Download 10 Things that we owe to the Greeks

10 Things that we owe to the Greeks
Democracy
Power was first given to the People in the 6th century BC. People? In Athens only 10% of the
population counted as citizens - women, slaves and foreigners did not make the grade. The
remainder, men of 18 years and over, were divided into local groups - the "demoi" - who
were then represented on the city's major council or parliament of 500 called the "boule".
In addition, 40 times each year the people (the ekklesia) met in their thousands to vote on
issues of both foreign and domestic policy.
How does this differ from our idea of Democracy today?
Homer
The finest poet of ancient times has traditionally been credited with writing two of the
greatest works of world literature, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which together tell the story of
the Trojan war. It has been suggested that he did not even exist, and that these epics were
the combined work of various oral storytellers.
Can you think of films that have been inspired by Homers’ works?
Are there any famous characters in either story that are still famous today?
Love
The Goddess of Love in Greek mythology is Aphrodite who was born in the sea off Cyprus,
conjured from the foam produced by the severed genitals of Zeus's grand-father, hurled there
by his son. Delightful!
Her son was Eros – where can we find a representation of him in London? Who is his Roman
counterpart and what images of him are we most familiar with?
The Hippocratic Oath
The pledge made by modern physicians that they will 'do no harm' is attributed to the Greek
physician, from the island of Kos, who in the 5th and 4th century BC laid the foundation stones
of scientific medicine by freeing medical study from the constraints of philosophical
speculation and superstition.
The Marathon
What a poor Athenian messenger had to do out of necessity, millions now do for fun.
Following the battle of Marathon in 490BC at which the Greeks defeated the Persian army,
losing just 192 men to their opponents’ 6,000, a messenger was dispatched to run the 25
miles back to Athens to announce their success. It was a feat he doggedly achieved before
dying of exhaustion. If only he'd had a pair of Nike Air, a baseball cap and an i-Pod ...
What other running events do we also celebrate? What is the purpose of running a
marathon these days?
The Olympic Games
The first gathering of top athletes drawn from the Greek world was in 776 BC and afterwards,
every four years, they would return to Olympia to compete for crowns of wild olives in events
such as chariot racing, wrestling, boxing and the pentathlon. There is no mention in recorded
history of a competitor being banned for steroid abuse.
What events do we see in the modern Olympics? How has the Olympics developed over
time? (who can compete?)
Classical Architecture
The evolution of Greek architectural styles took place during the 7th and 6th centuries BC. At
the time the majority of buildings in Ancient Greece used limestone but the nearest quarry to
Athens produced marble, and the result was the temple to Athena Parthenos. This is known
today as the Parthenon, on which the architects, Callicrates and Ictinus, perfected the Doric
columns.
Where do we see examples of Classical Architecture in the UK?
Drama -Tragedy and Comedy
The Greeks were not the first society plagued by foul deeds and atrocities; they were,
however, the first to shout about it. The theatrical Greek tragedy began with the dithyramb,
a choral song in honour of Dionysus, but it was Aeschylus (525-456 BC) who developed the
form from one actor to two. Sophocles (496-406 BC) added a third player and wrote the
Theban plays that tell the story of Oedipus who murdered his father, married his mother, and
went on to became the first soap opera star. Greek comedy is most associated with
Aristophanes (450-388 BC). The playwright wrote plays that were scandalously sexual and
mocked both politicians and the city's elite with a merciless wit.
Is Drama still an important part of our society?
Philosophy; Geometry; Public Jury; History; Hades/Hell; Ostracism; Muses;
Alexander the Great
The Screw
The little metal device beloved by B&Q devotees across Britain was invented by Archimedes,
a Greek mathematician, who lived during the 2nd century BC. The author of Archimedes's
Principle, a law of physics relating to buoyancy and specific gravity, discovered the screw
while developing a device that would draw water from ships to prevent them sinking.