Ancient Greek Culture : The Arete Of The Ancient Greece

In the early fifth century BC, Greece consisted of many city-states allied in various factions or leagues. The alliances between these cities are difficult to understand. The alliances created a patchwork where

The Ancient Greeks have done so much for the western civilizations. Their success in art, philosophy, architecture, science, government, and history have influenced the western civilizations to use their ideas. Many different people came up with different ideas to contribute to their government. New ideas and conclusions were constantly being made because of philosophers asking questions all the time. They really helped shaped Ancient Greece's government.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

1. During the Mycenaean civilization, who was the great poet and what were his two important literary works that influenced the Greeks and formed part of Western literature? Homer, The Iliad, The Odyssey

their own. Many city-states united in battle, although others found ways to avoid participation in the wars. The Greeks also relied on the words of Apollo to guide them,

In the ancient societies of Greece, war means many things; power, glory, honor. The idea of fighting is not just a daily task for the Greeks but a necessity. In

Throughout history there have been many contributions to Western civilization made by the Ancient Greeks. The Ancient Greeks contributed in the areas of art, democracy, sports, architecture, theater, philosophy, math, and science. These contributions were the forefront and beginning ideals that were established so many years ago, but are still used today. They were responsible for many contributions to Western civilization, the Greeks had the first known democracy, they were known for their amazing architecture, and the Ancient Greek Olympics are still carried out today.

In Ancient Greece, tensions were always high as city-states competed for resources and territories, which led to constant battles between city-states in an attempt to steal resources or territories. There are also periods where city-states banded together to fight a common enemy, like the Persians, the Trojans, or other city-states. This means that warfare was an integral part of life in ancient greece. This meant that warfare frequently appeared in classic greek literature, such as the Iliad and Ajax, although different authors have different interpretations about warfare which is shown through their work of literature, with the Iliad having warfare as a glorified battle, while Ajax is about an uncompromising hero who turned mad which driven him to commit suicide.

Athens, the most famous and richest of the Greek city states dominated the ancient world for a long time. The Athenians developed, many new war tactics that were adopted by other Greek city states. Sparta was also a powerful Greek city state and one of the most feared military powers in the ancient world. Spartans grew up in a different society and used many war tactics that were different from traditional Greek warfare (Paton). At one point in time, Athens and Sparta were the most powerful civilizations in the whole world thanks to their very effective war tactics. Some strategies they used were good armor, intense training and surprise attacks. Spartans began training at a young age and were fierce fighters. Athens was rich and had a good navy. In the Persian war, Athens and Sparta worked together and ended up winning. But Athens and Sparta were two very different societies (Hayes 117). Even though the Spartans won the war the golden age of Greece ended this show how military power can make or destroy a great civilization.

The individualistic nature of Greek society is further reflected in their war strategies. The Greek city-states would fight individually unless another city-state could find sufficient benefit in joining the war.

These contributions, which are also the achievements of ancient Greece, include certain things in the areas of philosophy, art, architecture, math and science. The ancient Greeks were a remarkable civilization in that they have made all these contributions and achievements while simultaneously fighting two wars, the Peloponnesian wars and the Persian wars. Luckily for western civilization, Greece carried on through these hardships and managed to achieve one

Throughout the course of history there have been many great and powerful civilizations. These civilizations made their way to power in many ways including military force, great wealth, and politics. These civilizations include the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Romans, and in more recent times, the United States of America. Another civilization that is often mentioned to be a part of this prestigious group is that of the Ancient Greeks. The primary reason being the Ancient Greek’s military advancement made them superior to the other ancient armies of the time allowing their civilization to grow.

This essay examines the evolution of the Athens strategy from the beginning to the end of The Peloponnesian War (431 to 404 BCE). The Strategy will be evaluated in the context of the relationship of ends, means, and ways by testing the suitability, acceptability, feasibility, and risk.

One of the great achievements by the Greeks was art. The Greeks excelled in sculpture. Their works are impressive for their handling of human anatomy, and details like hair and clothing. They are also impressive for their handling of motion (cf. "Discobolos), and for capturing a wide range of human emotions and moods. Some sculptures are comic, others very serious. Greek architecture was also very impressive. The Greeks did a fine job creating buildings that would blend with the natural environment and take advantage of that environment. Another great achievement by the Greeks was government. The Greeks gave us also our first political science, the systematic study of human government. When one studies political science today, one constantly

Throughout the course of time, different civilizations across the world hold one thing in common by which a society or culture can be based upon or help influence the structure. The one common thing that has help a civilization grow throughout the period of time would be the formation of a religion. Religion is a center point for many societies throughout history. As the center for the different civilizations, it helped form their different traditions and customs. The same could be said about the people of ancient Greece, where religion or mythology played an important role in their lives as it was the pedestal of their culture and how they base their lives upon. The formation of a religion across the large number of regions of Greece, help the different locations mold themselves by the customs that were created from the adaptation. During what was known as Ancient Greece, the people would hear tales of the twelve Olympians and how their actions influence the world around them. Within this period of time for the people of Greece was that of growth, as they sought to bring new ideas into light as they exited from a dark period within their own history.