Legacy of Ancient Greece

Legacy of Ancient Greece

Learn about the Legacy of Ancient Greece on the modern world, including how it affected politics, philosophy, drama, architecture, science, technology, sports, and the arts.

Legacy of Ancient Greece

Even though the Ancient Greeks lived more than 2000 years ago, their influence on Western culture and way of life is still felt today. When Greek civilisation was at its height, Greek culture permeated the entire Mediterranean region. The ancient Romans afterwards copied it. Following the Middle Ages, many elements of Greek culture were revived during the European Renaissance. As a result, the influence of Ancient Greece may be seen today all throughout the world.

Government

The concept of a pure democracy was initially popularized in the Greek city-state of Athens. Voting for new legislation and for elected officials was permitted. Today’s world is largely based on this concept. The majority of nations in the world now practice some form of democracy, allowing citizens to cast ballots and participate in politics.

Philosophy

Ancient Greeks such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates included some of history’s finest philosophers. Greek philosophers’ works and teachings are being studied by philosophy students today. The concepts of the Ancient Greeks form the foundation of most of western philosophy.

Theater

The Greeks invented the western drama where written work is performed by actors. Greek theater introduced the ideas of the comedy and the tragedy. Greek theater influenced art throughout Europe including plays such as those written by William Shakespeare. Today, we imitate the Greeks with Broadway plays, Television shows, and movies.

Architecture

Greek architecture has been imitated throughout history. The Romans copied many of the Greek ideas into their buildings. Later, Renaissance architects tried to imitate the Greek style of architecture. Today, many government buildings are built in the Greek classical style including the U.S. Capitol Building and the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

Science and Technology

The Greeks made many advancements in the areas of science and technology. They excelled in the field of mathematics and we still use many of their theories and ideas today. You’ve probably used the Pythagorean theorem (discovered by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras) to find the sides of a right triangle in geometry. Other areas of Greek technology included medicine (the Hippocratic Oath), astronomy, urban planning, and plumbing.

Sports

The Ancient Greeks loved athletics and sports. Their legacy is exemplified in the modern-day Olympic Games which began with the Ancient Greeks in 776 B.C. During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London over 10,000 athletes participated from over 200 nations. It is estimated that around 4 billion people around the world watched some portion of the 2012 games.

Art

Greek art heavily influenced western art throughout history. The Greeks are most known for their realistic sculpture which tried to capture the beauty and perfection in the subject. Roman art copied the Greeks, and the Romans often had Greeks create sculpture for them. The Renaissance later revived the Greek style and it still can be seen in artwork today.

Facts About the Legacy of Ancient Greece

• Greek was spoken throughout eastern Europe for hundreds of years. Today, many European languages have words that come from Greek.
• Greek letters are still commonly used in math, science, and engineering equations.
• Many college fraternities and sororities use Greek letters in their names.
• The New Testament of the Bible was originally written in Greek.

Read also : Decline and Fall of Ancient Greece/