The Cultural Heritage of Greece to the World, including among others the birth of poetry, the birth of philosophy and the arts and science in ancient Greece

1. The Cultural Heritage
of Greece
To The World
Apostolos Kouimtzis
June 2017

2. The World Culture
 Cultures may vary from one community to another, yet they are all expression tools
for the same human emotions and thoughts
 Politics may divide nations, culture though is the ’connective tissue’ that links
humanity
”Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a
group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present
and bestowed for the benefit of future generations” (Unesco)
 The Greek culture has benefited the humanity in a wide range of its artistic,
political and scientific evolution over the years
 Greece counts a history of more than 5.000 years, adding significant milestones on
the course of human history and the development of civilization

3. The Greek Contribution To The World Culture
Language
Mythology
Poetry
Philosophy
Political Systems / Democracy
Sciences
Architecture
Sculpture
Theatre
Olympic Games
Modern Literature
Greek Food

4. The Greek Language
First samples of written expression, dated in
2nd Millennium BCE
Phaistos Disk, 1700 BCE
Minoan Palace, Crete
The Greek alphabet which adopted elements from the
Phoenician one, was developed around 1400 BCE
The Oxford Dictionary includes 10,500 Greek words, which
constitute 21,6% of the dictionary
The word “alphabet” refers to the first two letters of the
Greek alphabet, alpha (a) and beta (b)αβ
The City of Athens resolution on the
preparation of the
Sicilian Campaign, 415 BCE

5. The Greek Mythology
Theseus and the Minotaur
Attic vase, 6th c. BCE
Heracles fighting Cerberus
Caere vase, 6th c. BCE
The Twelve Olympian gods, model reconstruction of the east pediment of the Parthenon
Greek mythology still has an essential influence on Western civilization in its
philosophy, history, politics, arts and literature
Greek Mythology is the narrative of the mythical histories created by the ancient
Greeks concerning their gods and heroes
Three themes of Greek Mythology
 Theogony (the Birth of Gods)
 The Age of Gods and Men
 The Age of Heroes

6. The Birth of Poetry
Epic is a long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the
poet
Homer wrote 2 famous epic poems around the 8th century BCE, Iliad (15,693 lines) & Odyssey (12,110
lines)
These works form the basis of the epic genre and are considered the earliest works of Western literature
Trojan Horse - Iliad
Mykonos vase, 7th c. BCE
Odysseus and the Sirens – Odyssey
Vulci Vase, 5th c. BCE
The Odyssey describes Odysseus' ten-
year struggle for the Nostos (return to
the homeland of Ithaca after the
occupation of Troy)
The Iliad refers to the last 51 decisive
days of Troy's war, which, according
to myth, lasted 10 years

7. Philosophy
 what is existence?
 what is knowledge?
 how to conquer happiness?
The birth of Greek philosophy offers people new ways to explain the world and life.
Thoughts are systematized and rational. People cease to think with mythical
representations and to personify the forces of nature.
Busts of the three greatest philosophers of ancient Greece.
Plato on the center with his teacher Socrates on the left and his student Aristotle on the
right
Philosophy means love of wisdom

8. Socrates (470/469 – 399 BCE)
brought philosophy to human
level. He sought the principle of
every moral concept, not
influenced by historical and
social conditions, nor by the
perception of people
Plato (427 – 347 BCE) founded
the Academy, the first institution
for philosophy. The Republic is
one of his most well-known
works with great influence both
in philosophy and in political
sciences. He describes, through a
dialogue, a fantastic ideal state
with philosophers as kings.
Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) tried
through philosophy to explain
almost everything, including
among others, physics,
metaphysics, biology, psychology
and politics. His thoughts and
teachings have influenced
philosophical, theological and
scientific thought for centuries.
Philosophy

9. Political Systems / Democracy
The word Politics derives from the Greek word polis, meaning city-state or community,
while the basic political terms are borrowed from the ancient Greeks: Monarchy,
Aristocracy, Tyranny, Oligarchy and Democracy
Democracy (rule by the people) was the Athenians chosen form of government from 508 BCE
All Athenian citizens had the right to
attend and vote in a full popular
assembly (Ekklesia), met every 10
days. All decrees were ratified by the
Ekklesia before becoming law
Athenians protected Democracy
with Ostracism: a form of election
designed to curb the power of any
rising tyrant

10. Athenians established the
institution of courts, with
juries of no fewer than 201
jurors and as many as 2,500
who heard a variety of cases
No magistrate (judge,
military servant, accountant,
etc.) could undertake the
same role for a second time
in order for the political
equality to be ensured
Political Systems / Democracy

11. Sciences
Mathematics
Pythagoras the Samian (570 – 495 BCE) formulated the Pythagorean theorem
Euclid of Alexandria (~300 – 270 BCE) is considered the Father of Geometry
Archimedes of Syracuse (~287 – ~212 BCE) approached the value of the Pi
Astronomy
Heraclides Ponticus (388 – 310 BCE) proposed that the Earth rotates on its axis
Aristarchus of Samos (310 – ~230 BCE) proposed the Heliocentric Model of the Solar System
Eratosthenes of Cyrene (276 – 194 BCE) calculated the circumference of Earth, with remarkably accuracy
Medicine
Hippocrates of Kos (460 – 377 BCE) is referred as the Father of Modern Medicine
The Hippocratic oath written by Hippocrates is given by doctors and refers to the moral practice of
medicine.
It is the charter of medical and professional ethics on which almost all the relevant global declarations, such
as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Lisbon on the Rights of the Patient
have been based.
The Greek achievements in sciences were one of the finest in antiquity

12. Architecture
Greek Architecture stretching from 900 BCE to the 1st century CE influenced greatly
initially the Roman and later the World architectural mindset
The three Greek architectural orders
that dominate the western world from
the Renaissance to the present day are
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
The Parthenon, Athens
5th c. BCE (Doric Order)
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens
6th c. BCE – 2nd c. CE (Corinthian Order)
The Erechtheion, Athens
5th c. BCE (Ionic Order)

13. The Greek characteristics of simplicity, proportion, perspective, and harmony are
obvious in many buildings worldwide
The White House,
Washington, D.C.
The Oslo Trading Building, Norway
Fontana di Trevi,
Rome
The Colosseum, Rome
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
Architecture

14. Sculpture
The three periods of Sculpture styles
in Greece
I. Archaic Period, ~750 – 499 BCE
II. Classical Period 499 – 323 BCE
III. Hellenistic Period 323 – 30 BCE
The Moschophoros, 570 BCE
(Archaic style)
Venus de Milo, 150-50 BCE
(Hellenistic style)
Kritios Boy, 480 BCE
(Classical style)
Ancient Greek Sculpture managed in a relatively short time to develop an outline
characteristic which served as the basis for the further development of sculpture art in Western
civilization

15. The Birth of Theatre
Parts of a Greek Theatre
 Theatre was born in Athens at the late of 4th century BCE, when plays
were performed as part of religious festivals in honor of the god
Dionysus
 Athenians exported the festival to their colonies and allies in order to
promote a common cultural identity
 Greek theatres’ architecture is remarkable for its acoustic and location
in breathtaking positions with spectacular view for the audience of both
the actors and the landscape behind
The Theatre of Epidaurus,
late of 4th c. BCE
The three types of Plays that Greeks developed
I. Tragedy (Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus)
II. Comedy (Aristophanes)
III. Satyr (Aeschylus)

16. The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games, dating to 776 BCE, were religious and athletic festivals held
every four years in Olympia in honor of the god Zeus
The five-ringed symbol of the
Olympic Games
Victorious Olympic athlete being crowned
by the goddess Nike with an olive wreath
The only prize for the winners was an olive wreath, pointing out the
importance of competing for honor rather than for material goods
For Greeks the objective of competition was to lead man to physical
and mental fulfillment through fair play
During the Games a sacred truce was instituted among the participating
city-states, including the cessation of all hostilities and of the death
penalties executions
The Modern Olympic Games promote the ideal of a "sound mind in a
sound body" and friendship among nations, just like Ancient Greeks
did

17. Modern Literature
"If you decompose Greece, you'll end up with
an olive tree, a grapevine and a fishing boat.
That's all you need to rebuild the country"
Odysseus Elytis
Odysseus Elytis (1911-1996),
Poet of Romantic Modernism
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1979
George Seferis (1900-1971)
Poet of Modernism
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1963
Nikos Kazantzakis, (1883-1957)
Author of ”Zorba the Greek”
Giannis Ritsos, (1909-1981)
Lenin Peace Prize, 1975
Nine nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Constantine P. Cavafy, (1863-
1933)
First Modernist Greek Poet

18. Greek Food
The Greek food pyramid
The Greek diet is regarded as one of the healthiest in the world since it’s based largely
around fruit and vegetables, olive oil, wholegrains, fish, and a small amount of cheese and
yoghurt
Greece is the third largest
producer of olive oil in the
world and boasts a total of 16
different PDO (Protected
Designation of Origin)
varieties of olive oil.
The Greek salad is a
nutritional powerhouse,
composed of some of
the most nutritionally
dense ingredients

19. My Country…Greece
My country represents 0.14% of the world’s population,
covering a land of 130,647 km2 out of total 148,940,000 km2 on earth (0.001%)
It is amazing how much my country’s size grows when I close it in the world’s heritage time capsule