Ancient Greece Essay example:
About 4000 years ago, the original Greeks came from central Europe and settled on the Greek peninsula. In about 1600 BC a great Greek civilization rose up. It was called the Mycenaean. Many of the Mycenaean rulers lived in grand palaces with wall paintings like the ones of earlier times discovered on the Aegean island of Crete. The lords of Mycenae were buried with gold masks that looked like themselves. They also buried some of the personal possessions with them, such as cups, rings, and dagger blades that showed scenes of war and hunting. The Mycenaens honored the strength and courage of lions, and two stone lions still proudly remain above the magnificent gateway of Mycenae.
Greece is a country of mountains and small plains. In ancient times in the mountains, herds of goats and mountain sheep were raised for their skins, their wool, and their milk. In the plains, where the soil is rich, the farmers planted grains, grapes for wine, and olives. If the crops did not do well, the farms did not make enough money and that was tough for both the rich and poor people. The rich people could lose their land, since they could not afford to pay for it. The poor people often had to sell themselves or their children as slaves.
The Greeks believed that nymphs and spirits lived in their fields and woods. They thought that a nymph called Pan, who was half man and half goat, protected their flocks. If something went wrong with their sheep or cattle, they thought Pan had caused it and that’s why we have the word “panic”.
The diet of the Greek people was very simple. They used olive oil for cooking. They hunted wild animals for food and rarely ate the sheep that they raised. The poor people, called peasants, ate mostly barley bread and lots of vegetables. The most common foods that everyone ate were fish, fresh figs, grapes, cheese, and honey.
Somewhere in the middle of the eighth century BC, the population of Greece became too large for the island. People in their cities started to look for other places to live. Colonies of Greeks moved to places such as Sicily, Italy and northern Greece. In the cities, people became upset; they wanted their land back. New leaders then rose up and seized power from the rich aristocrats. These new leaders were called tyrants. Eventually, the tyrants also become unpopular and after 510BC, the idea of demokratia, which our word democracy comes from, began.
In demokratia, woman and saves had no vote, but there was freedom of speech and male’s citizens did have a say in government. The people formed an assembly of people to govern their cities and towns. In Athens, even poor Athenians were allowed to speak before the assembly. The Greeks’ right to freedom of speech inspired and encouraged Athenian playwrights, philosophers and historians. Many of those ancient Greek philosophers, historians, and playwrights are still known as some of the greatest writers in history.
The Greeks were also outstanding architects and people of Athens built beautiful buildings for public use. One of the most famous buildings was a temple up in the high city, or Acropolis, called the Parthenon.
The Greeks have a long history of sports and war. Many of the organized sports of today began in Greece. Greeks in Olympia held huge competitions in all kinds of events such as jumping, discus throwing, horseback riding, chariot racing, boxing, wrestling, and many others. Competition was very fierce and some competitors in certain sports even died. These games were held every four years and Greece is credited being how our modern day Olympic tradition began. Warfare between the Greek states always stopped during these competitions.
Over the centuries the Greeks battled each other constantly. In Sparta, at the age of seven, young boy were sent to special camps to train as soldiers. The Spartans were specially fierce and dedicated soldiers. One of the most famous wars was in Greece was between Athens and Sparta. The Greeks also fought people such as Persians, who had conquered some of their colonies. Led by King Alexander of Macedon, also known as Alexander the Great, the Greeks defeated the Persians in several major battles and were able to win control of the entire Persian Empire. After the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Greek civilization quickly spread all over the known world.
Today, the ancient Greeks are still known for all the culture, thinking, education, sculptures, architecture, medicine, writing, and science they brought to the entire world. Modern archaeologists continue to try to learn more and discover other facts about the culture that was called “the cradle of western civilization.”