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The beauty, the imagination and the knowledge fostered in Ancient Greece lingered on as the subsequent ages passed. Situated in the most southeasterly portion of the European continent, the Greek mainland was surrounded by water on the east, south and west. Greece was further enhanced by the presence of numerous islands of varying sizes. With coastlines bordering the Aegean and Ionian Seas and plenty of natural harbors, a thriving seafaring commerce developed which also produced a corresponding cultural expansion generated by both local and foreign influences. Over the river of time, the course of Grecian historical events flowed as far east as India. Ancient Greece was a cluster of small city states, called poli; rather than, one nation. Athens and Sparta were the most noteworthy of these city states. The independent poli were isolated from one another either because they were situated on islands or because they were separated from each other by craggy mountain barriers. Sharing a common language and the democratic ideal of people governing themselves instead of submitting to the rule of a king, the city states formed alliance leagues for protection and survival. The striving for individual excellence by the Greeks in all directions within lawful parameters was the cornerstone of their society. It was the methodology used by the Greeks to reach pinnacles of achievement in drama, philosophy, pottery and the arts; as well as, athletics and soldiering. Ideas, debate and the study of wisdom were all highly esteemed.
Throughout the Grecian landscape were many sacred spaces, sanctuaries and temples dedicated to the various gods and goddesses who were the patrons of these blossoming disciplines. Believing in the importance of the balance between mind and body, the lives of the Greeks revolved around the attainment of a clear understanding of two core concepts which were inscribed on the sanctuary at Delphi. They were "Know Thyself" and "Nothing in Excess". Ancient Greece made significant contributions to culture in the fields of astrology, biology, medicine, mathematics, philosophy, physics, politics and theatre. Universities today still resound with the words of Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Socrates. Greek myth, storytelling and writing were centered around an animistic Natural World inhabited by graces, muses, nymphs, sirens and a naturalistic panorama of gods and goddesses that included Prometheus who gifted humanity with the fire of divine purpose and the three Fates (Moirai, Moires) who determined the course of human life.
Originally part of their oral
traditions, the mythic stories of the Greeks were sung by bardic storytellers
like Homer. Eventually, they were recorded for posterity in the form of epic
poems. As Greek culture evolved it provided fertile ground for the growth of a
body of literature which included many new stories and plays which are still
performed today.
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Greece Greek Grecian Background Beliefs ArticlesAchilles, Aesculapius, Alexander, Anaxagoras and Xenophanes, Aphrodite, Aphrodite Depiction, Apollo, Ares, Aristotle, Artemis, Athena, Athenian Democracy, Athens, Atlantis, Atoma, Atomists and Sophists, Atropos, Attis, Calliope, Classical Period, Clotho, City State Poli, Delphic Sibyl, Demeter, Democritus Epicurus Leucippus, Diogenes Laertius, Dionysius, Early Archaic Period, Eleatic School, Epimetheus, Essentialism, Fall Equinox, Flora (Chloris) Depiction, Geometric Period, Glossary Terminology, Golden Age of Greece Period, Gorgias Hippias Protagoras, Grecian Festivals, Grecian Periods, Hecate, Hecate Depiction, Hellenistic Period , Hephaestus, Hera, Heraclitus, Hercules, Hermes, Hesiod's Theogony, Hestia, Hippocrates, Homer, Homer Depiction, Iliad and Odyssey, Iris, Know Thyself, Lachesis, Literature, Logos, Medicine, Midspring, Midsummer, Midwinter, Nothing in Excess, Nous Mind, Olympics Games, Oracles, Orpheus, Parmenides, Parthenon, Persephone, Plato, Plato's Dialogues, Prometheus, Protogeometric Period, Rhadamanthos, School of Athens, Socrates, Socrates Alchibiades Depiction, Socrates Death Depiction, Sophists, Sparta, Spiritual Beliefs, Spring, Summer Solstice, Telta Leto, The Father of Medicine, Themis, Themis Depiction, The Republic, Timaeus and Critias, Winter Solstice, Zeus |
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