For many years, archaeologists around the world have been
fascinated by the truth behind the alluring stories of the 'Iliad' and
'Odyssey' written by Homer, the great poet of Greece. Around the end of the
19th century, Homer's story not only resided in his poetic verses, but the
truth of one of the great civilisations of ancient times also came to light.
The Greek civilisation is one of the greatest ancient urban civilisations
situated in the Aegean archipelago and the west coast of Asia Minor. The ruins
of a hundred cities, including the epic city of Troy, were discovered. This
was known as the Aegean Civilisation, or the pre-classical Greek civilisation.
It is bounded by the Greek mainland to the west, Asia Minor (now Turkey) to
the east, the island of Crete to the south, and includes the small islands of
the Aegean Sea. The Greeks were part of a very prosperous and culturally
enriched nation. This civilisation can be divided into two parts-
1. The evolution of this civilisation was in Crete. The time period of this
civilisation is from 3000 B.C to 1400 B.C.
2. The second is called the Mycenaean or Achaean civilisation. This
civilisation was named after the city of Mycenae, situated in the southern
region of the mainland of Greece. This civilisation existed from 1600 B.C to
1100 B.C. It is believed that a flood or foreign invasion led to the decline
of this civilisation.
Greece is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean and the Aegean
Sea. There are two terms that complement the Greek civilisation. One is
'Hellenic' and the other is 'Hellenistic'. The Hellenic culture flourished in
the capital city of Athens in the Greek peninsula. On the other hand,
Hellenistic culture flourished with the amalgamation of Greek and non-Greek
cultures in Alexandria, Egypt, under the rule of the Greek emperor Alexander
the Great.
Sparta is one of the many city-states that emerged in ancient Greece. This
city-state was situated in southern Greece, in the area known as the
Peloponnese. Sparta was different from other city-states. A close observation
of the lives of the Spartans reveals that they were influenced by military
actions and war tactics. Their focus was on increasing the city's military
resources rather than improving the quality of life for its citizens. In 800
B.C, after a long battle, the Dorian soldiers were able to take over Sparta.
The local people who were defeated in the war were called land slaves or the
'helots'.
The defeated inhabitants, who were forced to become land slaves, were
numerous in number. To sustain their rule, the rulers of Sparta had only one
thing in mind: to suppress their uprising. The Spartans' lives were
dedicated to the preservation of Sparta. The Spartan society emerged from
the necessity of war. The rulers of Sparta were dedicated to preparing their
citizens for war and to leading the army. Due to their war-driven attitudes,
the Spartans were left behind in terms of social, political, economic, and
cultural advancement.
Athens, the City State:
In ancient Greece, the first democratic state to emerge was Athens.
However, in earlier times, Athens was a monarchy. In the 7th century B.C,
the monarchy declined and a form of aristocracy emerged. The power came
into the hands of a few elites. They only looked at their own interests in
the name of ruling the state. As a result, agitation grew among the
masses. They failed to attain power. But some people attained power using
them. They were called 'Tyrants'. Gradual disappointment among the common
people and the deprivation of the farmers were turning into a possibility
of an uproar, a revolution. Consequently, in the 7th century B.C, there
was a reform in the state administration. Earlier, members of noble
families were considered aristocrats. But after the reform, wealth became
the primary standard of aristocracy. During a time of crisis, the people
of the state unanimously nominated a few individuals to bring about
reform. Among those few people, the most famous of the aristocrats was
Solon. He introduced some new laws and minimised the strictness of the
previous laws. He passed a law to free farmers from debt. He was also
responsible for bringing economic reforms to the state of Athens.
After Solon, Peisistratus and Cleisthenes were the ones who came forward
to establish the rights of the people of Athens. They both worked to
reform the laws and to bring prosperity and peace to the people of the
state. However, Athens reached its zenith of democracy during the time of
Pericles. His time is known as the "golden age" of Greece. In 460 B.C, he
came to power and ruled for 30 years. He accepted all the political
demands of his citizens. During his time, he granted his citizens the
right to fully participate in the state's administrative, legislative, and
judicial systems. The members of the jury who delivered the verdict in the
trial were chosen from the general public. Athens reached the height of
success in every field during the time of Pericles. In 430 B.C.,
one-fourth of the people of Athens died in a terrible plague. Pericles
also died in the plague. After his death, Athens lost its former glory,
and decline became inevitable.
Athens, the state that had achieved great success in science, philosophy,
literature, and politics, fell to the military state of Sparta. The long
war that went on between the two states was known as the Peloponnesian
War. The Peloponnesian War (460-404 B.C.) was fought three times between
the two leading city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta. The two
states formed a coalition with their respective allies. Athens formed the
Delian League with its allies. The Peloponnesian League was led by the
Spartans. As a result of the war, Athens lost its prosperity and
independence. In 369 B.C. Athens went under Sparta. After this, the
city-state of Thebes was taken away by Athens. In 338 B.C., the Macedonian
King Philip took over Thebes, and Athens came under the Macedonian
rule.
Contributions of Greece to Civilisation:
Although the Greek city-states were geographically separated from each
other, their culture was largely the same. They believed that they
inherited the same cultural trends, despite the political differences.
Their language, religion, literature, games, and sports united the whole
of Greece. Athens played a dominating role in defining the culture of
Greece. They gave the name "Hellenic Culture" to this culture.
Education:
The Greek scholars had many ideas about education. They gave importance to
moral and spiritual education. Some of them thought that the
responsibility of ruling the state should be in the hands of educated
citizens. The education system should reflect the philosophy and the goals
of the government. The main purpose of education is to teach discipline
and obedience. Greek boys began attending school at the age of seven. The
boys from the wealthy family were educated formally until they were 18
years old. The boys of the farmers and the craftsmen used to receive
primary education. The slaves were prohibited from going to school. The
girls were not allowed any institutional education.
Literature:
The contribution of ancient Greece to literature is a great gift to the
human race. Homer's famous epics, ' Iliad' and 'Odyssey', are still famous
specimens of the great works of literature. The Greeks achieved the
highest success in literature, especially in the genre of drama. They were
particularly experts in tragedy. Aeschylus is known as the father of
tragedy. His famous drama was 'Prometheus Bound'. However, the greatest
dramatist in Greek civilisation was Sophocles. He has written over a
hundred dramas. Among his famous plays, the most popular ones are King
Oedipus, Antigone and Electra. Another famous dramatist was Euripides.
Aristophanes was especially famous for comic and satirical plays. The
Greeks also took credit for inventing the art of writing history. History
writing started during this time. Herodotus was known as the Father of
History. The first history book of Herodotus was written on the war
between Persia and Greece. Thucydides is often regarded as the father of
scientific history. His famous book was The Peloponnesian War.
Religion:
The Greeks had twelve Gods and Goddesses. They worshipped natural forces
and also famous warriors. Zeus was the father of the Gods. Apollo was the
sun God, Poseidon was the sea God. Athena was the Goddess of knowledge.
Among the twelve Gods and Goddesses, these four were the principal ones.
The priests oversaw the religious matters at the government's request.
People from different city-states gathered together to worship the sun God
Apollo in his famous temple at Delphi in Delos.
Philosophy:
Greece made a significant contribution to the field of philosophy.
Philosophy emerged as the Greeks sought answers to questions about the
origin of the universe, the nature of change, and other fundamental
issues. Thales was one of the earlier philosophers. He was the first to
explain the reason for the solar eclipse. After him, didactic philosophy
was introduced in Greece. These sorts of philosophers were known as the
Sophists. They believed that there was no absolute truth in this world.
Pericles was a follower of this branch of philosophers. Socrates was the
most famous among these philosophers. The main goal of his philosophy was
to create an ideal state and an ideal citizen. His teaching included
speaking out against tyranny. Plato, the renowned student of Socrates,
elevated Greek philosophy to a pinnacle of excellence. Aristotle, Plato's
student, was also a very famous philosopher of the time.
Science:
The Greeks first started practising science in 600 B.C. The Greek
scientists were among the first to draw a map of the world. They were the
first to prove that the world is one of the planets in the universe, and
it is revolving in its own orbit. The Greek astrologers were also able to
explain the reasons behind solar and lunar eclipses. They were also the
ones to first identify that the moon does not have any light of its own
and that the lightning and thunder were not a result of Zeus's anger, but
rather a natural cause and effect. Euclid, a geometrician, was an expert
in physics. The famous mathematician Pythagoras and the physician
Hippocrates were also well-known.
Architecture and Sculpture:
Greek civilisation was well developed in architecture and sculpture. The
evidence of the excellence of Greek art can be found in the carvings and
designs on the earthenware. We can see specimens of Greek architecture
around the country. They built large palaces on tall pillars having
beautiful, detailed sculpting on them. One of the greatest examples of
Greek architecture is the Parthenon, also known as the Temple of Athena.
In Athens, one can still find the beautiful works of Greek architecture in
the ruins of the Acropolis. The Greek sculpture gave birth to a golden era
in the world of art. The famous sculptors of the time were Myron, Fidias
and Praxiteles.
Games and Sports:
The Greeks paid special attention to the games and sports of the children.
They had their initiations through games and sports in school. The Greeks
had a tremendous interest in physical training and sports. During various
festivals, the Greeks held sports competitions. Among them, the most popular
competition was the one they held in honour of Zeus. The most popular
athletes in Greece participated in the Olympics. In the Olympics, they
organised sports such as racing, wrestling, spear throwing, boxing, etc. The
winners were congratulated with garlands of olive branches and leaves. The
Olympics were held every four years. It was a very prestigious competition,
and sportsmen from other city-states would come to Athens to participate in
it. The Olympics were renowned for fostering solidarity among participants
from other city-states.
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