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“Let him hurl his twin-forked lightning bolts down on my head.. let him make the wildly surging sea waves mingle with the pathways of the heavenly stars… he cannot make me die,” says Prometheus after his suffering gives him the hope to withstand Zeus (Aeschylus 83). In Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus portrays the effects of suffering … Read more
The English language uses a single word to express the broad spectrum of the meaning of love: from the “I Love You” in a passionate statement to a random letter signature like “Same Love.” The Greeks have defined love in more sophisticated terms such as Eros (intimacy and Passion), Ludus (Joy), Philie (Fellowship), Pragma (lasting … Read more
Alexander “the Great” was known for many feats, such as conquering most of the known world and more. Through these actions, it is easy to say that Alexander certainly deserves the title “great”. Alexander, son of Philip the II of Macedon, inherited his father’s throne at the young age of 20. Within the ten year … Read more
In Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, the conflict between Athens and Sparta is illustrated not only with direct, fact-based wartime accounts but also with dramatized orations and debates that are interwoven into the narrative. Through the resulting interplay of speech-giving and war-making, two activities both highly and equally valued in ancient Greek society, a … Read more
In his oration, Pericles sheds new light on traditional Greek virtues by examining not only the accomplishments of the Athenian empire, but the particular qualities and institutions that have facilitated Athenian greatness. Pericles defies the traditional role of a funeral orator as historian of Athenian accomplishments in order to thoroughly redefine what makes Athens great. … Read more
Education in Sparta Did you know that in Sparta, when a child was born, if the “inspectors” were not satisfied that the child was strong enough, then they were left outside to die (Document A)? This is the start of education in Sparta. If you die, you lose. But if you can survive that first … Read more
The ancient Greek myths explain a lot about what the Greek people understood about the world. It is a collection of stories which are used to teach. These myths hold valuable moral lessons which the modern reader can learn and apply it to one’s life. The myths that will be focused on, being Apollo and … Read more
Alexander the Great was a general and a king, he made lots of changes to the ancient world, but was he a great leader. Alexander expanded the advanced technology of the Greek culture by invading city-states and other cultures. Alexander made his army extreamly smart and advanced by utilizing engineers and introducing longspears into his … Read more
There are many things that Ancient Greece gave to us, one of those things just happens to be our court system. That’s right the Jury and trial system we got from those weird naked people…aawwkkwwarrd. Anyways, here are some things about the one in ancient Greece. Size Matters By modern standards, ancient Athenian juries were … Read more
Poseidon’s roman name was Neptune which meant god of the sea and earthquakes. He is usually in his watery domain under the sea. If Poseidon wanted to he could mess with water, lightning and storms which made them strong and violent. He was one of the supreme gods of Mount Olympus. Poseidons parents are Rhea … Read more
The ancient Greeks, like many ancient cultures, believed in multiple gods. The Gods had supernatural powers and strengths. Myths about these Gods helped explain things about Greek life, These myths were important because they explained why the Greeks did things in a certain way and what was important to them. The article Greek Mythology explains … Read more
“On the other side, women of Sparta were enjoying a different kind of freedom. Unlike Athenian women, they weren’t excluded from any economic decision-making or hadn’t autonomy and involvement in social issues. Spartan women had financial power and influence. Also the girls were able to exercise, do sports, move themselves freely and were publicly educated … Read more
The Peloponnesian War was between Athens and Sparta, theses were two leading-city states in ancient Greece. This was lasted from 431-404 bce. The war took over a good part of the Greek world and Thucydides was the one who judged it. This war was considered to be one of the worlds greatest works of history … Read more
Did you know that the Trojan War was all started because of a girl? Well, the Queen of Sparta, Helen, was abducted by Paris the King of Troy. This was one of the many major events that lead to the downfall of Troy. Other events include the fairest goddess, thousand ships, and the Trojan horse. … Read more
Zeus is certainly not a person to trifle with, especially when it comes to his sacred fire. The punishments dealt out by Zeus are probably anything but fair but are all very metaphorical and symbolic if the reader reads between the lines. Prometheus, creator of man and thief of fire, is punished by having his … Read more
The following works of ancient art can all be considered to function in part as propaganda: the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (Mesopotamia, 2254-2218 BCE), the Lapith and Centaur metopes in the Parthenon (Classical Greece, 447-438 BCE), and Athena battling Alkyoneos at the Altar of Zeus (Hellenistic Greece, 175 BCE). These pieces function as propaganda in … Read more
Form The Parthenon in Athens was constructed in the style of the Ancient Greek Doric order, whilst the Temple of Apollo in Didyma was constructed in the Ionic order. This differentiation was due to location and time period, for example the Parthenon was constructed in mainland Greece between 447-438BC whilst the Temple of Apollo was … Read more
This essay is about Alexander the Great. He is said to be one of the greatest military minds in history. This essay will describe his ascension in to the throne, his upbringing, his great military mastermind, his impact on the world, and his famous battles with Darius of Persia. Phillip III was Alexander’s father he … Read more
Perhaps the first thing people would think of if they were asked what they knew about the Ancient Greeks and Romans would be their polytheistic religion. The complex and elaborated myths of the gods served many functions, making the Greece and Rome very different from other Ancient Civilizations. The Greco-Roman mythology most prevalent in Archaic … Read more
The Iliad: Book and Film Comparison The Iliad became adapted into a film during 2004 called Troy, in which the story was both dramatically and subtly changed in its adaptation. A major difference in the film was that there were no intervening or actions of the gods whatsoever, whereas in the book, the gods were … Read more
The Battle of Thermopylae was an attack on Greece that arose as a result of Athens involvement in the Ionian revolt. In 499 B.C. King Cyrus II tamed the Persian tribes and conquered Lydia and parts of Ionia but the Ionians made up of Greek tyrants rebelled against Persia which led to its invasion (Warren … Read more
The Parthenon: The Pride of the Athenians The Parthenon, constructed in 447 and 438 BCE, is one of the most famous monuments of ancient Greek civilization. It shows the greatest works of Greek architecture, history, and ancient Greek religious beliefs. Although now it lay mostly in ruins, it stands towering above Athens, continuing its legacy … Read more
After the events of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men headed back home to Ithaca. En route, they unknowingly stopped at the island of the Cyclopes to gather supplies for their long journey home. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the island were not very friendly – particularly one Cyclops named Polyphemus. In an attempt to … Read more
When we as Westerners think of antiquity’s greatest civilizations, surely classical Greece comes to mind. Many aspects of ancient Greek culture survive today in various facets of our modern society: democracy, drama and western philosophy, just some of the first few that come to mind. As paramount as these contributions are, surely we as Westerners … Read more
Alexander the Great is also known as Alexander III of Macedonia. He was the king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. In history, there are different views of Alexander. Some viewed him as a hero, while others viewed him as an alcoholic or thief. With great consideration, Alexander the Great is one of the … Read more
The War-Changing Battle of Thermopylae In August 480 B.C.E a peaceful and silent mountain pass called Thermopylae located in the southern part of Greece was about to turn into a blood-stained boneyard of Persian and Greek soldiers. In the mountain pass stood the Spartan military which was full of soldiers who were the ultimate hoplites, … Read more
Sophocles was born in 496 BC in Colonus, a village just outside Athens, to a wealthy weapons-maker and a leading citizen. As a young man, Sophocles was talented at music and dancing. He was interested in playwriting and began to study The Odyssey and The Iliad. An anonymous biographer of the time called him “the … Read more
What would you do if you could rule the world? This seems like a preposterous question to most, but to one man it started to become a reality. It all started with the dreams of one King, Alexander the Great. Alexander was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, the area around present day Thessaloniki in … Read more
Prometheus Bound serves as an allegory radiant in theme. Yet, while the symbolism employed by Aeschylus is fairly ubiquitous, and while some scholars argue that the paramount issues of Aeschylus’s play lie in both Prometheus’s services to mankind and in Io’s wanderings and future progeny, it is in the relationship between Prometheus and Zeus that … Read more
To answer this question let me tell you the story of the Battle of the Hydaspes. In 326 BC the forces of Alexander the Great and King Porus were to clash, a battle which would decide the fate of the region Punjab. As Alexander wanted to increase his territory his eye fell on India, where … Read more
Alexander the Great was one of the old leaders from Macedonia and by extension one of the greatest military minds in history (Burgan, 2010). He was the king of Macedonia and Persia, and during his tenure, he managed to establish the largest empire in the entire ancient world. Alexander the Great was brilliant, charismatic, ruthless … Read more
The portals to immortality-Greek Grave Steles To us who live in modern times the ‘melancholic look’ that we find in the sculpture of cemeteries throughout the world is something we take for granted. Although its authenticity has been lost to us, this so-called look can be traced back to 5th century Greek funerary sculpture. For … Read more
How does the Ancient Greek beliefs of religion and death differ with the view of other cultural groups? Death, the way it is represented in Homer’s book, The Odyssey, is always caused by human error. Whether their death was caused by greed, selfishness, or just being curious, many people died in The Odyssey. Still, the … Read more
How does the Ancient Greek beliefs of religion and death differ with the view of other cultural groups? Death, the way it is represented in Homer’s book, The Odyssey, is always caused by human error. Whether their death was caused by greed, selfishness, or just being curious, many people died in The Odyssey. Still, the … Read more
The ancient statues and pottery of the Golden Stone Age of Greece were much advanced in spectacular ways. The true facts of Zeuss main reason for his statue. The great styles of the Kouros and the Kore. The story of The Blinding of Polphemus, along with the story of Cyclops. The Dori and Ionic column … Read more
There are many similarities and differences between the Greek gods and the Hebrew God. These similarities and differences are revealed in the character and functionality of the gods. The revelation of similarities and differences can also be seen in mans relationship to his god or gods. Homer was instrumental in documenting the oral traditions of … Read more
As The Greek empire declined, Rome inherited its medical traditions and knowledge. During the 1st and 2nd centuries A. D health standards dropped considerably and outbreaks occurred of life threatening diseases. Galen of Pergamon, a follower of Hippocrates, gathered much of the medical knowledge of the time and added to it his studies of anatomy … Read more
The two most dominating city-states in Greece of their time, Athens and Sparta, were great rivals with two very different ways of life. Spartas overbearing military and Athens impartial justice system and government are models for many modern day countries. Even though these two city-states differ greatly from one another, they share many characteristics of … Read more
Ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman practices of preparing the dead for the next cradle of humanity are very intriguing. These two cultures differ in a multitude of ways yet similarities can be noted in the domain of funerary services. In the realm of Egyptian afterlife, The Book of the Dead can provide one with vital information … Read more
In this paper I will demonstrate why I believe, contrary to widespread opinion and possible even his own, that Aristophanes, not Euripides, was, of the four major dramatists fo Athens’ Golden Age, the one who least respected women. Having become aware at the ouset of this leterrature course of the position of women in the … Read more
To us who live in modern times the melancholic look that we find in the sculpture of cemeteries throughout the world is something we take for granted. Although its authenticity has been lost to us, this so-called look can be traced back to 5th century Greek funerary sculpture. For us it is only natural to … Read more
The Greek peninsula has been culturally linked with the Aegean Islands, and the west coast of Asia Minor since the Neolithic Age. The numerous natural harbors and close-lying islands lead to a unified, maritime civilization. However cultural unity did not produce political unity. Mountain ranges and deep valleys separated the peninsula into small economic and … Read more
With our view of God, it can sometimes be difficult to comprehend the actions and thinking of the Greek deities. The Christian God does not tend to take such an active role in the affairs of people’s lives, where, on the other hand, the Greeks regarded direct involvement by the gods as a daily, uncontrollable … Read more
In Euripides Medea, the protagonist abandoned the gender roles of ancient Greek society. Medea defied perceptions of gender by exhibiting both “male” and “female” tendencies. She was able to detach herself from her “womanly” emotions at times and perform acts that society did not see women capable of doing. However, Medea did not fully abandon … Read more
The term “Barbarian” is Greek in origin. The Greeks originally levied it at any races who were not of a Greek origin; especially those who threatened Greek civilization and culture. Because most of these “strangers” regularly assaulted Greek cities, the term “barbarian” gradually evolved into a rude term: a person who was a sub-human, uncivilized, … Read more
Medea, a play by the Greek playwright Euripides, explores the Greek-barbarian dichotomy through the character of Medea, a princess from the”barbarian”, or non-Greek, land of Colchis. Throughout the play, it become sevident to the reader that Medea is no ordinary woman by Greek standards.Central to the whole plot is Medea’s barbarian origins and how they … Read more
During the Golden age of Greece, in 5th Century B. C. , the Greeks were fascinated by the thin line between greatness and hubris. Throughout their literature, there is a sense that the same traits that make a man or woman great can lead to their destruction. In the familiar period piece, Medea, the nurse … Read more
Back in time when Greece was making its mark in history as one of the great civilization of the Ancient World, there was a great deal of emphasis on the Gods and Goddesses. To the Greeks the world was governed by the Gods and they were the reason many things happened in the world, mostly … Read more
The two most dominating city-states in Greece of their time, Athens and Sparta, were great rivals with two very different ways of life. Spartas overbearing military and Athens impartial justice system and government are models for many modern day countries. Even though these two city-states differ greatly from one another, they share many characteristics of … Read more
The Palace of Knossos, a Minoan mud brick and timber structure on a shallow stone foundation, featuring a central courtyard, was constructed on an acropolis. It was a place for rulers to reside, shrines for religious ceremonies to be worshipped, the industrial production of objects, and administrative duties. Ample hallways, stairways, chambers, and light wells … Read more