion. Parades, sacrifices, banquets, and week long celebrations were held in honor of these gods that the Greeks based nearly their entire society off of. The Greeks would offer their lives, their family’s lives, all of their possessions to please the gods.
The garden of Phaeacia is insanely wealthy. The land is so fertile that all kinds of fruits are abundant in the garden.."..Olives swelling sleek and dark/ And the yield of all these trees will never flag or die/ neither in winter nor in summer, a harvest all year round" (Homer, 183). As it is portrayed, Phaeacians have permanent natural wealth so they don't have to struggle hard in order to obtain food, for everything is available in considerable amount. Climate is also very appropriate because they have no radically changing seasons, which may damage the crops.
In Ancient Greece they use many of their geography to help them be the civilization that they wanted to be. The mountains help them be isolated and separate from other city-state making them more independent. They use the Mediterranean Sea to provide farming to provide additional crops, but they became master sailors and developed a large trading network to be able to trade with others. The climate was always hot and dry, which sometimes affected the growth of the crops for that season.
“The first advanced culture in Greece, and indeed in all of Europe, was created by a people referred to today as the Minoans. Their civilization flourished from about 2200 to 1450 B.C. on Crete, the large island located about one hundred miles southeast of the Gree...
The country of Greece, also known as the Hellenic Republic, is called Hellas or Ellada by natives. This Mediterranean country in southeast Europe is approximately 50, 942 sq. miles and contains about 9,000 miles of coastline which includes the islands of the country. While the total number of islands is not concrete due to discrepancies over the qualifications to count each body of land surrounded by water as an island, the number of inhabited islands is 227. Greece has many interesting geographical features, such as its overall mountainous landscape which makes up 80% of the country, with its highest point, and possibly most famous geographical feature being Mount Olympus which reaches 9,570 ft. (2917 meters). The country of Greece ranges in absolute location with its northern-most occurring at N 41° 44' 33’’ and its southern-most point at N 34° 32' 33” on the island of Cyprus. The Cyprus also hold the most eastward point of the country at E 34° 38' 3” while its most western point is at E 20° 20' 30”. Greece is bordered by the countries of Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Likew...
There are many valid points to be made in Ancient Egyptian agriculture. Irrigation, ploughing and planting, harvesting, and of course, crops. These will be some of the subtopics I will be touching upon in this essay of ancient Egyptian agriculture.
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's notion of rational thought is a very strong reason why Western Civilization has become so influential in the world today. During their time, the Greeks spurred an intellectual revolution. They questioned the meanings of life and began using their minds to expand the world. According to Glenn Blackburn: "In many ways, they "discovered" the human "mind" through their philosophy and rational thought [ . . . ]"(64). Their "opening" of the mind influenced all ways of life and society. Major ideas blossomed like politics, governing laws, literature, art, history, and new inventions. Scientific thinking was groundbreaking among Greek minds. Ideas of mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy engrossed the public. This revolution of rational thought dominated society and began a transition in Western Civilization because people began using reason to explain human and natural events, rather than the gods (Blackburn, 67). Even today, rational thought is used by all of us and continues to influence society. The power of the modern mind has proved greater than any other Greek could have ever expected.