Ammaarah's Era

Why Ancient Greece Flourished

Greece expanded and flourished because of these three reasons that promoted stability in the civilization, one being the invention of the Greek language which is still known and being used to this day, Ancient Greek also flourishes by providing education and entertainment with their use of mythology, and lastly the Ancient Greek civilization flourished and expanded by introducing one of the earliest mathematical theorems. The first reason the Greek civilization flourished was because of the use of the Greek language which is still used to this day, Greek became very widespread and common as it was being used to communicate. After Alexander The Great had passed he left a huge impact on culture by giving the people their common language Greek, Greek became so known and widespread that there have been coins found by archaeologists in Afghanistan with the word King written in Greek and then the New Testament was also written in Greek. Ancient Greek became known for their mythology, mythology was being used to educate and was a great way for people to learn about fictional writing and storytelling. When we talk about Greece today we almost always mention Greek mythology as it was such an interesting part of history. The Greeks flourished with their use of mythology as it was used to teach people about gods, heroes and nature in an interesting way; it was a way of educating with entertainment. Some of the famous works of mythology are The story of Poseidon, The story of Hercules, and the story of Achilles. Lastly the Greek civilization flourished in education with their famous mathematicians and their theorems which are still being used today in school to educate. Thales’ theorem and intercept theorem both come from the work of Thales of Miletus, known as one of the seven wise men of Greece, his theorem states that an angle in a semicircle is a right angle; this theory is used in geometry classes today. Pythagoras is also a Greek mathematician we have to thank for originating the word mathematics which means “that which is learned”, there is also another popular theory (Pythagorean theorem) in his name still used in schools today. The Greek civilization expanded and flourished because of the way they communicated and how the language still stuck to this day, the cause of Alexander the Great introducing the Greek language led to the consequence of the Greeks finding an efficient way to communicate amongst one another, the teaching of mythology led to the knowledge of gods, heroes and nature for the Greeks and it was a form of entertainment, lastly the use of theorems in Greek history by famous mathematicians is still being recognized and widely used in schools today as a way to educate the kids of today.

Image result for greek language

Greek Alphabet examples.

“Greek Language Facts for Barbarians – EVS Translations.” EVS Translations Blog, 8 Oct. 2018, Accessed 23 Mar. 2019, http://www.evs-translations.com/blog/greek-language/.

greek mythology

Statue of Neptune.

Hall, Alena. “12 Gifts Ancient Greece Gave To The World.” Huff Post Canada, Huff Post Canada, 6 Dec. 2017, Accessed 22 Mar. 2019, www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/20/gifts-from-ancient-greece_n_6152466.html.

$greek math$

Greek numeral value of 80, also known as Pi.

Sources I used for paragraph*

Green, John. “Alexander the Great and the Situation … the Great? Crash Course World History #8.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar. 2012, Accessed 22 Mar. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg&t=314s.

Ancient Greek Artifacts and their Significance to The Greek Civilization.

The Ancient Greek Aulos introduced the muse of epic and lyrical poetry and was an integral part in the daily lives of Greek citizens, Greek pottery was very significant in the trading and transporting of goods for communities, Greek architecture gave The Greeks a sense of identity and pride and influenced many, these were all very significant to the Greek civilization.

AULOS

The ancient Greek Aulos, Pithoo and ancient Greek architecture are all very significant to the Greek civilization. The Aulos was a popular musical instrument in Ancient Greece; this artifact influenced the musical culture, lyrical poetry and introduced a new path of entertainment for citizens. It was very popular amongst citizens. The Aulos was very common almost everywhere, it was played in festivals, at the time of birth and at funerals, it was also played for athletes at athletic games for motivating the athletes to keep their rhythm when they would perform their exercises, at social occasions and in theatre during the performance of tragedy, it was also played in private drinking parties and was associated with the Greek god Dionysus,1 which is why music was so important for the Greeks as it was an integral part of their daily lives. In the age of lyric poetry, the Aulos was very significant as it was a very popular instrument used during the classic period of Greek culture after Greece had come out of the dark ages and into the lyrical age.2 Sakados of Argos is one of the earliest examples of a famous Greek musician (580 BCE); he was a famous Aulos player and poet and was very successful in the Pythian games.3
The aulos as seen below is a musical instrument in which sound is produced from blowing through the single or double reed. There is also a video clip to see the Aulos in action! aulos

Mark, Cartwright. “Aulos,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Aulos/, (June 12th, 2012, accessed January 29, 2018).
Flutes, Max Brumberg. “Ancient Greek Louvre Aulos Music in ‘La Boissonade’.” YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zVgCvTWVBY, (December 9th, 2018, accessed January 29th, 2019).

GREEK POTTERY/ STIRRUP JAR
Ancient Greek pottery played a huge role in the development of the Greek civilization and helped the Greeks advance in terms of agricultural growth, various vases and jars were used in order to transport and trade goods and they also came in ranges of sizes to provide for larger communities or smaller ones depending on their sizes. The Stirrup Jar or “false neck amphora” as it is also known as, is a great example of what the Greeks had used to trade and transport goods in the Mycenaean trade. Stirrup jars were significant as they were used to transport various liquids such as olive oil and aromatic oils, as well as wine for the Mycenaean economy.4 The stirrup jar was significant for trading during the 14th and 13th centuries BC along with other storage vessels and Mycenaean products as they were exported in large quantities to Aegean, Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean and South Italy in exchange for raw materials, metals and luxury goods.5 The stirrup jar from the Late Bronze Age was made out of clay as seen in the image below, it also came in various sizes and shapes.

stirrup jar

“Stirrup Jar.” Museum of Cycladic Art, https://cycladic.gr/en/exhibit/kp0011-pseudostomos-amforeas, (Accessed February 3, 2019)

GREEK ARCHITECTURE/ THE PARTHENON
Greek architecture was significant in many ways to the Greeks, it gave Greece something they could call their own and they held pride in that, it also had a great influence on the Romans and an influence on the western world that we see today. Ancient Greece has influenced the western society for years and years and one way they did this is through their architectural designs.6 Greek architects created the three orders of classical architecture, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, these three orders were the basic grammar of western architecture which is why if you walk in any modern city today you will for sure see these examples being used in many forms.7 Ancient Greek architecture was very important in Greek societies as architects were making temples dedicated to Greek gods and goddesses, a significantly famous and architectural masterpiece to name would be the Parthenon (below) in the heart of the city of Athens. The monument was a temple that was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. Other examples of temples named after famous Greek gods are, Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the temple of Poseidon at Sounion. The Greeks were very passionate about their love for architecture and it was clearly expressed through their work on these beautiful buildings. The Greek’s famous architectural designs had even influenced the Romans, the Romans were excellent builders, architects and engineers on their own but the Greeks very aesthetically influenced them. The Romans would also use the famous Ionic, Doric and Corinthian Orders; an example would be the Basilica, which was developed from the Greek stoa.8 There are examples of Greek architecture in any modern city since the style became so popular, the Greeks hold a lot of pride in their architecture because of how famous it has become and because of its popularity it makes them feel unique and important. It gives them a sense of identity and cultural pride.

Parthenon.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Parthenon”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon, (November 1,2018, Accessed February 4th, 2019).

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

1-Mark, Cartwright. “Aulos,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Aulos/, (June 12th, 2012, accessed January 29, 2018).

2- “The Age of Lyric Poetry,” Arts and Humanities Through the Eras, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/culture-magazines/age-lyric-poetry (Accessed February 2, 2019).

3- Anderson, Warren, and Thomas J. Mathiesen. “Sacadas [Sakadas] of Argos,” Grove Music Online,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024246, (2001, accessed February 2, 2019).

4- “Stirrup Jar.” Museum of Cycladic Art, https://cycladic.gr/en/exhibit/kp0011-pseudostomos-amforeas, (Accessed, February 3, 2019)

5-“Stirrup Jar.” Museum of Cycladic Art, https://cycladic.gr/en/exhibit/kp0011-pseudostomos-amforeas, (Accessed February 3, 2019)

6- Brainy, Bunny. “ The Influence of Ancient Greek Architecture,” Owlcation, https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Influence-of-Ancient-Greek-Architecture,
(Updated April 8, 2018, Accessed February 3, 2019).

7-Mark, Cartwright. “Greek Architecture,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Architecture/,
(Jan 6, 2013, accessed February 4, 2019).

8- Brainy, Bunny. “ The Influence of Ancient Greek Architecture,” Owlcation, https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Influence-of-Ancient-Greek-Architecture,
(Updated April 8, 2018, Accessed February 3, 2019).

*ARTIFACT ILLUSTRATIONS
Flutes, Max Brumberg. “Ancient Greek Louvre Aulos Music in ‘La Boissonade’.” YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zVgCvTWVBY, (December 9th, 2018, accessed January 29th, 2019).

Mark, Cartwright. “Aulos” Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Aulos/, (June 12th, 2012, accessed January 29, 2018).

“Stirrup Jar.” Museum of Cycladic Art, https://cycladic.gr/en/exhibit/kp0011-pseudostomos-amforeas, (Accessed February 3, 2019)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Parthenon”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon, (November 1,2018, Accessed February 4th, 2019).

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