Essay About Greece

1. Essay about Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece
Athens was the intellectual center of Greece. It was one of the first city–states of its time, and is still known as one of the most famous cities in
the world. It was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the city's patron. In 508 B.C., Athens became one of the first societies in ancient
times to invent democracy. Democracy came from the Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratein, meaning to rule. This form of
government was usually held in a meeting place, which the Athenians called the Assembly. Here the citizens ofAthens met monthly and discussed
the affairs of state. There were no decisions made by government without first asking the Assembly.
The ancient Athenians were a unique people. They...show more content...
The exporting area of Athens economy reached then Sicily, Egypt, and the Black Sea. New monuments were built and the city experienced its
first jump in culture and arts. Athens was also the prime fighter during the war with Persia. This war aided by the existence of democratic
governing helped Athens become Greece's leading city and the center of an allied state.
The territory was not powerful enough to keep the Macedonian King Fillipe II (338 B.C.) from taking Attica and adding it to the Macedonian
states. In 146 B.C. Athens was controlled, together with the rest of Greece, by the Romans, who although they were conquerors, they showed
respect for the city and it's personality. After the first years A.C., Gothic tribes destructed Athens. The integration with the Byzantine Empire was
finalized with the shut down of Philosophic Schools, the changing of shrines to Christian temples and the general city of Athens. After year 1214,
when the Franks occupied Constantinople, Athens was given to French dukes. Their successors were Catalans, Napolitans and finally in 1456 the
Turks who were the first after all these years to turn the Acropolis into a Muslim Temple "Tzami", and the Erehthion to a harem.
Until 1834, one year after its revolution from the Turks, when Athens was proclaimed capital of Greece, it was a miserable village with very
few people and piles of ancient ruins and stones. Though it was accepted as a place with a
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2. Ancient Greek Art
Ancient Greek Art
Ancient Greece was a remarkable place of learning and civilization. Many of the institutions developed at the time are still in use today, such as
universities and democratic governments. Ancient Greece is also known for its incredible artworks, which have influenced many cultures through
centuries. As with all things, the Ancient Greeks were innovators in the field of art and developed many new styles and techniques which have
been used by countless artists ever since. Ancient Greek art is separated into three periods known as Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic. These
three periods show the styles used in Ancient Greece and how they were developed and changed through the years, starting with more basic
techniques in the...show more content...
It was a time of great change in the art of Ancient Greece. Artists stopped creating the still of forms of the Kouros figures and began to create
sculptures that showed movement; usually an athlete performing some feat. The controposto pose was created this period. A controposto pose is
a pose in which the weight of a sculpture is placed on one side of the body; it gave a sculpture a much more natural stance. One of the most
famous sculptures from this period was Discobolus or the Discus Thrower. This sculpture was created by the famous sculptor Myron ca. 450
BC. Discobolus is a sculpture of a man in the middle of throwing a discus, as the name suggests. This figure is a great example of the new
style of sculpture being made during the classical period. The figure is in an extremely dramatic pose, with all of his weight on his right leg
as he prepares to throw the discus. It has been a matter of some debate whether or not this pose is actually humanly possible or if the artists
merely exaggerated for the purpose creating a dramatic sculpture. Myron was responsible for many of the great sculptures of the Classical
period, though none of them are known to have survived; all of our knowledge of his works come from accounts of Romans and other such
people who had seen them while they still existed. Not much is known of him because of this. The Classical period was a time of great change
in Ancient Greek art and was responsible for the
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3. Essay about Women Of Ancient Greece
The Women of Greece: A Transition from Ancient Power to Classical Subservience
For the most part, women in today's society hold a position equal to that of a man;
however, this has not always been the case. Women?s conquest for political and social
freedom is a battle that has gone on for centuries. Perhaps the breaking point in women?s
liberation was the Women's Movement of the 1900's, which encouraged women all over
America to join in the fight for their right to vote. Because of this struggle for equality,
women are now able to vote, receive a standard of fairness in the workplace, hold
political positions, and play professional sports, as well as a wide array of other privileges
enjoyed by men....show more content...
Another problem that Greece faced was the rivalry between the city–states of
Athens and Sparta. The cooperation between the two city–states in the Persian War was
short–lived. Athens and Sparta were constantly feuding for control of Greece (Greece
373).

4. The Archaic period, though constantly growing, was one of a somewhat primitive
nature. Due to this, not much written philosophy has surfaced; however, creative thought
was very encouraged during this time (Greece 367). Because of the lack of written
documents, many of the holes in the philosophy of the time must be filled with
speculation. The philosophy of ancient Greece, that could be found, was very favorable
towards women. During the Archaic period, a woman held a position almost equal to that
of a man. Women were able to hold political positions, possess land, and overall enjoy a
majority of the same rights that a man had. This philosophy of women?s equality is best
expressed by J.P. Mahaffy when he states: ?This equality upon the position of women is
obvious... The wives and daughters of the chiefs were respected and influential because
they were attached to the centre of power, because they influenced the king more than
free men did? (146). The whole idea of women being not only respected but influential
during this period in Greece is phenomenal when one considers the more abject role that
women in many other cultures of that time were
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5. Essay on Greek Architecture
Greek Architecture
The Greek culture has had a huge impact on the history of the world. There is something Greek in almost everything, especially in the world's
architecture. Greece no longer had one king, so they focused on building temples for their gods. Architecture began small and plain but evolved
into impressive pieces of art. As time passed from the Archaic period to theHellenistic period, the people of Greece developed a type of formula
for their buildings and their pieces of art.
In Ancient Greece, religion dominated their life, so it is understandable that their architecture would be dominated by their religion. Before Greece
became many different city–states, they had kings, and they would build a room called a...show more content...
They are also described as being entasis, meaning that about two thirds of the way up the column begins to taper in. The fluting of the columns
was hallowed out semi–circles. The entablature of a Doric temple is also very plain. The cornice is plain, meaning there is no ornament on the
cornice. The frieze is broken up into triglyphs and metopes. A triglyph are a series of sculpted vertical lines, and a metope is a plain area. The
architrave is one full piece with no ornament.
An Ionic temple is considered to be feminine. The Ionic temple is very different to the Doric. An Ionic column is very sleek and slender. Just
like the Doric column, the Ionic column is proportioned to its diameter. The height of an Ionic column is nine to ten times the diameter. The
column has a base and the capital is more decorative with the use of scroll volutes. The fluting is very much like the Doric except there is a flat
area in between every hallowed out semi–circle. The entablature of an Ionic temple has a lot more decoration. The cornice and the frieze with
both have some sort of ornament or sculpture. The architrave is broken up into three or four pieces.
The Corinthian order is not used much in Ancient Greece. The Corinthian column is much like the Ionic but the capital is decorated with acanthus
leaves. The Corinthian column is used mostly on the interior and becomes widely used in Ancient Rome.
A Greek temple can be classified in three

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7. Greece Essay
Greece
Greece was founded in 3000 B.C. Greece is located in Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea,
between Turkey and Albania. Greece's area can be compared to the size of the state of Alabama. Between 3500 and 3000 B.C., society was
becoming more complex. Villages built during this time were becoming larger. However, the population increased at a slow rate. During the
second millennium B.C. two Greek civilizations evolved – the Minoan in Crete and the Mycenaean on the mainland. Sometime around 1349 B.C.,
the Mycenaean peoples conquered the island of Crete, and the Minoan civilization basically stopped evolving. Archeologists and historians
discovered that Minoans first wrote in the Greek...show more content...
The islands between Crete and Greece are called the Cyclades (pronounced Kiklades) Islands. As these islands were discovered and settled,
people did really well when they were able to start trading with the Asia to the east and Europe to the west. In the sixth century B.C. (599 B.C.
to 500 B.C.), Cyrus the Great posed a major threat to Greece. The result of a disagreement between the east and the west was to shape the entire
future of this area that we now know to be Greece. It was a question of survival for the Greeks.
The first Persian war in 490 B.C. was a short war. Persia sent a small force by its standards of about 20,000 infantry and 800 cavalry to punish
Athens for its participation in a raid in Asia Minor. Greeks met this force with 10,000 troops at the plain of Marathon on the west coast of Attica.
During the War, Greeks left the Persians routed.
The second Persian war lasted three years. Persia's king planned to lead a huge expedition to conquer all the Greek states. The Greeks formed
Hellenic League, which included Sparta and its allied states. Other Greek states went over and joined the Persian side.
The most important result of the Persian Wars was a barrier between Near East and Greece.
Then right after the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War started, because of the hostility toward Athens. This war was between Athens and the
Spartans. Greece

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9. Athens-Greece Essay
Athens – Greece
During the fifth century of Ancient Greece the city–states of Athens and Sparta represented two very different forms of living. Spartans directed
their time towards their military capabilities while the Athenians were interested in comfort and culture. Sparta's and Athens' political and
environmental differences along with their different views on women caused the two city–states to be very dissimilar.
Two major forms of government existed during Ancient Greece: oligarchy and democracy. The government inSparta was controlled by an
oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council ofElders and...show more
content...
It was also customary to expel from the country any speaker who became too powerful. However, as stated in the Athenian Constitution, male
citizens were equal and the government's focus was on the individual rather than the state as a whole.2
Another difference between the two great city–states was their environment and how it affected the trade in the two cities. The Athenian economy
depended on foreign trade and travel.3 Because of Athens' location on the Aegean Sea, sailing increased trade. While trade was a necessity in
Athens, it wasn't in Sparta. Since Sparta was cut off from the rest of Greece by two mountain ranges there was little trade being done. The Spartans
rarely traveled from their city–state or allowed foreigners into it. This kept out foreign ideas and allowed an element of surprise when it came to
attacks.4
Quite possibly one of the greatest differences between the Athenian and the Spartans regarded their attitude towards women. Womens' roles in
society and their relationship with the community played a major role in the development and effectiveness of each state's government and
culture. Unlike the rest of Greek women, Spartan women had the freedom of equality except for voting rights. They did little housework or
sewing. Since men were in the military, the women had full authority over their households and were not forced into a life of only childbearing
and housekeeping
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