Following the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, Greece underwent great development in an attempt to become a stronger power and eliminate Persian threat. Themistocles was a key factor in contributing to these developments, as he was leader of the Athenians after the Battle of Marathon. According to Herodotus, ‘Themistocles believed that Athens future lay on the sea as a trading power.’ Therefore, the contributions of Themistocles were largely relevant to the growth of Athens as a sea power, which proved to be the key reason for a Greek victory in the Persian Wars to come. Prior to the Battle of Marathon (in 493 BC and later), Themistocles ‘suggested fortifying the Piraeus peninsula, which had 3 harbours.’ The Athenians could establish a citadel overlooking the 3 harbours, which previously, were open and indefensible. This motion however was interrupted by the battle and was completed after Persian defeat at Plataea in 479 BC.
They also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron god of a city for success in war. Ionic Doric The earliest monumental buildings in Greek architecture were the temples. Since these were solidly built and carefully maintained, they had to be replaced only if destroyed. There were two main orders of early Greek architecture, the Doric and the Ionic, and their lasting example tended to make Greek architecture conservative toward changes in design or in building technology. The Doric style, which originated around 400 BCE brought rise to a whole new type of building technique and style, and was used in mainland Greece and spread to the Greek colonies in Italy.
This resulted in the export of Greek culture and language to these new realms, and moreover Greek colonists themselves. Equally, however, these new kingdoms were influenced by the indigenous cultures, adopting local practices where beneficial, necessary, or convenient. Hellenistic culture thus represents a fusion of the Ancient Greek world with that of the Near East, Middle East, and Southwest Asia, and a departure from earlier Greek attitudes towards "barbarian" cultures. [4] The Hellenistic period was characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization[5] (as distinguished from that occurring in the 8th–6th centuries BC) which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa. [6] Those new cities were composed of Greek colonists who came from different parts of the Greek world, and not, as before, from a specific "mother city".
Philosophy as we understand it is a Greek creation," (Griffin, 2001). Prior to the Middle Ages, the ideas of Aristotle and Plato were lost to Europeans for centuries. The introduction of Greek philosophy and science into the culture of the Latin West in the Middle Ages was an event that transformed the intellectual life of Western Europe. It consisted of the discovery of many original works, such as those written by Aristotle in the Classical period, commentaries by Hellenistic philosophers written in Late Antiquity, and commentaries from early Muslim philosophers in the Arab world written during the Islamic Golden Age from the ninth to the twelfth centuries, (Grant, 1996). Preservation and Transmission of Greek Philosophy As knowledge
The US constitution can be compared to government models of Athens and Sparta. Athens was one of the first known democracies: ruled by the people. Athenian’s based their life around philosophy and the arts. Athens took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. It is the center for financial, political, economic, and cultural life in Greece.
In this way, Cleisthenes moved Athens from an oligarchy to a democracy. | |Athenian democracy was, by nature, a direct democracy, unlike the modern representative democracy of America. In most | |cases, Athenians did not vote for representatives – but voted directly on the decisions of Athens. Go to war with Sparta – | |they voted. Build a navy – they voted.
The impracticality behind their understanding of art and mathematical harmony found in the natural world that formed the cultural identity of the Athenians (Neils 40). This brought the notion for civilization that set them apart from the barbarians and enforced their political achievement. From this came a form of government that brought democracy into the modern world. It is no wonder that as their way of thinking, it was present at the height of Athenian power and at the moment the temple became a monument. Since democracy views the citizen as an important part of a nation as shown in the pictures along the frieze.
The architectural orders, Doric on the mainland and Ionic in the eastern Aegean, were developed in the archaic temples, and their lasting example tended to make Greek architecture conservative toward changes in design or in building technology. The Archaic period evolved after the Mycenaen palace collapsed in 1200 BCE during the dark ages when people began rebuilding. This era brought about the introduction of both the Doric and Ionic Orders. The Doric Order, which originated
We couldn’t have gotten this far without some help. Civilization, culture, and knowledge stack up like building blocks, everything coming from something before. Many modern-day elements, common objects, and rituals are derived from the concepts of ancient civilizations. The cultured pasts of Egypt, Italy, India, China, Japan, and many other countries all shape our future. One especially influential empire was that of Greece.
The term 'democracy'—or more precisely, the original (ancient Greek) version of the word—was coined in ancient Athens in the 5th century BC. That state is generally seen as the earliest example of a system corre-sponding to some of the modern notions of democratic rule. However, many do not see ancient Athens as a democracy since only a minority had the right to vote, women, slaves, and foreigners being excluded from the franchise. Only an estimated 16% of the total population had the right to vote. However, the ancient Athenian vote applied to making decisions directly, rather than voting for representatives as is seen with modern democracy.