Literature was the greatest and most unique contribution of the Greeks to Western civilization.
Greek architects showed great skill in their designs of times and public buildings. They fitted marble or limestone blocks to perfection, without using mortar and used graceful columns to support the work of the times.
In sculpture they used both marble and bronze. Some famous sculptors:Phidias, Myron, Polycletus, Lysippus, Praxiteles, Scopas. The paintings have disappeared for the most part. Only painted vases have been preserved.
The music was performed by a single wind or string instrument accompanied by a strong rhythmic beat. The favorite instruments were the lyre, the zither, similar to the lute, and the aulos, which somewhat resembled the oboe. They were very fond of singing and wrote many poems in song form with lyre accompaniment. They called this poetry lyrical.
From Greece came the first philosophers and great wisdom in the sciences.
Greek civilization glorified man as the most expressive creature in the universe. All Greeks, although politically divided, had a cultural unity.
The Greeks laid the foundations of European culture.
Hellenic literature from the 7th century onwards:
Hesiod expounded in verses, conceptions about the origin of the universe and of the gods.
Calino composed joys, in which he mourned the death of loved ones.
Terprando made love songs.
Alcaeus, poet, sang feelings of purity.
Sappho, a poet, also composed beautiful love songs.
Anacreon reproduced passionate feelings of love.
Alcmar was the author of songs intended for choral songs.
Pindar (V a. C ) was the greatest of the masters of poetry.
Hecataeus (6th century) describes historical facts.
Oratory developed mainly in Athens. The Athenians fondly cultivated the art of speech, and nearly all political leaders were outstanding orators.
Themistocles convinced the masses.
Pericles excited everyone.
Cultural Legacy
The basis of Western European culture was formed by the legacy of the Greeks.
His Philosophy remained alive in the teachings of Democritus, Anaxagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thales of Miletus, etc.
The works of the great Greek thinkers are still studied today, such as, for example, "The Republic", "The Banquet" and "Phaedon" by Plato; and Aristotle's "Politics".
In medicine, Hippocrates stands out; Euclid and Pythagoras, in Geometry; Archimedes in Physics.
In the arts, the search for aesthetic perfection was a constant.
During the 5th century BC Greek culture reached its apogee, under the rule of Pericles, who protected artists and ordered the construction of numerous monuments.
Phidias is the greatest sculptor of this period. His statue of Olympian Zeus was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world.
Miron stands out with the "Discóbolo", in honor of the athletes.
Temples, theaters, amphitheaters and Odeons were built in white marble for the grandeur of Greece, so that it would be seen by foreigners and its beauty spread throughout the world.
Its column patterns were envied and copied by other peoples.
Theater plays are still performed today in our theaters and their revered authors:- Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes.
The Greek Herodotus is considered the father of history.
Alcibiades was one of the most applauded for the gift of his oratory. Strategic Athenian state at the age of 30, he led the Athenians to undertake the expedition to Sicily, compromised in a religious scandal, fled to Sparta, targeted by the generals Lacedemonios, sought refuge with the Satrap Tissaphernes. Through long-distance intrigues, he was able to rekindle relations with the political factions of Athens. After a series of military successes, he triumphantly entered Athens. But a series of setbacks forced him to take refuge in Thrace, where he was murdered in 404 BC. C at the instigation of the Spartans.
Demosthenes (4th century BC) was the most famous Athenian orator and one of the greatest of all time (see Philippians, where he warned the Greeks against Macedonian imperialism). After the fall of Olynthus, he took part in the embassy that concluded the Peace of Philocrates (346). Demosthenes encouraged Athens to use this peace to prepare for the decisive conflict, and from 344 to 340 BC. C., he pronounced the last three Philippians; at this same time he had to fight Aeschines, his political opponent, whom he accused of treason in his speech about the infidel embassy. Until then, opposition speaker, Demosthenes head of the party. From 340 to 338 he directed Athenian politics and negotiated an alliance with Thebes against Philip; however, this crushed the allies at Chaeronea (338). In (330) Demosthenes delivered his speech on the crown, which justified the acts and principles of his policy and resulted in the exile of Aeschines. With the death of Alexander he started the revolt of the Greek cities against Antipater. In consequence of Athens' defeat at Cranon (322), Demosthenes poisoned himself. His oratorical work, composed of 60 political speeches and civil defenses, remains a model to this day.
Esquines, master of eloquence, who fought an oratorical duel with Demostenes.
Lysias was a great speaker.
Isocrates, master of rhetoric.
Drama has always been one of the activities cultivated by the Greeks. Initially, these theatrical performances were dedicated to the god Dionysus and consisted of choral chants. Later, in Athens, an actor had a dialogue with the choirmaster. Stand out:
Aeschylus, great playwright, wrote about the justice of the gods.
Sophocles, with a squirrel, introduced Greek tragedy:action, time, and place, where people could not escape their phantom fate. The greatest dramatists lived in Athens in the time of Pericles;
Euripides introduced innovations in dramatic art.
Aristophanes, comedian, ridiculed revolutionary ideas and criticized the customs of the time.
Homer wrote books that for many years were considered accounts of Greek legends.
But when the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated and discovered Troy in 1870, Homer's texts acquired veracity and historical importance.
Doesn't this mask recently found at an archaeological site in Greece look like a MOAI? Doesn't it look like the face of the enigmatic statues that exist on Easter Island?
Greek Civilization
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