Ancient Greece
When thinking about Greece, people generally think of Athens and it’s beauty, but not many think of the things that ancient Greece has given the world. Without all of the struggles and wars that Greece went through, they would not have been able to bring the world some of the greatest scholars known. Although the government, knowledge, and education the U.S. and the world has received from Greece is not visible, it is still very important today.
The U.S. government has many things in common with the ancient governments of Athens and Sparta. Athens and Sparta both had branches of their government that carried out different responsibilities, just like the U.S. has today. One branch of government passed the laws while the other carried out the laws (Beck et al. 131, 134). However, in Athens, there was also a judicial branch that conducted trials with paid jurors (Beck et al. 134). The U.S. has all three of these branches. Although these ideas for the government could’ve been taken from any number of places, the Athenians developed the first known form of democracy, and all others evolved from theirs. Therefore, the U.S. government had to have been based off the ancient Athenian democracy. Anyone involved in government first had to get an education, and that education was given to them because of the discoveries Greek scholars made in ancient times.
Everyone has heard the term, “history repeats itself,” but not many know where this idea came from. Thucydides, the greatest historian of the classical age, believed certain types of events and situations recur over time, otherwise known as “history repeating itself.” He believed that to understand the present, you needed to study past events and situations. Even today, h...
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...knowledge that scientists currently have about the solar system could be even greater. That extra time could’ve greatly affected all of the knowledge currently known about the solar system. Therefore, ancient Greece and its scholars affected the universe as a whole.
The ancient Greece civilization brought a lot of important ideas and philosophies to the world. Without Athens’ and Sparta’s makeup of their government, as well as the Athenian democracy, the U.S. would not be the country it is today. If it had not been for Thucydides’ and Euclid’s works and discoveries, the lessons taught in schools would be completely altered. Even the solar system would be viewed differently if it had not been for the Greek astronomer, Aristarchus. The world would not be what it is today without the amazing advancements and discoveries that Greek scholars made thousands of years ago.
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.
Many aspects of our government has ties to that of Ancient Rome’s government in one way or another and in even some ways you may never have thought of. First off, Ancient Rome’s government is split into three different branches each with their own powers in the government. They have a senate, an assembly, and a consul with power divided between the three using a system of checks and balances. We currently have a government split into three branches too, with a system of checks and balances to disperse the power between the three. Our system is set up with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. Ou...
The Ancient Greeks were nothing if not influential. Ever since it 's formation in the 8th century B.C., Greek civilization has impacted many of the world 's greatest thinkers and shaped the landscape of Western Civilization. Aside from their art and philosophy, the Ancient Greeks were particularly interested in politics and, in the case of Athens, a new system of government known as: democracy! Long before the American founding fathers declared their independence from Britain, Athenian citizens governed their own state and voted to solve political turmoil. However, ancient Athens was no perfect twin to American democracy, and being an upstanding Athenian citizen meant more than simply voting and going about one 's business. A standout Athenian
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.
The Ancient Greeks, probably one of the most fascinating civilizations to study contributed several discoveries and technological advancements. One can not discuss the Greeks without discussing Greek Theatre though. Greek Theater paved the way for literature and art in later history in many ways. If it wasn’t for Greek Theatre famous play writers like Shakespeare would have never done what they are so very well known for. When studying Greek Theatre it is virtually impossible not to hear about it in the 5th Century BCE, and that is because the 5th Century BCE was rather exciting when it came to Greek Theatre.
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.
Without the positive influences of Ancient Greece, modern day society might be a civilization of sick, nonconformist, overweight people. Thankfully, the Ancient Greeks spent time making contributions, which prevented that from happening. The Greeks used forethought, science, and philosophies to investigate platforms in medicine, democracy, and sports which allowed them to produce significant contributions to modern day society that are still being used today.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
The Roman Republic can be seen as a template for how the United States Government was formed, and still to this day consists of. The First influence that the Romans had on our government was their idea for a republic. They, our country as well, wanted their people to have a vote on who would represent them in government. The U.S. representative type of government was influenced by this. Today we vote for the people representing us in our Senate, House of Representatives, and our President. One of the main influences that the Ancient Romans had on the U.S. Government was the idea of the division of power. Today we have executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The Ancient Romans had a very similar set-up. In Rome when organizing a government, there were many different styles between monarchies, the Senate that was the aristocracy, and the voice of democracy in the people. These acted as their different branches of government. As the U.S Government has an executive branch which consists of our President and Vice President, the Romans had counsels which acted as executive leaders for a year, and controlled the military (“The Roman Republic”). The Ancient Romans also obtained a Senate, similar to our government. In Rome, it was 300 members of the wealthy and self-serving. Today, there are career senators, and elite men in society. This is the legislative branch of our government that has been derived from the Ancient Romans. Also within the legislative branch of the Romans, they had numerous assemblies like that of the U.S. Government’s House of Representatives, based on where each member lives. Our judicial branch was based off of the Roman’s Praeto...
In conclusion one could say we may live in a very different and much more complex global world, but the reality is without the ancient Greeks we wouldn’t have the government structure that we currently enjoy today. The truth and reality is that by the time Aristotle even came into play in history there had already been a large amount of Greek democracies already in existence. The foundations that the Ancient Greeks laid and more importantly the political foundation that the Athenians created had an everlasting imprint on how the democratic structure has taken shape in European countries as well as in the United States.
“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 U.S. government was set up based upon the democracy that was utilized in 5th century B.C. Athens. However there are some crucial differences that make our nation even more unique when compared to the history of humanity. A few similarities between America and Athens include having full citizenship in order to vote, being of at least 18 years of age to vote, and some governmental officials being selected to make decisions. But when inspected more thoroughly, you can see that even these similarities are not so "similar" after all. Allow me to show you what I mean.
No matter where in the world you go, or what civilization’s history you explore, there is always some form of war or conflict to be found. These wars work to shape the cultures of the people involved. Of all of the civilizations impacted by war, one of the most well known is Ancient Greece. Much of what we know of Ancient Greece today is about the wars they experienced and the wake these wars left behind. In Greek culture, war shapes their stories, religion, ideals, and civilizations.
The ancient Greeks did not contribute in religion so much as the Hebrews did, their contributions were more towards writings and art, great epic poems, and democracy. Some of the greatest philosophers came from Greece, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Homer, also Greek, wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the greatest works of all time, and also some of the more accurate records we have of life in that period of time. The government of Athens became the basis for many of the governments of society today. Their idea of a government run by the people was revolutionary and quite effective; their democracy was unique in its time. The Greeks also gave us the Phoenician writing system; they also had a polytheistic religion, sacrificing things to different Gods to gain the favor, respect or merely to please that particular God. The main contribution of the Greeks was their writings, and their philosophy to modern times. The Greeks also were responsible for building a library to hold some of their greatest works in Egypt, one of the first of its kind.
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.