Ancient Greece History

The ancient Greeks believed there were a great number of gods and goddesses. These gods had control over many different aspects of life on earth. In many ways they were very human. They could be kind or mean, angry or pleasant, cruel or loving. They fell in love with each other, argued with each other and even stole from each other.

Perhaps the most famous epic poems ever written, the Iliad and the Odyssey have been read for nearly 3,000 years, making them the oldest written works in the Western world. The poems made characters like Paris, Helen, Odysseus, Achilles, Hector, and Ajax instantly recognizable, and they also influenced other ancient poets like Virgil, whose Aeneid is clearly modeled after them.

Qui n’a pas déjà son idée toute faite sur la situation des femmes de l’Antiquité grecque ? Les Athéniens – et les autres Grecs aussi, d’ailleurs – seraient forcément misogynes puisqu’ils sont réputés avoir exclu les femmes de leur cité. Ils les auraient reléguées dans l’espace privé de la maison. Dans cet entretien, l’historienne interroge cette affirmation car la recherche récente, tant en sciences sociales et en sciences de l’Antiquité permet de réévaluer l’attitude des sociétés antiques envers les femmes et, plus généralement, les rapports que les femmes et les hommes entretenaient.

Modern perceptions of classical Greece are almost invariably based on Athens and Sparta, but there are perhaps few areas as consistently undervalued as the island of Rhodes. Although solidly part of the Greek world for as long as there has been one, Rhodes, located just off the coast of Asia Minor, was also from its earliest times a port opening to the civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean, and Rhodes was involved in every significant moment in ancient Greek history.

Countless civilizations have come and gone over the course of time, but interest in mythology is one of the great constants. People have approached myths from countless angles, some denigrating and self-righteous, others earnest and open-minded, but there is something mystical and universal in all myths that speaks to the reader across the years, regardless of what they know of historiography or "schools of thought".

Pericles was a statesmen, general, and speaker during the Golden Age of Athens. His impact on the city-state would be so great that Thucydides, an honored historian, would refer to him as the city's First Citizen. In what would be titled the "Age of Pericles", he would turn the Delian League from an alliance to an Athenian Empire and foster the arts and sciences within his country more than any leader had before him. He is responsible for starting the great projects of Athens, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, which can still be seen in their glory today.

Stоiсiѕm is аn аnсiеnt Grееk philosophy (dеvеlореd by Zeno оf Citium аrоund 300 BC аѕ a rеfinеmеnt оf Cуniсiѕm) whiсh tеасhеѕ thе dеvеlорmеnt of ѕеlf-соntrоl аnd fоrtitudе аѕ a means оf overcoming dеѕtruсtivе еmоtiоnѕ. It dоеѕ nоt ѕееk tо еxtinguiѕh еmоtiоnѕ competely, but rаthеr seeks tо trаnѕfоrm them bу a rеѕоlutе aѕсеtiсiѕm (а vоluntаrу abstinence frоm wоrldlу pleasures), whiсh еnаblеѕ a person tо dеvеlор сlеаr judgmеnt, innеr calm and frееdоm frоm suffering (whiсh it considers thе ultimate gоаl).

Alongside Plato, Aristotle is, without question, one of the most influential ancient Greek philosophers and arguably the greatest icon of ancient thought. His life and work expanded rapidly and extensively across the ancient world, helped in part by the fact he tutored Alexander the Great. He was a recognized and celebrated intellectual force during all of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Furthermore, after Aristotle, Greek thought and political influence began a rapid decline.

We begin with Book V, Odysseus weeping on Calyspo's Island, and follow his adventures through to his return to Ithaca and Penelope. This version of Homer's Odyssey was created over a 14-year period of performing the great epic. When it came time to record this version for audiobook, I realized there was no text: It lived in memory. So I had to write out a 38-page poem from memory. Then I used that text as a performance script and while reading it found myself constantly editing as my spoken word insisted on changes that sharpened the sound.

Helen of Troy has been the inspiration for writers for centuries. According to the myth, her beauty was the cause of the Trojan War that would rage on for 10 long years, a war that brought death and suffering to thousands. Because of the universal appeal of the story of Helen of Troy, differing versions of the tale can be found throughout history. From the ancient poet Homer to the dramatist Euripides, from classical academic scholars to Stephen Fry to Hollywood, Helen seems to continue to intrigue us all.

What’s the big idea? Former slave Epictetus argues that since we cannot control the external world, true freedom comes from the reasoned control of one’s own desires and passions. This is the core of Stoic thought that Epictetus taught in Western Greece about AD 100. Stoicism became the dominant moral philosophy of the Hellenistic and Roman world, and Epictetus became its dominant and most respected teacher. Though Epictetus wrote nothing that has survived, writer Arrian attended his lectures and took those notes that preserved Epictetus’ teachings.

Lying in the middle of a plain in modern day Iran is a forgotten ancient city: Persepolis. Built 2,500 years ago, it was known in its day as the richest city under the sun. Persepolis was the capital of Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire the world had ever seen. But after its destruction, it was largely forgotten for nearly 2,000 years, and the lives and achievements of those who built it were almost entirely erased from history.

Believed to have been penned around the eighth century BCE or seventh century BCE, the Iliad and the Odyssey served as both entertainment and a moral guidebook of sorts for the ancient Greeks, as well as the foundation for Western literature. Although there is some scholarly debate regarding the epic's authorship, it is generally attributed to Homer. Given that he lived nearly 2800 years ago, not much is actually known about Homer; even his birthplace is debated.

Plato's Crito is a dialogue between an imprisoned Socrates and Crito, a wealthy Athenian who has formulated and financed a plan for Socrates to escape and live in exile.

"100 Quotes by Aeschylus" unveils the musings of the originator of tragedy. With topics such as religion, life, love, and death taken to task, Aeschylus offers the 21st-century reader an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the Ancient Greeks. However, what is surprising is just how resonant many of those ideas are today. An outstanding book for those seeking bite-sized nuggets of timeless wisdom. Thought to have been born in Eleusis, Aeschylus (524BC – 456BC) is the subject of both myth and legend. According to the story, at the age of 26, he was working in a vineyard.

Henry Mulford Tichenor (1858 - 1922) was a writer and journalist, who was a very active free thinker in the early Twentieth Century. A special target of Tichenor was organized religion, which he viewed as an absurdly contrived cultural artefact. In The Olympian Gods he applies a critical scalpel to the religion of the ancient Greeks, which he regarded as an obvious precursor to Christianity.

Do you want to learn about Greek mythology? Grееk mythology is not only interesting, but it iѕ аlѕо the foundation оf аlluѕiоn аnd сhаrасtеr genesis in litеrаturе. In thiѕ lеѕѕоn plan, ѕtudеntѕ will gain аn undеrѕtаnding оf Greek mythology аnd the Olympian gоdѕ аnd goddesses. Evеn thоugh these Greek myths wеrе created so long аgо, they аrе ѕtill еntеrtаining to аudiеnсеѕ tоdау.

Les héros étaient, selon les idées des païens, des hommes nés soit d'un mortel et d'une déesse, soit d'un dieu et d'une mortelle ; par cette raison, on les appelait aussi demi-dieux. Doués, la plupart, d'une force extraordinaire et d'un grand courage, ils parcouraient la terre et principalement la Grèce.

You’ve heard of Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, etc. But what do you know about the Greek underworld, minor gods, and mythical beasts? Do you know how these stories were passed on from generation to generation or what significance they held for the people who believed in them? This fascinating audiobook introduces readers to the canon of Greek mythology and its influence on the world today in language, storytelling, and even science.

Over the last 2,000 years, ambitious men have dreamed of forging vast empires and attaining eternal glory in battle, but of all the conquerors who took steps toward such dreams, none were ever as successful as antiquity’s first great conqueror. Leaders of the 20th century hoped to rival Napoleon’s accomplishments, while Napoleon aimed to emulate the accomplishments of Julius Caesar. But Caesar himself found inspiration in Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE), the Macedonian king who managed to stretch an empire from Greece to the Himalayas in Asia by the age of 30.