Introduction+To+Greece

=Introduction to **Classical Greece**=

Classical Greece was full of diverse ideas and values ranging from the democracy in Athens to the war based society of Sparta, with city-states creating their own individual political unit. It was composed of city-states divided geographically along the Eastern Mediterranean, all of which were ruled by land-owning aristocrats. The Greek built on earlier ideas from preceding civilizations, but also established a strong independent culture. They did not have as structured of a political system as Persia and China, but their expansion had an effect on western Asia and the eastern half of the Mediterranean basin. As the states began to fade, Alexander the Great developed a military empire that was inclusive of Persia and created what is now known as the “Hellenistic Period.” Hellenism”, meaning “derived from the Greek”, spread its influences across the region. The Greek were arguably most famous for their philosophy, and democracy in Athens, which was the first democracy every created. The idea of democracy was derived from their hatred of a tyrant ruling system. Both Athens and Sparta had slaves, and Sparta was famous for its military based culture. Athens promoted trade while Sparta discouraged it. The running religion in Greece was polytheistic, and the multiple gods and goddesses taught morals and values to the Greek society. There was a social structure in Sparta where women were treated nearly as harshly as men, they had lives of war and nothing more. In Athens, the people lived lives of luxury and only women of high status were treated with rights. However, they never reached the status of being allowed to vote in the democracy. Intellectually, Greece was famous for its philosopher Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three philosophers drove the intellect of classical Greece. In the arts, the Greek were famous for their architecture, sculptures, ceramics, and art was more important then science and math. They crafted ships, and created a strong navy to rule the Mediteranean. They were known for their theatre where they celebrated their Gods, and created God-based art and poetry. Classical Greece was a time of culture, philosophy, and new ideas such as democracy that still carry on through modern day. -Yusra Murad, Sharon Sethna, Ysabella Johnson