History Week 7

The Mediterranean World in the First Millennium: The Greek Civilisation

Assess the part Greek history has played in the civilisation of the west

(Ocana n.d., 'Athenian Democracy')

 

(Ancient Greek Universities n.d., 'Plato's Academia')

In order to assess the part Greek history has played in the civilisation of the western world, an understanding of the term civilisation must first be attained; civilisation is ‘a relatively high level of cultural and technological development’ (Merriam-Webster 2012). In light of this, the Ancient Greeks could then be considered the largest influence on modern society. Despite technological advancements made over the last century in fields such as Astronomy and Medicine, the progress in these areas had been relatively stagnant since the Classical era. The Ancient Greek culture ‘encouraged the pursuit of knowledge,’ placing great emphasis on education, creating ‘academies and other centres of learning’ (Mitchell Teachers n.d., ¶1). Culturally, this thirst for knowledge provided opportunities for ancient scholars to make discoveries that were not equalled or expanded upon until the early 20^th century. Pythagoras who not only believed the Earth was spherical, a hypothesis not fully adopted until after 15^th Century, also developed the philosophy that ‘all complex phenomena must reduce to simple ones,’ a concept which became a ‘driving force to the great scientists such as Newton and particularly Einstein’ (Connor & Robertson 1999, ¶7). Hippocrates also known as ‘The Father of Medicine’ was amongst the first Ancient Greeks to state the principle ‘that all diseases are natural in origin, and to be cured not with charms or miracles but by natural means,’ which has shaped the way in which science and medicine is approached today (Auld n.d., p.717 ¶4).  Despite the advancements made in science, mathematics, philosophy, architecture and literature, perhaps the greatest and most enduring contribution Ancient Greece gave to modern society is the concept of Democracy. According to Herodotus (cited in Ancient Greek Democracy 2012, ¶2), ‘in a democracy there is first, that most splendid of virtues, equality before the law,’ suggesting that every citizen should have the right to vote. Nevertheless the democratic philosophy was surrendered within two centuries making way for an Aristocratic form of government (Ancient Greek Democracy 2012, ¶1). Despite this, the fundamentals of democracy and its ideals ‘have been influencing politicians and governments ever since’ (Ancient Greek Democracy 2012, ¶8).

 

References

Ancient Greek Democracy 2012, http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece-democracy, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Auld, JW n.d., The Greek Contribution To Medicine, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1710212/pdf/canmedaj00483-0137.pdf, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Connor, JJ & Robertson, EF 1999, Greek Astronomy, http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Greek_astronomy.html, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Mitchell Teachers n.d., Recognising Ancient Greek Achievements In The Modern World, http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientGreece/RecognizingAncientGreekAchievementsintheModernWorld.htm, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Merriam-Webster 2012, ‘Civilised’, Online Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilization, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Images

Ancient Greek Universities n.d., ‘Plato’s Academia’, picture, http://reinventingknowledge5.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/ancient-greek-universities.html, [Accessed 3 November 2012]

Ocaña, JC n.d., ‘Athenian Democracy’, picture, http://www.historiasiglo20.org/1ESO/Athensdemocracy2.html, [Accessed 3 November 2012]