Greek Culture example essay topic

Hellenistic diffusion is the spread of Greek ideas, or traits from one culture to another. It was said the "All men are Greek". This means that culturally, all men have some kind of Greek background or influence. One of the first civilizations was the Minoan civilization. Some of their contributions include art, trading and flushing toilets.

The Mycenaean's defeated the Minoans. They moved westward from southwestern Russia and settled in wave after wave into Greece. There they established fortified towns in the valley between the many mountainous ridges that reach down to the sea and divide Greece into a number of distinct geographic units. In 1150 B.C. Greek culture fell into a 400-year long Dark Age. This was caused by, or led to another wave of Greek invaders from the Northeast, the Dorians. The Doric invasion set off a secondary wave of Greek migrations in around 1000 B.C. to the shores of Western Asia Minor and continued their migration across the Aegean to the southern shores of Asia Minor as well as Crete.

As things settled down in Greece, the population increased-causing a new wave of migrations, sailing east and west and discovered land that they could colonize with their excess population. Colonies were established to the West on the island of Sicily and on southern Italian peninsula. Settler crossed to the Egyptian and Libyan coast of Africa. Others sailed west beyond Sicily and established towns along the French coast.

In the ancient days "Greece" encompassed a whole huge area along the northern half of the Eastern and central Mediterranean Sea. Alexander the Great's expedition was the first large-scale western expansion in Asia. As a result, Hellenistic culture emerged as a significant factor in the old world, but Hellenism also recognized no national boundaries. Alexander changed the image of world history. He contributed with his ideas to the notion of humanity and with courage put his ideas into practice. With the spread of Greek and its establishment as the official language for his Asiatic and African State, the Hellenic language became the main communication tool for the diverse populations of the East.

Alexander and his successors became not only local but also international carriers of Hellenic language and culture so that the world could ready itself to receive and understand. He surged Macedonia not for wealth but to unite people with the bonds of peace, coexistence and communication. Alexander always dreamed of a Brotherhood of Man in a world torn by conflicts. Even though this "dream" was unattainable he managed to spread Greek culture not only throughout the West but also the East. He had teachers such as Aristotle and As vaghosha.

This brings me to one of the many Greek contributions, Philosophy. Four main philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle brought a sense of underlying order to full view for the Greeks. Socrates was convinced that the universe was an orderly place operating in accordance with a divine spirit of justice that flowed through all life, giving it purpose and structure. Plato, a pupil of Socrates, sought to formulate the actual structure or nature of this divine order. He came up with the idea of Forms as basic designs inherent in all things, abstract forms that give a precise character to every distinct thing. Aristotle was much more focused on the question of how we come to understand the immediate world around us and how we should interact with it.

Lastly, Pythagoras. In my opinion I feel he had one of the biggest influences not only on philosophy but more importantly, mathematics and science. (I'm a bit biased considering I'm a math major) He discovered the formulas for computing the sides of a right triangle, for uncovering a number of basic rules that geometry rests on. We also remember him for the mathematical rules for the musical harmonies or scales, and most importantly he argued that the universe is a perfect sphere, as well as the sun, moon and earth!! Achievements in mathematics and also Geography, led to tremendous progress of Astronomy. Another Greek contribution is religion, Astronomy and Astrology.

According to Greek mythology, the Gods were perfect looking men and women. Consequently, a lot of Greek art were of the Gods-another contribution. I believe one of the best contributions to our society are the Olympic games. Although the ancient Olympics are very different from the modern Olympic games, I still feel it is a very important contribution.

In ancient Greece, there were fewer Olympic events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete. Today, people from all nations can compete. Some of the events included discus, chariot racing, running and wrestling. Without the Greek culture, no one knows what today's culture would be like.

I think that just about every belief and aspect of our culture has some way been effected because of the Greeks. I strongly believe that the Greeks do not get the credit they deserve, and more importantly I think a lot of the Hellenistic diffusion was brought about because of Alexander the Great. He helped spread the Greek culture to many different conquered empires..