The Legacy of Ancient Greece Greek Contributions

The Legacy of Ancient Greece

Greek Contributions

• Greek contributions: influence from the Greeks that affects us today, as in the areas of:

• Language
• Government
• Medicine
• Mathematics
• Science
• Architecture
• Entertainment
• Sports

Greek Contributions

• Alphabet

• Our alphabet grew out of the one the Greeks used.

• How many letters look familiar?

• How many of their names do you recognize?

Greek Contributions

• Literature:

• Drama
• Comedy, Tragedy
• Historical writing

Greek Contributions

• Our form of government was a Greek idea.

• Democracy, or rule by the people, began in Athens.
• The practice of having citizens serve on juries also began in Greece.

Greek Contributions

• • Citizens

• control their own destiny.

Greek Contributions

• For centuries, the Greeks believed that the gods and goddesses controlled natural events, including health and sickness.

• The earliest Greeks thought that illness and accidents were punishments sent by the gods.
• They didn’t know about the natural causes of disease and healing.

Greek Contributions

• A Greek man named Hippocrates changed the way people thought about health and medicine.

• Hippocrates brought a scientific way of thinking to his work as a doctor.
• He believed that diseases had natural causes.
• He taught his students to carefully observe their patients and write down what they saw.

Greek Contributions

• As you know, the Greeks loved sports.

• Their interest in athletics gave them some knowledge about the way people’s bodies move.
• But their understanding of the body was limited.
• Partly because they couldn’t look inside to see how the body works.
• As these beliefs changed over time, the Greeks made new discoveries.

Greek Contributions

• The Greeks loved reasoning and looked for answers to nature’s mysteries in mathematics.

• One such scientist, Pythagoras, believed that numbers were the key to understanding nature.

• He started a school where students developed mathematical theories.
• – Like many Greeks, Pythagoras was especially fascinated by geometry.
• • geometry: the branch of mathematics involving points, lines, planes, and figures

Greek Contributions

• How far away are the sun and moon?

• How do planets move in space?

• These are the kinds of questions asked by astronomers.
• The word, Astronomy comes from the Greek word astronomia meaning “star.”
• Astronomy means the study of stars, planets, and other objects in space.

• Once again, the Greeks were pioneers in this field.

Greek Contributions

• • People in all civilizations observed the sun, moon, and stars.

• But a Greek scientist named Aristarchus was the first person to suggest that Earth moves around the sun.
• This idea upset many Greeks who believed that Earth was the center of the universe.

Greek Contributions

• The work of Greek astronomers also contributed to geography, the study of the Earth’s surfaces.

• The word, geography, comes from the Greek word geographia which means “writing about the Earth.”

• To describe where places were, they developed a system of longitude and latitude.

Greek Contributions

• The Greeks identified many types of plants and named their parts.

• They learned how plants reproduce by spreading seeds.
• They also discovered that some plants are useful as medicines.
• Greek doctors used many plants, especially herbs, to reduce pain and help people heal.

Greek Contributions

• • The philosopher Aristotle was fascinated by living things.

• – He collected information about many types of animals and plants.
• – Then he organized animals into groups such as “those with backbones” and “those without backbones.”
• – He also divided plants into groups such as herbs, shrubs, and trees.

• • The way we classify, or group, animals and plants today reflects Aristotle’s work.

Greek Contributions

• The word architecture comes from the Greek word, arkhitekton which means "master builder," from arkhi- "chief" + tekton "builder, carpenter."

• The Greeks used:

• columns to make their temples balanced and stately
• pediments, the triangular shapes where roof lines come together
• decorative bands called friezes

Greek Contributions

• Greek styles are still used in many buildings today.

Greek Contributions

• • The word, theater, comes from the Greek word theatron, which means "place for viewing," from theasthai "to behold" (cf. thea "a view," theates "spectator") + -tron, suffix denoting place

• • Greek theaters were built as semicircles.

• The rows of seats rose steeply from the stage so that everyone in the audience could see and hear.

• These ideas influence the way

• theaters are built today.

Greek Contributions

• The Greeks even invented special effects. They used hoists to make people appear to fly.

• They also created scenery that revolved, or turned.

• -Perhaps the greatest Greek contributions to the theater are their stories and plays.

• Writers throughout the ages have been inspired by Greek myths and stories.
• Greek dramas are still performed today all over the world.

Greek Contributions

• • The first Olympics were held in 776 B.C.E. to honor the Greek god Zeus.

• • Today’s Olympics reflect ancient Greek customs.

• -During the opening ceremony, an athlete lights the Olympic flame.

• -This custom comes from the time when the first Olympic athletes lit a fire on the altar of Zeus.

Greek Contributions

• Many modern Olympic events grew out of Greek contests.

• One example is the pentathlon.
• The word, pentathlon, which means “five contests,” comes from the Greek words pente meaning "five" and athlon meaning "prize, contest.“
• The Greek pentathlon included:

Greek Contributions

• The Greeks invented the pentathlon as a test of all-around athletic skill.

• Although the five contests are different today, the pentathlon is still an Olympic event.

Review – The Legacy of Ancient Greece

• Language and Literature

• Government

• Medicine

• Understanding of the Body

• Mathematics

• Astronomy

• Geography

• Understanding of Plants and Animals

• Architecture

• Theater

• Sports