How Did Greek Culture Influence Western Civilization

Greece, its culture, and its people had a major impact on the development of Western civilization. The Greek people made major scholarly advances and became the birthplace of many subjects that are still taught today. Philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and many other contributions to the scientific world brought rise to a new way of thinking and a new way of life. Greece even became the birthplace of federalism, shaping the future of politics. It is not only important to know how Greek advances helped shape the modern world, but it is also important to understand how the Greek way of life evolved and where this culture came from. Greece began as most civilizations did, with the settlement of nomadic people during the Neolithic Period. The areas …show more content…
Though this contact was initially peaceful, it was only just a matter of time before the Mycenaeans attacked and conquered the Minoan people. The Mycenaean kingdoms quickly spread throughout the Aegean. Although it was prosperous, it only lasted from bout 1450 B.C.E. to 1300 B.C.E. due to attacks and the destruction of many cities and palaces. The end of the Mycenaean kingdom marked a period that is known as the “Dark Age” of Greece. Life was very difficult and the people focused on daily survival. The destruction caused many of the people to move throughout the area, spreading the Greek culture and preserving the Greek way of …show more content…
One of the first advances made by the Greeks concerned politics. Each town, or city-state, became known as a “polis”. It encompassed all of the people that lived in a city and its surrounding area. Since each polis was unique to its people, several different types of government were established throughout Greece. These slowly evolved into the type of government that has had a profound impact on the modern world. Sparta and Athens are prime examples of two very successful and very different forms of government. . Sparta placed great emphasis on the military way of life. Instead of having social classes, all men were equal and the leaders of this polis were also the leaders of the military. Athens was a democracy that became an example for many future governments. It consisted of two bodies: the boule and the ecclesia. The boule was a small governing council and the ecclesia was an assembly of all citizens. This way, the rule by a chosen few was balanced out by the fact that each citizen could contribute to the politics of the