The Ancient Greeks are a huge part of our worlds history. They created most of the techniques we use in our everyday lives. They made important discoveries in philosophy, architecture, art, mathematics, and science. They also created the governing system of a democracy where a country isn’t ruled by a king, but by the majority of the people living there. They were great thinkers and never gave up on trying to figure out methods to prove things rather that theorizing about them. This all is very important to how Ancient Greece contributed to Western Civilization.
Greek culture has influenced many aspects of Western Civilization. Their most eminent influence has been their philosophy. They believed that we could perceive anything if we worked hard enough for it. Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato were the most well-known philosophers and most influential. Ancient Greeks also had many ideas of a well-functioning government.
Pericles was an Ancient Greek statesman that said “Our plan of government favors the many instead of the few.” He had strong beliefs about the democratic government system and wanted his people to have equality in the public eye. When the world thinks of the Olympics, they mainly think of just sporting events and gold medals. To the Greeks, the Olympics are the most important and traditional part of the year.
They created the Olympics as a way for people to become more active and more competitive to push themselves to work harder for a common goal. The Olympics are taken very seriously and are honored by the Greeks. In Document 8, the statue was built to express the importance of the event and originality of the idea. The Greeks also constructed many other things such as buildings that we still hold closely to us as a sign of freedom and equality. They made statues and buildings that we are galvanized by.
The United States Capitol, Supreme Court building, Lincoln Memorial, Virginia State Capitol, and Monticello were all Greek inspired structures that represent the capital of our nation. Thanks to the Greek culture, we have a very interesting historical background of where our country gained its perseverance and different viewpoints of life. Without the Ancient Greeks, we would have no conception of a free and equal life. We have forms of entertainment, writing, language, steady governments, and a beautiful architectural sequence that we wouldn’t have without the Ancient Greeks contribution to Western Civilization.
