Exploring culture and views that people in Ancient Greece had on the world around them. Jamie Ceglarski, Jake Brodnan, Matt Mudra

 The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, believing in multiple gods and goddesses.  The Greeks arranged their gods in a hierarchy, with the more powerful gods representing more powerful forces in their world.  Lesser gods were meant to represent more abstract concepts like love or poetry.  Ancient Greek mythology was an everyday part of life, and they used it to explain everything from everyday life to extraordinary events.

 Afterlife – The Greeks believed in an underworld, a place where people went after death.  If the proper ceremonies weren’t performed, the soul of the deceased was thought to wander the earth forever.  Greeks strongly believed in their religion, they thought of it as absolute truth and anyone who questioned religious ideas in Ancient Greece was usually put to death before philosophy was a common practice.

 Ancient Greek philosophy was wide and varied, and questioned even everyday life.  Thales of Miletus was thought to be the father of philosophy and one of the greatest intellectuals.  Most philosophers agree that much of Greek philosophy has influenced and shaped western culture and beliefs.

 The goal of philosophers in Ancient Greece was to use philosophy to explain the world around them and support those arguments with evidence that wasn’t based on mythological reasoning.  Most philosophers in Ancient Greece were the definers of truth to common people and came up with many solutions to practical problems in society.

 Art & paintings were almost exclusively put on pottery and funeral urns in Ancient Greece, this kind of artwork appears on very few actual paintings or mosaics.  Much of the pottery made by Greeks at the time was used for everyday use, and wasn’t made specifically for the purpose of art.

 Sculpture was a huge part of art and culture in Ancient Greece, however the people who made it were usually looked down upon.  Sculpture at the time was appreciated and admired more than painting, and statues represented more to the Greeks.  Many statues were carved out of marble or limestone, but bronze statues were made for those of a higher status or more to serve more purpose.

 Most of the architecture in Ancient Greece was designed to serve the purpose of providing shelter, but also being a work of art. Most of the temples and buildings in Greece were ornate and well decorated, but also had some of the first innovations in structure and design. Most of the more elaborate or important buildings were temples an altars dedicated to various gods.

 Territories in Ancient Greece were organized in City States, however the population saw themselves as a whole.  Most City States started out as petty kingdoms and had some kind of city official who carried out duties similar to a king but had limited power.  Eventually most city states switched to oligarchies and then after a point of tyranny by the oligarchy, founded a democracy in Athens which spread to other city states.

 Most of the current western literary traditions were passed on from culture that originated in Ancient Greece. The main ideas and structure for how literature is today, like dialogue and drama, came from playwrights.