What Makes the Greeks Memorable

Compelling Question

Period: 1600 BCE to 20 BCE

The Greeks made substantial discoveries in philosophy, architecture, science, physics, and many other subjects. The expansion, and then downfall, of the empire Alexander built contributed to the spread of Hellenistic culture. Greeks were recognized for their knowledge and skill, which is why so many records and artifacts of their achievements have survived.

Olympics

776 BCE

The first recorded Olympics was held in Olympia, but there is evidence that the first one to take place could have been 500 prior. Regardless, the Greeks made the tradition of intense athletic competition between surrounding nations incredibly popular. This legacy continues today and involves the whole world, definitely making the Olympics a memorable attribute of Greece.

Homer

750 BCE

Homer began to write his famous pieces, The Odyssey and Iliad. These works spread across Western civilization through public orations and were eventually recorded and are still read today. Literature was a very significant attribute of Greece, but eventually, other nations began to write and perform as the Greeks had before them.

Democracy in Greece

508 BCE

Cleisthenes was a lawmaker in Athens, and he is credited for implementing democracy into Greek city-states. After centuries of experimenting with different forms of government, they were able to develop a democratic setting that later would be used in several other societies in ancient and modern government.

Parthenon

447 BCE

The Parthenon was built as a replacement of a former temple destroyed by Persians, but it was more impressive and used to demonstrate the power and wealth in Athens. Greece used its architecture to express dominance and power, and it also inspired other nations - especially Rome - to make similar extravagant structures.

(Approximate Time) Socrates' Philosophy

425 BCE

Throughout his lifetime, Socrates laid the foundation for subsequent moral philosophers. He is also responsible for creating the Socratic method.

Plato Created the Academy

380 BCE

Plato was unlike his tutor, Socrates, because he believed that knowledge should be recorded and shared. Plato decided to form the Academy to teach other thinkers about subjects such as astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, physics, along with others. This sparked greater interest in education and inspired more philosophers to learn and teach. Even after the Academy was closed, the concepts taught there continued to spread throughout Western civilization.

Alexander the Great Ascended to Power

336 BCE

After his father's demise, Alexander the Great took his place as the ruler of Greece. At the time he was only twenty, but he went on to conquer adjacent nations and grew a vast empire. He spread Greek culture (Hellenism) as he conquered.

Division of Alexander the Great's Empire

323 BCE

After Alexander's death, his empire was divided after years of conflict because his successor was never named. Ptolemy formed the Ptolemaic Dynasty. This dynasty upheld many traditions of Greek life and was home to the Great Library of Alexandra, founded by Ptolemy himself. Institutions such as these continued the Greek concept of deep thinking, even after the division of the once powerful empire.

(Approximate Time) Hipparchus Astronomy

150 BCE

Hipparchus was a Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer. In his time, he founded the principles of trigonometry and used his charting and observation of stars to develop the first longitude and latitude system. Most of his research is still implemented in contemporary education.

Defeat at Battle of Corinth

146 BCE

Ironically, the downfall of Greece resulted in the spread of Greek culture. When the Romans took control over Greece, they also adopted many of their cultural practices. Philosophy, architecture, and artwork were all modeled from Greek society and spread throughout the Roman empire.