Western Civ. 3-6

Phoenician Alphabet

800 BCE

The Phoenician alphabet was the new alphabet of Greece and was very easy to learn. This alphabet went on to help form others like the Roman alphabet and the English alphabet.

Olympics

776 BCE

The Olympics were a set of games that took place in Olympia and lasted for over 1,000 years. Greeks would travel from all across Greek settlements to come to them and wars were suspended during the Olympics so they could compete.

The concept of Civic Virtue

700 BCE

Poleis created laws that allowed citizens to have a say in their government. These laws went on to create the concept of civic virtue or patriotism. It made the citizens want to put the community's needs above their own.

Art

700 BCE

Greek art showed perfect balance and was symmetrically perfect. The Greeks believed that their art was a celebration of the human body in its perfect state. They also believed in celebrating the human potential for beauty.

Scientific Work

600 BCE

Greece did a lot of scientific work; even though most of the conclusions that they reached were wrong they started the process of learning how to discover new things through examination and consideration.

Drama

550 BCE

Plays originated in Greece and started as religious festivals that celebrated by singing or chanting. Eventually Greek writers started scripting them and created what we know as plays today.

The Persian Government

550 BCE

The Persian government had checks and balances in place to make sure the king couldn't dictate the empire too much. Their government believed in creating a strong sense of loyalty between the king and his subjects and subject rulers. Lastly, this form of government allowed the citizens to do what they wanted as long as they were loyal to the king.

Cyrus II the Great

546 BCE

Cyrus conquered many different civilizations but instead of forcing his culture on them, he allowed them to keep their language, religion, and culture. The only law they had to follow was the civilizations had to provide loyal warriors and offer tribute.

Philosophy

469 BCE

Greek had three major philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. All three of these came up with laws about what was morally and ethically correct. Many of their beliefs are still taught today in schools.

History

452 BCE

Greeks were the first to come up with writing "history." They wrote narratives that explained what happened and why it happened based on historical events. The Greeks also used primary sources which we use today.

Summary

2022

The Greeks were so memorable because of all of the amazing things they accomplished. They helped shape and form the world we live in today by their government, art, drama, and literature/alphabet. Without the advancements of Greece we wouldn't live in the world we live in today. That is why the Greeks are so memorable.