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How Did Ancient Greece Influence Our Lives Today

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Ancient Greece, a classical civilization, was filled with city-states in 500 B.C.. Ancient Greece was a peninsula near the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient Greece's geography had mountains which caused Greece to be governed in city-states. They are known for their contributions that we use today. Three ancient Greek contributions that continue to influence our lives today are government, architecture, and literature. One ancient Greek contribution that continues to influence our lives today is government. In ancient Greece, there were four different types of Greek political structures that controlled Greek city-states. These political structures were Monarchy, ruled by a king; Aristocracy, ruled by nobility; Oligarchy, ruled by a small group of citizens; and Direct Democracy, ruled by it's citizens. Direct Democracy influences our lives today. In 508 B.C., Democracy began in Athens. Athenian citizens were directly involved with Democracy while America has a representative. American citizens have the right to vote for a …show more content…

Such architecture includes Greek buildings. Greek buildings were often built to show a town or city's power and pride. Withing these Greek buildings, they contain a famous variety of Greek columns that influence us today. These columns are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Doric style is sturdy and its capitol is plain. The first floor of the U.S. Capitol Building known as the Crypt has 40 Doric columns. The Ionic style is thinner and elegant with a scroll-like capitol design. A building in America with the Ionic design is the Jefferson Memorial. The Corinthian style has a very elaborate capital. The Corinthian was rarely used in Greece. A building with the Corinthian design is the U.S. Supreme Court. Many buildings in America use Greek architectural columns. Such buildings include museums, courthouses, libraries, government buildings, and

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