Greek Achievements

The Arts Among the most notable achievements of the ancient Greeks were those they made in the arts. These arts included sculptures, paintings, architecture, and writing.

Statues and Paintings The ancient Greeks were master artists. Their paintings and statues have been admired for years, many of which are still displayed at museums around the world.

Statues – Made to look perfect, to show the beauty of people. Sculptors - Studied the human body, especially human movement, because of this many Greek statues look as thought they could come alive. Paintings – Admired for realism and detail Painters – Made detailed scenes on vases, pots, and other vessels based on myths or athletic competitions, scenes were created using only 2 colors (typically red and black)

Architecture If you went to Greece today, you would see the ruins of many ancient buildings. Old columns still hold up parts of broken roofs, and ancient carvings decorate fallen walls. These remains give us an idea of the beauty of ancient Greek buildings.

Great care was took when designing their building, especially temples. Tall columns surrounded the temple, designers were very careful when they measured these columns. They knew that columns standing in a long row often looked as though they curved in the middle. To prevent this optical illusion, they made their columns bulge slightly in the middle. Buildings were to reflect the greatness of their cities. The most impressive of these buildings was the Parthenon in Athens, made to honor Athena goddess of wisdom.

New Forms of Writing The Greeks also excelled at writing. In fact, Greek writers created many new writing forms, including drama and history. The Greeks created drama, or plays, as part of their religious ceremonies. Actors and singers performed scenes in honor of the gods and heroes. These plays became a popular form of entertainment, especially in Athens. Some writers created tragedies, which described the hardships faced by heroes. Comedies were written to make fun of people and ideas. The Greeks were among the first to write about history, because they were fascinated by the lessons history could teach.

Philosophy The ancient Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses whose actions explained many of the mysteries of the world. But by around 500 BC a few people had begun to think about other explanations. We call these people philosophers. They believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain, and understand life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCsph5Pykvk

Socrates He believed people should never stop looking for knowledge. He was a teacher and thinker, he taught by asking questions about qualities such as love and courage. When people answered he questioned their answers. He wanted people to think and question their personal beliefs. People got angry and feared him because of wanting people to question their beliefs that he was accused of questioning the authority of the gods, and was later arrested and condemned to death for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhqrpb95A48

Plato Student of Socrates, and a teacher of philosophy. Created a school, where students and philosophers and scientist could discuss their ideas. He wrote a book called The Republic, in which he talks about an ideal society where philosophers ran it to ensure fairness for all.

Aristotle Considered to be the greatest Greek thinker. One of Plato’s students. Believed people should live lives of moderation or balance. Made great advances in the field of logic.

Science Aristotle’s works inspired many Greek scientist. They began to look closely at the world to see how it worked.

Mathematics Some Greeks spent their lives studying mathematics. One of these people was Euclid (YOO-kluhd). He was interested in geometry, the study of lines, angles, and shapes. In fact, many of the geometry rules we learn in school today come straight from Euclid’s writings. Other Greek mathematicians included a geographer who used mathematics to accurately calculate the size of the earth.

Medicine and Engineering Not all Greek scientists studied numbers. Some studied other areas of science, such as medicine and engineering. Greek doctors studied the human body to understand how it worked. In trying to cure diseases and keep people healthy, Greek doctors made many discoveries.

The greatest Greek doctor was Hippocrates (hip-AHK-ruh-teez) The greatest Greek doctor was Hippocrates (hip-AHK-ruh-teez). He wanted to figure our what caused diseases so he could better treat them. Hippocrates is better known today, though, for his ideas about how doctors should behave.

Greek engineers also made great discoveries Greek engineers also made great discoveries. Some devices they invented are still used today. For example, farmers in many countries still use water screws to bring water to their fields. This device, which brings water from a lower level to a higher one, was invented by a Greek scientist name Archimedes in the 200s BC. Greek inventors could be playful as well as serious. For example, one inventor created mechanical toys like birds, puppets, and coin-operated machines.

Olympics To honor the gods, a sporting contest took place every 4 years at Olympia, a city in southern Greece. Held in honor of Zeus, this event was called the Olympic Games. Athletes competed in footraces, chariot races, boxing, wrestling, and throwing events. Only men could compete. The Greeks held these games every four years for more than 1,000 years, until the AD 320s.

The Olympics were a way for the Greeks to meet and compete in a friendly way, rather than fight as they usually did (Athens and Sparta, along with the other city-states did NOT get along), and were also a way to improve their training for war with events like the javelin throw, foot racing, wrestling, boxing, and discus-throwing.