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The beauty, imagination, and knowledge fostered in Ancient Greece lingered on as the ages passed. Situated in the most southeasterly portion of the European continent, the Greek mainland was surrounded by water on the east, south, and west; and, was further enhanced by the presence of numerous islands of varying sizes. With coastlines bordering the Aegean and Ionian Seas and plenty of natural harbors, a thriving, seafaring commerce developed which also produced a corresponding cultural expansion generated by both local and foreign influences. Over the river of time, the course of Grecian historical events flowed as far east as India. Ancient Greece was a cluster of small city states, called poli; rather than, one nation. Athens and Sparta were the most noteworthy of these city states. The independent poli were isolated from one another either because they were situated on islands or because they were separated from each other by craggy mountain barriers. Sharing a common language and the democratic ideal of people governing themselves instead of submitting to the rule of a king, the city states formed alliance leagues for protection and survival.
The striving for
individual excellence in all directions within lawful parameters was the
cornerstone of their society. It was the methodology used by the Greeks to reach
pinnacles of achievement in drama, philosophy, pottery, and the arts, as well
as, athletics and soldiering.
Ideas, debate, and the study of wisdom were all highly esteemed. There were many sacred spaces, sanctuaries, and temples dedicated to the various gods and goddesses who were the patrons of these blossoming disciplines. Believing in the importance of the balance between mind and body, the lives of the Greeks revolved around the attainment of a clear understanding of two core concepts which were inscribed on the sanctuary at Delphi. They were "Know Thyself" and "Nothing in Excess". Ancient Greece made significant contributions to civilization in the fields of politics, philosophy, mathematics, theatre, physics, astrology, biology, and medicine. Universities today still resound with the words of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. Greek writing, myth, and storytelling were centered around an animistic Natural World inhabited by muses, nymphs, graces, sirens, and a naturalistic panorama of gods and goddesses that included a sky god Zeus who wielded thunderbolts and a warrior goddess Athena with a magical breastplate.
Originally part of their
oral tradition, their mythic stories were sung by bardic storytellers like
Homer. Eventually, they were recorded for posterity in the form of epic poems.
As Greek culture evolved it provided fertile ground for the growth of a body of
literature which included many new stories and plays which are still performed
today...Continue on
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