Greek Civilization and the West
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It is no doubt impossible to overstate how profoundly ancient Greek civilization has impacted modern Western society. Providing the first known models of participatory democracy, construing philosophical concepts that have roused debate for two and a half millennia, creating masterpieces of the stage that continue to provoke discussion and demand imitation, and paying homage to a host of gods and goddesses that capture imaginations and inspire fantasy to this day, ancient Greek civilization bestows a powerful legacy. The recorded history of ancient Greece is vast; it is perhaps for this reason that the modern scholar is left with so much to ponder. And yet, it is not merely the volume of work that survives this civilization that imbues it with relevance today. It is the content of the culture and the concepts it has spawned that have allowed Greek themes and ideas to reverberate throughout the ages. The pertinence of the ancient Greeks is therefore impossible to deny. In order to grasp this idea fully, a complete examination of the ancient Greek civilization is necessary. In this study, all aspects of ancient Greek civilization will be considered. Ancient Greece's religious dimension will be examined, its system of government described, and its geography and climate accounted for. The socio-economic structure will be fleshed out in detail, and the rise, peak and fall of the civilization will be charted. It will become clear throughout that our world today is noth
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every individual had a tangible stake in the city-state's success (Robinson 30-33).
If these common features obtain for city-states such as Sparta and Athens, no doubt there are as many differences that likewise apply. Athens, glorious seafaring mecca of the arts, and home to participatory democracy, philosophy and opulence was offset by its counterpart Sparta, the austere, militaristic, oligarchic and land-locked city-state to the south. Where the Athenian legacy has left the modern world with countless treasures of antiquity as well as scores of written records, Sparta has left behind astoundingly little by comparison, this due in large part to its minimalist, ascetic guiding principles shunning artistic indulgences in favor of military rigidity (Coleman 22-30). Sparta, obsessively concerned with producing legions of strong bodies, stands in sharp contrast with Athens, a city-state consistently preoccupied with producing agile, contemplative minds.
As a result, though each polis grew to impressive proportions, they differed profoundly in composition. The military lifestyle of Sparta meant that all things were kept simple and efficient; styles of dress were utilitarian, living quarters were barracks-style, meals were
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Approximate Word count = 2973
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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