Did you know that Greek culture continues to affect our lives today?
The Greeks contributed to areas of language, government, medicine, mathematics, science, architecture, entertainment, and sports.
Language & Literature Our alphabet grew out of the ones the Greek used; this is why many English words have Greek roots. Also, our grammar, punctuation, and paragraphing comes from the Greeks. They wrote many historical textbooks, too. Do you know the purpose of mythology? In ancient Greece, it was used to explain anything strange that happened in the world.
Government Democracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and monarchy were forms of government. This paved the path for us with representatives because we use a democracy today in America. This also gave us the concept of citizen rights and voting. Monarchy was used in 2000 B.C.E., there was oligarchy in 800 B.C.E, tyranny in 600 B.C.E., and democracy in 500 B.C.E.
Medicine Greece affected modern medicine with a man named Hippocrates. He made it acceptable to be sick and study the human body; he changed the way Greeks thought about gods and goddesses controlling natural events (such as health and sickness). Hippocrates brought a scientific way of thinking to his work as a doctor, and he taught his students to carefully observe their patients and write down what they saw. Today, all doctors take the Hippocratic Oath.
Mathematics Two famous mathematicians were Euclid and Hypatia. Euclid's geometry textbook was the basis of teaching geometry for more than 2,000 years. Hypatia was the first woman to earn fame as a mathematician. She taught Greek philosophy and mathematics in the city of Alexandria. In addition, the ancient Greeks used geometry to lay out cities, created the Pythagorean Theorem and many other Greek theorems, and they even knew how many seeds to plant in a field. Finally, their number system is similar to ours.
Architecture Greeks used columns to support buildings and to make their temples balanced and stately. We still use columns today.
The first column was called a doric, the second column was the ionic, and the third column was the corinthian, which means crown. The Greeks used pediments, the triangular shapes where the roof lines come together, and overhangs in front of doors, too. Moreover, Greek styles are still used in many buildings today.
Theater Ancient Greeks invented tragedies and comedies. Satires were performed, too. Theaters were built as semicircles, and the rows of seats rose steeply from the stage. The Greek ideas of making sure everyone in the audience can see and hear are still used today. They invented special effects, created revolving scenery, and used hoists as well.
Sports In 776 B.C.E., the first Olympics were held to honor the Greek god Zeus. The Olympic games are still held today! Many modern Olympic events grew out of Greek contests. Also, an athlete would light the flame during the opening ceremony. This comes from the time when the first athletes lit a fire on the alter of Zeus. Clearly, many aspects of our modern lives originated in ancient Greece.