How Did Ancient Greece Influence Western Civilization

In the heart of the Mediterranean, one of the most important civilizations in history was born. A wealth of culture, great thinkers, and advancements sprung forth from its mountainous peninsulas and islands. Ancient Greece would influence the whole of western civilization as we know it today. From the way we live our lives, to the ideals we hold for ourselves, to the buildings we live and function in. The Ancient Greek civilization flourished for over a thousand years, overcoming adversities of every kind and still somehow becoming home to some of the most famous people, ideas, and buildings of all time.

In the center of Athens, the temple of their patron goddess Athena stands proudly on the acropolis, its massive marble form imposing awe

Socrates, one of Greece’s most famous philosophers, is considered the father of Western philosophy. His Socratic Method paved the way for philosophers after him, including one of his students, Plato. Plato, in addition to expanding on Socratic ideas, founded the Academy in Athens. This would be the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. From this academy would come another great thinker, Aristotle; the man who would influence the intellectual growth of Greece’s most powerful ruler, Alexander The Great.

To a Greek citizen, myths were considered history just as much as historical records, but no one had taken the step to question and analyze the historic accuracy of their cultural legends; no one until Herodotus. The father of history, as he is accurately named, was the first Grecian thinker to use historical analysis, rather than taking ‘history’ as fact.

As wordsmiths went, one of the greatest in the Ancient world was Homer. A blind Greek poet, and the first known writer of literature in Europe, he wrote the epics that defined the Grecian ideals of heroism and nobility, including the Iliad and the

This all changed for the first time in 492 BC, when the Persians became envious of the Greek’s control over the Aegean sea and enraged at the Greek’s assistance in the Ionian revolt against their rule. The Greek city-states banded together for the first time when the Persians launched an invasion of Greece under the rule of Darius I. The first of what would be known as the Greco-Persian Wars ended with the Athenian victory at Marathon in 490 BC. The city-states became more closely allied with the second Persian invasion of 480 BC. The Athenians and Spartans led the defensive military movement against Persian forces of Darius’ son, Xerxes I, proving their superiority again through many more battles before moving to the offensive and eradicating Persian forces from Europe before the end of the second Persian War in 479